Tag Archives: crack repair

How Do You Paint A Tennis Court?

If you ask any professional house painter they will tell you, “In hard times, everyone is a painter.”  But if you have ever hired a professional house painter, you will see that they make the job look much easier and better in much less time than the average home owner.  Hiring a professional tennis court painter, or sport surfacing contractor, is the smartest move you will ever make!

Just because it looks like paint and kind of smells like paint, doesn’t mean you apply it the same way.  Tennis court coatings are heavy-bodied and fortified with specialty sand and aggregate.  So, how do you paint a tennis court?  The only good way to apply these coatings is with a specialized tennis court application squeegee.  Using a paint roller on a hot day, in the full sun, on coatings that hold up to 15 pounds of sand per gallon can make a real mess.  Plus, if you’ve never applied coatings with a squeegee, you are in for a not-so-good surprise.  Especially, if you are attempting to paint a two-color court.  Experienced tennis court resurfacing contractors may paint anywhere from 50 to 400 tennis courts in a season.  They have plenty of practice and have the skills to squeegee two different colors that are only separated by a 2″ line, without going over into the other color area.  Not to mention, multiple coats within the same day.

Over the years, many do-it-yourselfers have attempted to paint their own courts with a variety of results.  The vast majority will never do it again and even needed to hire a professional surfacing company to fix their attempt.  Here is just a short list of reasons why it is cheaper and easier to have an experienced tennis court contractor paint or resurface your tennis, basketball, or sports court:

  • Tennis court contractors buy concentrated coatings in large volumes and have better pricing on materials than DIY.
  • Sport contractors have all of the necessary tools and experience to do the job right and quickly.
  • Court contractors also have a specialized line taping machine for layout of straight and curved lines, prior to striping.
  • Most sport contractors have a variety of methods and systems for crack repair, including installation of patented membrane repair systems which require factory training.
  • Construction alternatives: If standard acrylic repair materials cannot address the repairs, tennis court construction companies can offer more permanent repair or reconstruction.

If it is time to paint or resurface your tennis, basketball, or pickleball court and you are looking for a qualified sport surfacing contractor, contact us.  We can put you in touch with experienced installers that can provide free estimates on a professional and affordable court repair, resurfacing, or construction project.

 

How Long Does Tennis Court Crack Filler Last?

Question: How long does tennis court crack filler last?

Answer: Cracking of asphalt and concrete pavement surfaces is a common problem. Even if the asphalt or concrete is properly built, there are still variables beyond the control of the contractor and crack filler producer.

There are different reasons for pavement cracking, but a majority of the cracks on concrete and asphalt courts are structural. This means that the cracks go completely through the pavement layers, into the base of the tennis court.

Acrylic tennis court crack fillers are designed to fill and seal off the surface of the crack. This is designed to minimize water and moisture flowing into the crack and stone base of the court, and slow down degradation of the court through further cracking. The main problem is that once a structural crack opens, there are two separated slabs of pavement constantly moving back and forth. This expansion and contraction happens daily, depending on temperatures, moisture, and other environmental conditions. That being said, cracks that have been filled may open within days, weeks, months, or years of application. An Acrylic crack patch is an ideal solution for this common problem.

Pourable Tennis Court Crack Filler
Pourable Tennis Court Crack Filler

Even though we offer some elastomeric acrylic crack fillers, the degree of movement in the crack determines how long the product can perform before breaking open or pulling away from one side of the crack. Frequency of moisture, freeze-thaw, and various climate conditions are other factors that play a role in longevity of crack fillers and repair.

Crack filling is a maintenance role. The best way to maintain a tennis court crack is to fill it whenever you see it open. A good rule of thumb is to check the court(s) over in the spring and early fall (when temperatures are not getting below 50°F or 10°C) and perform necessary crack filling to extend the life of the facility. Many sport surfacing contractors also offer maintenance programs, where they make spring and fall visits annually, and advise court owners of needed crack repairs, resurfacing, or other issues.