Tag Archives: pigment

Basketball Court Paint

Court Surface Murals | Basketball & Tennis Court Murals

SportMaster was fortunate to take part in a basketball court surface mural project in Philadelphia, PA.  The project took place at Waterloo playground, with the help of Jeffrey Tubbs (co-founder of MTWB – Make The World Better).  Jeffrey saw another mural court on Instagram, and sold the idea of bringing a mural basketball court to Philly.  You can read more details about the project at the MTWB website.  Check out the cool video and amazing process to create this court surface mural.

SportMaster ColorPlus Fusion System

One of the unique benefits of the SportMaster ColorPlus system is the ability to use concentrated liquid pigments to tint neutral-based coatings.  This minimizes the amount of waste and overage, when it comes to specific colors.  This is ideal when working on court murals and jobs that require “custom” colors.  Most brands require specific batch sizes to create certain colors, but with the ColorPlus Fusion system, there are over 100 standard colors available.  And, you can create much smaller amounts by easily measuring and mixing pigments.

ColorPlus Standard ColorsColorPlus Standard Colors
ColorPlus Fusion Page OneColorPlus Fusion Page One
ColorPlus Fusion Page TwoColorPlus Fusion Page Two
ColorPlus Fusion Page ThreeColorPlus Fusion Page Three

Asphalt Muralist | Custom Courts & Pavement Art

Another increasingly poplar trend is asphalt muralists.  This is a way to enhance the charm of plain old asphalt.  Whether it’s single colored asphalt pavement or areas with intricate designs, this helps to provide a much nicer feel.  Here is a short list of benefits:

  • Brighter appearance and “richer” look
  • Great for areas being cleaned up and revitalized
  • Most colors are cooler than black pavement, lowering pavement temperature and heat islands
  • Custom designs, drawings, & logos
  • Great for marketing outside of a business.
  • Also works to seal, protect, and extend the life of pavement
  • These sand-filled coatings provide safer, non-slip texture when dry or wet.

Here is a detailed mural, on asphalt, by Yetti Frenkel.  Check out more of her artwork and murals at https://yetti.com/

Asphalt Muralist
Beautiful Pavement Mural by Yetti Frenkel

Manufacturer Support | SportMaster

If you are interested in custom courts, asphalt murals, or any other unique pavement coating designs, feel free to contact us.  SportMaster has a large network of company representatives and installers throughout the US and abroad.

We can help with project specifications & scope, along with training and qualified contractor referrals.

 

Tennis Court Surfaces

Drying Vs Curing | Tennis Court Surfaces & Paint

One of the most misunderstood topics and frequently asked questions are,  “what is the difference between drying and curing”  when it comes to tennis court paint and coatings.

Acrylic sport coatings are water-based, and latex is the binder or “glue” that adheres to the pavement or existing acrylic surface.  The binder also locks in all of the components of the coating system, like pigments, sand, and other proprietary ingredients. Water is the vehicle that thins the coating solids so that application by squeegee can be achieved.  Once the coating is applied, the water evaporates leaving the solids of the coating in a consistent film.  This evaporation is “drying“.

At this point, the film solids are dry.  They can even be walked on without a problem. However, all of the components of the coating are not entirely connected and bonded in a strong film.  In order for the coating components to properly coalesce, or “melt”  together,  it is important that the film remain mostly dry and in temperatures above 50° Fahrenheit.  This is especially important within the first 24 hours.  This is “curing“.

If the coating is not allowed to achieve this initial cure, the components like sand and pigment can wash or roll out the film can fall apart to varying degrees.  The level of damage or failure depends on how marginal the cure.

Tennis Court Curing Failure
Tennis Court Curing Failure

Many coating and paint specifications include the statement “product shall be applied when temperatures are 50° and rising”.  This means start coating in the morning when the temperatures are at least 50° and getting warmer, not late afternoon or evening when temps are dropping.

Remember, the coating must dry before it can begin to cure.  Starting application late in the day puts the film at risk of dew and cooler nighttime temperatures. A good rule of thumb is to avoid acrylic paint and coating application on days when the nighttime lows are forecasted to drop below 50°.  If the daytime highs are not very warm and it is cloudy, or the courts are heavily shaded, you also need to take that into consideration.  The shade will increase the drying time and affect the temperature of the court surface.  These factors affect drying and curing.

If you are forced to push the application on marginal days, you may want to use an infrared thermometer to check the surface temperature.  Pavement absorbs and holds cold for longer than most people think. In Spring and Fall, the sun is further away and not as intense. The pavement surface isn’t able to warm up as quickly as it does in the summer.

If you are a contractor and your customer is pushing you to apply when the temperature and weather is not within acceptable range, make sure to provide them with a copy of the coating manufacturer’s specifications and ask to reschedule application when conditions allow.