Tag Archives: resurfacing

Tennis Court Accessories, Tennis Court Crack Filler, Tennis Court Repair

Why Do Tennis Courts Crack Under The Tennis Net?

Question: Why do tennis courts crack under the tennis net?

Answer: Tennis courts often develop cracks under the tennis net for a few related reasons:

  • Tension on the cable that supports the tennis net
  • Concrete footers that hold the tennis net posts in place

Tennis court net posts are secured by a concrete footer, when installing an asphalt tennis court.  The footer can be in place prior to the asphalt paving process or it can be installed after the tennis court has been paved.  There is a plastic or galvanized sleeve set within the net post footer, which makes the net post removable and easily replaceable.

Tennis nets are suspended by a cable, which is secured to the dead-end post, and wound or tightened with a wind assembly from the other post.  The average recommended tension on the net cable is 400 to 450 lbs.  The sustained tension from the  cable tends to pull the post footers in and can often create cracks into the surrounding asphalt.  Square or rectangular footers will often send cracks from the corners into the surrounding asphalt.  Round footers can also create cracks under the net, so it’s best to consult with an experienced court builder or resurfacing company to discuss the proper way of installing net post footers.

Here are some diagrams that show the right way to shape and install the court footers, to minimize inward shifting:

 

Net Post Footer Installation
Center Strap Anchor Installation

Concrete & Asphalt Surfaces

Concrete and asphalt expand and contract at a different rate.  When concrete is place next to asphalt, the gap between them will likely exhibit movement.  This can also happen with light posts, fence posts, shade structures, and other amenities.

Here are a few more pictures showing cracks under and around the tennis court net line:

Asphalt Cracks Under Tennis Net
Tennis Net Post Footer Cracks
Tennis Court Cracks Under Net
Tennis Net Post Crack
Asphalt Tennis Court Crack Under Net

Filling Cracks On Tennis Courts

Once the cracks have started, it’s all about maintenance.  SportMaster produces easy-to-apply crack fillers and sealants.  These products are not a structural fix, but more of a “band-aid” for cracks.  They will minimize the amount of water that flows through the cracks and into the base of the court.  Water can loosen the compacted base, and expand to create more damage during freeze-thaw periods.

Net Post Footer Cracks
Cracks forming at the concrete footing corners

If the cracks are larger than an inch wide, and very deep, we recommend having a professional tennis court contractor take and look and provide recommendations.  Many times they will need to fill the large cracks with concrete, asphalt, or other specialized means.  At some point, reconstruction or an overlay is the best long-term solution.

 

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

 

 

Tennis Court Surfaces

What causes bubbles or blisters on a tennis court surface?

Bubbles and blisters on a tennis court surface, or other coated sport surface, are fairly common.  This is usually a result of improper tennis court construction or malfunction of the drainage system. When sub-surface water becomes excessive and is not properly drained away from the court, it can breathe through the slab in a vapor form and create hydrostatic pressure under the coatings.  This pressure builds more in weaker surface areas and creates a blister or bubble.  When the blister is raised, water vapor stretches the coating film and slowly breathes through to escape.  After most of the water pushes through, blisters usually lay back down and disappear until the next rain or precipitation event.  It’s important to note that excessive watering (sprinklers) around the court edge can also lead to blistering problems.  That being said, it’s very important to minimize accumulation of water beneath the court slab.

bubbles blisters pickleball court surface
Bubbles or Blisters on Court Surface

How Do I Get Rid of Bubbles and Blisters on a Tennis Court Surface?

In order to take care of the bubbles and blisters, long term, you will need to do some investigating.  Start by making sure any and all drains around the tennis court are free of debris or anything that would prevent proper flow of drainage water.  You may want to enlist the help of an architect or excavation professional in order to evaluate the current drainage system and see if it was installed properly, or at all.  If the court substrate is concrete, you must ensure the following:

  • Was a vapor barrier installed beneath the court when poured?
  • Are there perimeter drains that can take the water away from the court when it runs off after a rain? (Important that water is intercepted on all side of the slab, to prevent water beneath the court)
  • Was the concrete allowed to cure for 28 days, prior to coating?
  • Was the concrete surface acid etched to neutralize the alkalinity and balance the PH?
  • Were any curing compounds used on the concrete?
Court Surface Edge Drain
Surface-type drain – good for the low court edge

 

 

 

 

 

The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) maintains construction guidelines for asphalt and concrete tennis court and sport surfaces.  Ensure that the construction of the court meets their guidelines and find out from the tennis court builder if they followed the ASBA recommendations.  This may help you figure out why the blisters are occurring.  If you are still not sure what to do, feel free to fill out the contact form on this page and we can put you in touch with a SportMaster recommended, tennis court builder.  They can perform a free site visit with you and provide feedback and estimates for repair, resurfacing, or re-construction. You can view our Engineering Specification for Athletic and Recreational Surfacing on our SportMaster site.

Tennis Court Blisters
Tennis Court Blisters
Tennis Court Surfaces

What Causes Rust Spots On A Tennis Court Surface?

In various regions, rust spots are a common sight on tennis court surfaces.  They are actually visible on driveways, parking lots, and other asphalt surfaces, but they are more pronounced on a colored tennis court surface.

The rust spots are the result of metallic minerals, called pyrites, that contaminate the stone used to create asphalt.  Asphalt pavement and acrylic tennis surfaces allow vapor to transmit, or breathe through them.  When the mineral pyrites become wet, they rust and bring the stains upward into the acrylic surfaces.  These rust stains are unsightly and mostly an aesthetic issue that don’t affect the ball bounce or play of the game.  However, sometimes the aggregate reacts, swells, and pops out.  This leaves a rust stain and sometime a small mound with a tiny hole in the surface.

Rust spots on tennis and pickleball courts

Unfortunately, there isn’t a good or compatible primer or stain blocker that can prevent this from happening.  Non-breathable primers, like polyurethane, can cause much bigger problems like splits or bumps in the asphalt (due to hydrostatic pressure that pushes up from under the asphalt). The best defense is a good offense, which means:

  • Use only non-recycled asphalt when paving tennis and basketball courts
  • Do research: Stay away from limestone or aggregate sources with known contamination issues
  • Talk to an experienced architect and/or tennis court contractor ahead of time in order to avoid the wrong asphalt type and source.
What causes rust spots on a tennis court
What causes rust spots on a tennis court?

If it is too late and you already have rust spots on your tennis court, here are a few tips:

  • Your tennis court contractor can use a hand drill and drill out the reactive spots.  Acrylic Crack Patch can be used to repair the surface holes and the court can be touched up or completely resurfaced.  Sometimes there are hundreds of rust spots and drilling is not always a viable option.
  • This may sound silly at first, but you can pick a color scheme that closely matches and doesn’t contrast the rust color (i.e., Brown, Maroon, Red)

For more information on this, fill out the contact form on this page and we will be happy to answer your questions or put you in touch with a local tennis court contractor.

 

 

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.

 

Tennis Court Surfaces

What is the best tennis court surface?

What is the best tennis court surface? That depends on what you are looking for in a surface, of course. The vast majority of players and facility managers prefer acrylic tennis court surfaces, and here are just a few of the main benefits:
  • Very low maintenance
  • Durable and compatible with all climates
  • Textured & Customizable for desired speed of play
  • Aesthetically pleasing
  • Cost effective & Affordable

Acrylic tennis court surfaces actually benefit from the wind and rain. Properly built tennis courts should have a 1% slope for drainage, so rain helps to keep the surface clean and somewhat free of dirt and debris. Whether you live in a very hot and dry area or a cold and moist location, acrylics can withstand all of the above.  The standard resurfacing cycle, with a high-quality acrylic tennis court surface, is every 5 to 8 years.

Best Tennis Court Surface
Acrylic Tennis Court Surface

Another advantage of acrylic tennis court surfaces are their ability to be customized to all desired paces, or speeds of play.  The ITF (International Tennis Federation) has a pace classification program where tennis surface manufacturers send in factory-textured samples and have them tested for speed of play.  The ITF and approved independent testing labs perform specific procedures and classify each sample as a specific pace.  The current pace categories are: slow, medium-slow, medium, medium-fast, and fast.  There are only a few brands that currently hold all five paces and they are acrylic (not clay, tiles, or grass surfaces).  The texture that determines pace also makes for a safe, non-slip playing surface.