Category Archives: Silica Sand for Coatings

Acrylic Resurfacer, Asphalt Sport Surfaces, Silica Sand for Coatings

What type of silica sand should be used in acrylic sport surfaces?

When sourcing sand for use in 100% acrylic sport coatings, it’s important to use quality sand.  There is a large variety of sand characteristics when sourcing throughout the United States & around the world.  Here are some important factors when researching sand for acrylic sport surfaces:

  • For acrylic color coatings, shoot for a sieve size of 70-90 mesh.  The higher the number, the finer the sand particle.
Round Silica Sand | 90 Mesh for Colored Tennis Court Surfaces
Round Silica Sand | 90 Mesh for Colored Tennis Court Surfaces
  • The ideal shape for color coating sand is round.  Angular sand can be used for a grittier texture, but it can also increase wear on the pickleball or slower play with tennis balls.  Angular sand can increase wear on pickleballs and create more ball fuzz with tennis balls.  Angular sand can also result in more visible application, or squeegee marks.
  • Since the standard method of coating application is a soft rubber squeegee, the size of the sand sets the coating thickness.  The larger the sand, the thicker the coating.  This also affects the coverage rate.  More coating is used with larger sand and less with finer sand.
  • Look for sands with low-to-no dust.  Dust in sand can lead to less vibrance and more chalky appearance of the color coatings.  It can also diminish the UV resistance of the color and lead to earlier fading of the finish.  When looking as a sand sieve analysis, look for low percentages in the “Pan”.  The pan holds fines that fall through all of the sieve “screens” and lands in the pan at the bottom.
Dusty coarse sandDusty coarse sand
Clean sand vs dusty coarse sandClean sand vs dusty coarse sand

Are finer and coarser sands acceptable for use in color coatings?

When looking at a sand sieve analysis, there is never 100% of a certain size in any lot of sand.  There is a range of particle sizes in various percentages within all sands.  Most technical data sheets for sand will include the sieve analysis, and some of them will provide the average (or AFS).  So if a specification calls for 100 mesh sand, it would be acceptable to use something close like a 80 to 90 mesh sand since it likely has particles within the mix that are over and under this range.

What is the best type of sand to use in Acrylic Resurfacer?

Acrylic Resurfacer is an industry-standard product that is used as the base coat(s) under colored acrylic playing surfaces.  Acrylic Resurfacer is used for the following:

  • Filler coat.  Fills voids in asphalt or concrete pavement surfaces.
  • Helps to hide crack repairs, low spot leveling and other surface repairs
  • Provides texture on an existing smooth acrylic surface to prepare for consistent application of new textured color coatings.  This helps to ensure the proper mil thickness of the color coatings, which leads to longer wear and superior hiding.
  • Excellent primer coat for adhesion of the surfacing system.

The size and shape of the silica sand used in acrylic resurfacer is directly attributed to the performance.   Thus, it is recommended to use a larger & angular shaped silica sand somewhere between 40 to 60 mesh (clean and dust-free).  This helps to create a thicker hiding coat which is also perfect for filling voids in pavement.  If a finer sand is used in Acrylic Resurfacer, the filling and hiding capacity is greatly diminished.

Angular Silica Sand | 50 Mesh for Acrylic Patch Binder and Resurfacer
Angular Silica Sand | 50 Mesh for Acrylic Patch Binder and Resurfacer

Recommended sand for Acrylic Patch Binder

Acrylic Patch Binder is another common repair product that is used on acrylic courts.  Patch Binder is a 100% binder that is mixed on-site with portland or hydraulic cement, and silica sand.  It is used to fill and level birdbaths, or low areas where water puddles on a court surface.  Patch Binder mix is also used to fill cracks on asphalt and concrete athletic courts.  Since we want to fill low spots and cracks, it is ideal to also use a 40 to 60 mesh angular silica sand.  This should be the same type of sand that is used in Acrylic Resurfacer.

Summary of Sand for acrylic sport surfacing systems

The correct sand shape and size is very important, when sourcing for acrylic sport surfacing systems.  Contact your local SportMaster representative for more information & the best sources of silica sands.  If you’re having trouble finding a good local source, you may want to consider buying factory-mixed coatings.  SportMaster produces Acrylic Resurfacer and Color Coatings in both non-textured and factory-textured options.

Professional Tennis Tournament, Silica Sand for Coatings, Tennis Court Resurfacing, Tennis Court Surfaces

Tennis Court Surfaces | Speed of Play

Tennis court surfaces can be customized to achieve very specific speed of play.  The ITF (International Tennis Federation) has a technical testing program to classify all kinds of tennis court surfaces into court pace ratings (CPR).  Here is the current chart of CPR and pace category:

  • Category: Slow | CPR less than or equal to 29
  • Category: Medium-slow | CPR 30-34
  • Category: Medium | 35-39
  • Category: Medium-fast | 40-44
  • Category: Fast | greater than or equal to 45

Customizing Acrylic Court Surfaces

Most tennis court surfaces can be customized to some extent.  However, acrylic court surfaces have the widest flexibility of options.  Due to the ability of acrylic coatings to suspend different blends of silica sand and specialty aggregates, they can generally achieve all ITF paces with the correct combination of texture.

Angular Silica Sand | 50 Mesh for Acrylic Patch Binder and Resurfacer
Round Silica Sand | 90 Mesh for Colored Tennis Court Surfaces

Professional Tennis Tournament Surfaces

When it comes to professional tennis tournament surfaces, the speed of play is very important.  The court surfaces are usually kept consistent to the other tournaments in the same series.  This enables the players to hone their game on courts that perform similarly, prior to the most prestigious event at the end of the swing.

Tournament Tennis Court Surfaces

College & University Tennis Court Surfaces

College & university tennis court surfaces are also commonly resurfaced to meet specific court speeds, depending on the current strengths and weaknesses of the players.  Many times, the tennis coach will prefer a slower court to help the home team if they lack power serves and pride themselves on volley or returning the serve.  On the other hand, fast court surfaces favor the player with a fast serve.

Recreational Court Surfaces | Safe Texture

Recreational court surfaces normally require a safe texture, and are usually installed at a medium speed of play.  This ensures that the court surfaces have enough grip for common dry or wet conditions.  If players happen to play on the courts during or after rain, or when dew is still present, there will be minimal chances for slipping and falling from slick surfaces.  This surface pace is well suited for all sports from tennis, basketball, and pickleball to recreational play.

Sport Surfacing Systems | Installers

To learn more about speed of play and creating the ideal surface conditions for your sport surfacing systems, contact a SportMaster representative.  They can assist with apples to apples specifications and put you in touch with an experienced contractor to install the coating system to the manufacturer specified pace.

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 Play 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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Professional Tennis Tournament, Silica Sand for Coatings, Tennis Court Surfaces

SportMaster | Official Playing Surface of the Connecticut Open

SportMaster is excited to be the official playing surface of the Connecticut Open presented by United Technologies.  This is a WTA Premier event, taking place at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale in New Haven, CT from August 19-27, 2016.

This prestigious tournament takes place a week before the US Open and highlights some of the best and top-ranked women players in the world.  Here are just a few of the high-caliber women players that have committed to the CT Open this year:

  • Roberta Vinci (Current WTA World Ranking – 8)
  • Svetlana Kuznetsova (Current WTA World Ranking – 10)
  • Madison Keys (Current WTA World Ranking – 11)
  • Dominika Cibulkova (Current WTA World Ranking – 12)
  • Petra Kvitova (Current WTA World Ranking – 13)

Are YOU pumped for #ctopen16!? We are! ????????????

A photo posted by Connecticut Open (@connecticutopen) on

Men’s Legends Event | PowerShares Legends Event

The Connecticut Open will also host the Men’s PowerShares Legends Event and will feature four of the best tennis players of all time: John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Mark Philippoussis.

SportMaster Tennis Court Surfaces

There will be 18 tennis courts used for the event, which have been recently surfaced with tournament-quality, SportMaster tennis court surfaces.  The specialized sport coatings were fortified with a specific mix of specialty aggregates, to provide spin-responsive play and the preferred speed of play for this tournament.  These surfaces are durable and provide safe footing for optimum performance.

Tournament Quality Playing Surfaces | Installers Worldwide

SportMaster Sport Surfaces are installed nationwide and around the world by experienced tennis court contractors and surfacing professionals.  If you are interested in having a private court built or resurfaced, feel free to reach out to us and we can provide qualified local installers to provide you with free estimates.

SportMaster products are distributed and supported throughout the United States by the SealMaster franchise systems.  There are currently over 90 locations nationwide.  For more information, please visit http://www.sportmaster.net.

Silica Sand for Coatings

How Important Is Silica Sand In Tennis Court Paint and Coatings?

Using the correct size and shape of silica sand is very important to each specific coating or repair product used in tennis court resurfacing.  The right kind of sand is integral to the performance of each tennis court coating, patch material, or crack filler.  Without the proper sand type and amount, a coat cannot achieve its purpose.

Tennis Court Coating Coverage Rates

Tennis court coatings are squeegee applied.  The squeegee floats at the highest point of a coating, so if you are using a larger silica sand, the squeegee rides higher.  This will generally yield a thicker coat and use more coating, unless there are lots of asphalt voids and the sand it pushed down into them.  If a finer sand is used, as in the color coats, you will use a little less material and put a thinner coat.

Silica Sand for Acrylic Resurfacer and Acrylic Patch Binder (50-60 Mesh)

The size and shape of silica sands both have a specific purpose.  The lower the number, the larger the particle size (in the AFS scale of measurement).  Since Acrylic Resurfacer and Acrylic Patch Binder are both filling voids in asphalt and concrete, the larger mesh size is better.  Also the angular shape allows the sand to key together and form a nice, strong base film or patch.  Acrylic Resurfacer is also designed to provide a consistent, but somewhat rough surface.  This helps the color coating grab on and apply at the correct thickness for good coverage and long wear.

Silica Sand for Tennis Court Color Coatings and Line Paint (Rounded 80-100 Mesh)

The silica sand that is commonly used in color coatings is finer and mostly rounded.  The rounded shape helps the sand to roll under the squeegee, instead of dragging through like a small stone that fell into the puddle.  This helps to minimize surface streaking and provide a smoother, blemish-free surface.  The smoother finish also reduces the amount of tennis ball fuzz, which creates more housekeeping issues in indoor tennis clubs and facilities.

SportMaster tennis court coatings are manufactured with fibers, which will also minimize tools marks and streaks in the color coatings. The use of fibers is a big help, since many court owners and players are looking to slow down the play by using larger and more angular-shaped silica sands in the colored tennis court surface coatings. The fiber-containing formula of SportMaster enables them to have the surface speed they want, with less streaking than most other brands.