Category Archives: Pickleball Court Surfaces

Concrete Sport Surfaces, expansion joints, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Pickleball Courts, saw cuts

Do Concrete Pickleball Courts Need Saw Cuts or Expansion Joints?

With the high volume of concrete pickleball courts being built, the common question “Do concrete pickleball courts new saw cuts or expansion joints” comes up frequently.

The short answer is “maybe”.

Joints Concrete Pickleball Court

Saw Cuts & Expansion Joints | Pickleball Courts

The American Sports Builders Association provides up-to-date construction guidelines for sport surfaces in the US and abroad.  In conjunction with USA Pickleball, the governing body of pickleball, ASBA created a book with pickleball court standards.  This book is utilized by architects, engineers and other pickleball courts specification writers.

Currently, the recommended substrates for pickleball courts are asphalt & post-tensioned concrete.  Post-tensioned concrete slabs are supported by a grid of steel tendons in a protective sheath that are tensioned after the concrete is placed.  These slabs are considered crack-resistant due to the support of the tensioned cables and do not need saw cuts or expansion joints.

Expansion Joints Pickleball Court

Why are saw cuts & expansion joints placed in concrete?

Concrete is a very hard substrate, and it’s very important that the sub-base is properly laid, sloped for drainage & compacted.  Another popular concrete construction method is reinforced concrete.  Reinforced concrete slabs contain rebar, or steel reinforced bars that lend extra strength within the concrete slab.  For most applications, like driveways, saw cuts are placed after the concrete is formed to control cracking.  However, once the saw cuts are placed, you always have a cut through the slab that will open and close during expansion and contraction from temperature swings.  The saw cuts are straight and consistent, to minimize random cracking in varying directions.

Saw Cuts Pickleball Court

Pickleball & Athletic Courts on Reinforced Concrete

Previous specifications through the ASBA mentioned use of reinforced concrete for tennis courts.  Tennis Courts are 60′ x 120′ and the recommendations were to place saw cuts under the net line and between adjacent courts.  This prevented cuts in the playing areas and potential vertical displacement, or trip hazards, for the players.  Based on the tennis court saw cut recommendations, you basically had two 60′ x 60′ slabs with no saw cuts on each side of the net.  Pickleball courts are usually 30′ x 60′, so many people choose to only put a saw cut under the net line to avoid visible cracks and potential heaving of the slabs between joints.

Acrylic Crack Filler | Uses and Longevity

Acrylic crack fillers are usually applied before application of court coatings to fill the saw cuts.  This helps to keep the coatings from puddling in the joints and maintain a cleaner look.  However, movement in the joints will cause a hairline crack to appear, which will gradually widen.  Some joints will reopen quickly and others may take longer to appear, depending on the amount of movement and moisture under the court.  Crack fillers can be reapplied as needed, to minimize moisture intrusion, but this is a continuing maintenance cycle.  The saw cuts/expansion joints are doing their intended job by allowing movement to minimize stress on the rest of the slab.

Saw Cut Crack Filling Pickleball

Flexible and Elastomeric crack fillers

There are also flexible elastomeric fillers that can be used in saw cuts and expansion joints.  These products have better elongation in the cracks, but they can also lead to other issues.  In some cases, the flexible fillers can be pushed upwards when the slabs come back together, leaving a small hump that sticks up above the joints.  This is not ideal for safe footing and consistent ball bounce.  They can also slump when the slabs move apart, leaving a small valley in the saw cuts.  For these reasons, many opt for the harder sand and cement filled acrylic crack sealants.  These situations are solely dependent on the construction of the court and weather variables.  Indoor courts are usually more consistent due to indoor temperature control and the saw cuts usually exhibit less movement than outdoor slabs.

Can I Avoid Seeing Saw Cuts on my Pickleball Court?

Here are some of the best ways to avoid seeing saw cuts on your pickleball court:

  • Management by construction methods
    • Post-tensioned concrete or asphalt construction
    • Minimizing saw cuts by strategic placement (under the net line and out of playing area)
    • Crack fillers (temporary methods and reapplication)
      • Note* reapplying crack fillers will likely leave unsightly shade differences over the cracks.

Remember, saw cuts are uniform and are designed to prevent breakage and cracking throughout the slab.  If the cracks open, they are preventing additional damage to the slab and other random cracks.  Asphalt courts are a bit more flexible, but the asphalt binders will also become brittle with age and will become more susceptible to cracking and settling.  Compaction, drainage and overall construction is also important to longevity of asphalt courts.

Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Tennis Court Surfaces

Should I Close My Recreational Courts For The Winter?

One of the most frequently asked questions, especially in northern climates, is: Should I close my recreational courts for the winter?  Once cured, acrylic court surfaces are very durable and require little maintenance.  However, below are some items to consider.

Basketball Court Winterizing

Does ice and snow damage acrylic court surfaces?

Athletic courts, like tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, should be built with a 1% slope to allow positive drainage without creating difficult playing conditions.  This helps the court surface to dry quicker, but also to prevent water damage to the acrylic surfaces.  Acrylic court surfaces do not like to be submerged in water for long periods of time.  However, as long as the coatings have time to dry, water doesn’t affect the longevity.  Since ice and snow is in a sold state, it would not soak into the surface and cause damage as quickly as puddled water may do.

Snow Management & Debris | Winter Court Maintenance

The biggest issue with keeping your court open in the winter is snow management.  There is no problem with playing on courts when it is cold outside.  However, if you have piles of snow on the surface, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Try to limit physical removal of snow and ice. (Metal shovels and tools with a sharp edge can damage the surface.  Try to stick with plastic shovels or wait for snow to melt before playing.
  • Using salt or other granule-type snow melt products can lead to extra abrasion to the surface.  When playing on the courts, any debris under foot can damage or shorten the life of the coatings.
  • Make sure to also remove any debris that has fallen, like leaves or pine needles.  Not only does this minimize abrasion but it also prevents other organic staining or damage from wet rotting leaves.

Court Accessories During The Winter

If you decide not to use your court during the winter, you may want to take down and store any windscreen that you are using.  This will help to prolong the life of windscreen.  If you decide to keep the tennis or pickleball nets up for winter play on nice days, you may want to reduce the tension on the net a bit.  Not enough to let it flap around in the wind, but a little tension relief can reduce extra strain on the net post footers and pavement during cold temperatures.  If you do decide to close your court for winter, remove the net and slide the tennis/pickleball posts out of the ground and cover the surface holes with a cap/plug.

Maintaining Positive Court Drainage

As previously mentioned, it’s very important for court surfaces to drain and not hold water.  During the winter, and really throughout the year, keep an eye on the court and make sure that nothing is stopping the flow of your court drainage design.

  • Make sure any drains around the court are not plugged with debris, like fallen leaves from the fall.  This will prevent back-up of water onto the court surface.
  • Keep vegetation trimmed around the edges of the court, especially on the low end of drainage.  Failing to do so can also create a dam for positive drainage.
  • The court should be built up a bit so that water can flow off the court to the drainage plan.  Make sure dirt or other obstructions are lower than the court surface edge, as well.

Winterizing Tennis Courts

Winterizing Your Tennis or Pickleball Court

Regardless of your decision to keep your court open for play during the winter, here are some court winterizing tips (recap):

  • Before the weather gets too cold, make sure to examine your court surface for cracks.  Fill the cracks with an acrylic crack filler to minimize the flow of water into the base of the court.  The less water that you have freezing and expanding under the base, the longer your court will stay in good condition.  Make sure to make these repairs far before the nighttime lows dip past 50 degrees F / 10 degrees C.
  • Walk the perimeter of the court and make sure there is nothing blocking drainage on any side of the slab.  Ensure that any visible drains are not blocked or plugged with debris.
  • Keep the surface free of debris, such as leaves, pine needles, and all other tree matter.
  • If you choose to close the court for winter, remove the net.  Optionally, if your posts are removeable, you can slide them out and store them.  If you do remove them, plug the surface holes with a cap (all post manufacturers make caps for the sleeves).  If you leave the posts and nets up, take a little tension off the net during the winter.
  • Avoid using sharp or potentially damaging tools on the surface for snow removal.  Salt and snow melting pellets may shorten the life of the surface, so use sparingly and make sure to blow or broom off excess particles to minimize damage.
clay balls, court surface bumps, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Pickleball Courts, Tennis Court Repair, Tennis Court Resurfacing

Asphalt Impurities & Clay Balls on Sports Court Surfaces

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Another common issue seen on athletic court surfaces arises from asphalt impurities, most commonly clay balls.  In this bulletin, we will explain the occurrence of asphalt impurities & clay balls on sports court surfaces.  

The appearance of clay balls begin with small bumps that appear in random areas of the court surface.  When you push on these bumps, they feel hard and do not give.  If you carefully cut into the bumps, you should discover a small pile that looks like ash.

How to clay ball deposits get below the court surface?

Asphalt is made up of rock (mostly limestone, with some other aggregates).  It is held together by asphalt binder, derived from the oil refining process.  Clay deposits are naturally occurring, and heavier in certain regions throughout the ground and rock quarries.  When excavating the limestone, it is impossible to remove 100% of the clay that is laced within.  As shown in the picture below, you can see random pockets of clay in the uncoated asphalt voids.

Why do the court surface bumps appear?

Asphalt is a porous pavement and will allow sub-surface moisture to breathe through it.  Acrylic sport surfacing systems are semi-permeable and will also allow a moderate amount of moisture to breathe through and escape.  Properly constructed courts should be pitched at 1% for drainage, but there is still ground moisture that travels up through the slab.  When the surface of the court is heated from the sun, it draws moisture up from beneath the court in a vapor state.  As the moisture is migrating through the asphalt,  it is absorbed into the clay deposits and the acrylic surfacing layers slow down the escape.  During the process, the clay balls swell and create the visible lumps on the surface.

Clay Ball Bumps On Sport Surface

How to remove clay balls from court surface

So, how do you remedy the situation and remove clay balls from the court surface?  This is usually just an aesthetic issue and normally not a problem that will affect play and the ball bounce.  If it becomes a problem, or when it is time to resurface the court, the following procedures can be performed:

If the clay balls are not creating issues with play and you can wait to remediate the clay balls situation, it will allow time for any potential swelling reactions.  If you do this as soon as it happens, and resurface the court, others may pop up shortly after.  You can remove them as they show up, but you will likely see the touch-up from the different of texture and color.

Avoid Recycled Asphalt For Sport Surfaces

Other asphalt impurities can also create problems with court surfaces.  If possible, avoid using recycled asphalt as it may contain unknown foreign items (i.e. shingles and other various materials).  It is also important to seek out experienced sport construction companies, as they may know what quarries to avoid based on past history of clay deposits and foreign materials.  Contact us for free referrals to qualified installers.

 

Acrylic Resurfacer, Basketball Court Paint, Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Pickleball Courts, Silica Sand for Coatings

How To Paint A Pickleball Court

As a manufacturer of acrylic sport surfaces, we are frequently asked how to paint a pickleball court.  There are a few different levels and options, when it comes to painting your court, and each will result in different levels of cost and quality.

Option 1 | Painting a Pickleball Court

Acrylic surfacing products are specialized coatings that can be applied on asphalt or concrete surfaces.  These coatings contain silica sand for non-slip texture.  The fine sand  in color coatings will provide surface texture, but not fill the pavement voids very well. If you just apply 2 coats of the textured color coatings, it will look decent, but you will see lots of surface voids and imperfections from the asphalt or concrete beneath.  This will be similar to the surface of an orange peel, where you see the pores.

Option 2 | Resurfacing a Pickleball Court

We are using the term of resurfacing a pickleball court, to refer to the coating process and not resurfacing with pavement.  In order to fill the pavement voids and provide the best prepared surface, generally one to two coats of Acrylic Resurfacer is ideal.  This product is applied prior to the color coatings, and is designed to fill voids and add texture to the asphalt or concrete surface.  Acrylic Resurfacer holds 14 to 15 pounds of sand, per gallon, and will fill the pavement voids to provide a tight, non-porous surface.  This product followed by 2 coats of color will yield the best results.

Pickleball & Basketball Court Combo

Combination Sports Courts | Pickleball Paint

If you are painting a court for pickleball, it is easy to add blended lines for other sports too.  A common trend is pickleball/basketball courts.  These are courts that don’t take up a large footprint, so they can be squeezed into many areas like backyards, driveways, playgrounds, and more.  You can use temporary nets for pickleball and then have the basketball goal on the courts edge.

Here is a good example of a driveway pickleball court:

Driveway Pickleball Court

Cushioned Pickleball Courts | SportMaster ProCushion

A third option can be adding rubberized layers to get a cushioned pickleball court surface.  Multiple layers of acrylic with small rubber granules are applied with a soft rubber squeegee, beneath the color coatings.  This produces a pad of rubber under the court to absorb shock and improve player comfort.  Make sure to ask the installer to provide an alternate quote for cushion, to see if it fits into your budget.

Free Estimates | Pickleball Court Contractors

In summary, painting a pickleball court can be performed with a roller, but best when applied with a sport squeegee. For best results, we also recommend hiring a qualified sport surfacing contractor. They are trained and best suited to apply sport coatings, and repair cracks, puddles, and other surface damage prior to the paint and coatings.  Contact us today for referrals to experienced installers.

DIY Pickleball Surfacing & Paint Kits | PickleMaster

If you are up for the challenge of applying PickleMaster on your pickleball court surface, here are some material estimate kits.  Each varies based on the number of color zones you prefer:

Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit 1 Color
Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit 2 Color
Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit 3 Color

If you are interested in adding cushioning to your pickleball court, the SportMaster ProCushion layers can be installed beneath the PickleMaster surfacing layers to create a softer playing surface.

Pickleball Court Surfacing Kit Cushion
Pickleball Court Cushioned Surfacing Systems

#pickleball #courtsurfaces by #SouthwestSportSurfaces

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Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Tennis Court Paint

How To Get Blended Line Paint For A Multipurpose Sports Court

Multipurpose courts are becoming very popular with the growth of booming sports like pickleball.  The best use of real estate, when it comes to athletic game courts, is to add blended lines to existing tennis or other court surfaces.  This way, the tennis court lines can be white and other sport lines can be another complimentary color. So that poses the frequently asked question of, “How to get blended line paint for a multipurpose sports court.”

First of all, there is no right or wrong shade of color for blended lines, however the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) deems that the tennis court lines must be white.  Also note that the USTA tried to set up some standards for 10 & under tennis court line color, and this is what was proposed:

  • All blended lines for 10 & under tennis courts (kids tennis) shall be of the same color family as the surface, just lighter or darker.
  • To achieve the “standard” paint color, use one of the following ratios:
  • 75% court surface coating to 25% white line paint for lighter shade or 25% black acrylic resurfacer for darker shade. (80% to 20% was also approved for a slight variance for shade).

In simple measurement terms, you would use 3/4 gallon of the court surface color (let’s say blue) and mix in 1/4 gallon of tennis court white line paint to achieve blended lines in a lighter blue shade.  Or, use 3/4 gallon of the court surface color and mix in 1/4 gallon of black acrylic resurfacer to produce the darker line variation if preferred.  This enables court resurfacing contractors to easily achieve blended line colors with common coatings and paints that they already have on-hand and use every day in the field.

Painting Tennis Court Lines
Painting Tennis Court Lines

Applying blended lines will not cost a fortune, by any means.  If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, we would strongly suggest having a sport surfacing contractor do this for you.  Adding blended lines can be done at any time.  The best time would be during the initial court resurfacing, to minimize the contractor mobilization costs.  However, the cost would still be minimal down the road and you will be able to enjoy multiple sports on your multipurpose sports and game court.

Multi Sport Backyard Courts, Pickleball Court Surfaces

Multi Sport Backyard Courts

Multi sport backyard courts are a great way to optimize space in your backyard, driveway, or playground.  With the onslaught in popularity of Pickleball, there has been a demand for smaller courts and combination courts to accommodate players.  In areas where the interest in Pickleball exceeds tennis, blended lines are added in another color so that the courts can be used for both sports.

Pickleball Courts with Blended Lines

 

 

 

 

 

Another option is to use your driveway for double duty, as you may already do for basketball, and add coatings and blended lines for pickleball and you’ve really got a multi use court.Driveway Pickleball Court

 

 

 

 

Playgrounds are also underutilized. Many times, there are large areas behind schools that are plain asphalt blacktop. Acrylic sport surfaces can provide a lighter, cooler surface to play basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and many other games. The lightly textured surfaces are also safer, especially when conditions are damp and potentially slippery on normal pavement.

Game Courts

 

 

 

 

 

SportMaster also makes a special color coating for higher wear areas, including areas with moderate traffic from vehicles, bikes, and more aggressive play. The system is called ColorPave, and there are a few different variations. The ColorPave system was recently used at the new Facebook campus in Menlo Park, CA, in their under-building parking garage.
ColorPave Red Asphalt Color

ColorPave is also ideal for high-wear, multi sport surfaces and driveway basketball and pickleball court areas.  Bike lanes, zoos, amusement parks, and other specialty asphalt colored areas can also benefit from a coating system like ColorPave.

If you are thinking about building a new multi sport court or have an existing pavement area or sports court, we can put you in touch with an experienced sport surfacing contractor.  They can perform a site visit to evaluate your project and provide a free estimate.  Not sure what you want, our installers can provide recommendations based on the available space you have and on your sport and activity preferences.

Pickleball Court Surfaces, Tennis Court Surfaces

Can Pickleball Be Played On A Tennis Court?

Pickleball has become one of the fastest growing sports in the nation.  The demand for places to play Pickleball leads to the question, “Can Pickleball be played on a tennis court?”  

Yes, Pickleball can be played on a tennis court surface, and we will discuss some great options to keep Tennis and Pickleball players happy.

Blended Pickleball Lines On A Tennis Court

A common trend, that is working well, is to maximize the current “real estate” of existing tennis courts.  That is usually a “win-win” and has been done for years with tennis and basketball court combinations.  By USTA and ITF rules, tennis court lines must be white.  Pickleball court lines can be added in a different color, so that tennis or pickleball can be played on the same court (at different times, of course) and the eye can focus on the applicable set of playing lines.  As with the USTA’s kids tennis program known as 10 & under tennis or Quickstart, it is usually recommended to paint the Pickleball lines in the same color family as the court surface color. To better explain, if the court color is blue, apply the Pickleball lines in a shade of blue that is lighter or darker than the surface color. This makes the lines less distractive to tennis players.

How Much Does It Cost To Add Pickleball Lines To A Tennis Court?

This is a relatively inexpensive process and is usually performed by a qualified tennis court contractor.  It can range anywhere from $250  to $600 per court, depending on a variety of factors:

  • Existing surface condition (how much cleaning and prep is needed in order to get the new line paint to adhere properly)
  • Total number of Pickleball courts to be painted (better price per court, for multiple applications to minimize mobilization)
  • Lower cost to apply the Pickleball lines as the tennis courts are being resurfaced.

To get a free estimate from a qualified Pickleball court contractor on your facility, contact us and we can put you in touch with an experienced installer.

Pickleball Court Construction | Permanent Pickleball Courts

There is also a boom of permanent Pickleball courts being installed in park districts and residential settings.  Since Pickleball courts are smaller (44′ x 20′) than tennis courts (60′ x 120′), more and more avid players are building backyard Pickleball courts.  It is great fun for families, kids, and older players alike.  In fact, many older players that are unable to physically handle tennis are turning to Pickleball for fun and fitness.

Pickleball court construction utilizes the same construction methods as tennis and basketball courts.  Generally they are comprised of an asphalt or concrete substrate, and then surfaced with a non-slip, textured SportMaster brand of acrylic surface.  Here are some additional resources for Pickleball court construction, surfacing, and striping layout:

  • Pickleball Court Surfacing Specifications – Asphalt
  • Pickleball Court Surfacing Specifications – Concrete
  • Pickleball Court Striping Layout & Dimensions – Diagram