Tag Archives: tennis court surface

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.

 

Professional Tennis Tournament, Tennis Court Surfaces

SportMaster Tennis Championships of Maui

The SportMaster Tennis Championships of Maui is a USTA Pro Series Event, and the only professional tennis tournament in Hawaii. SportMaster is the title sponsor and official tennis court surface of the Challenger series tournament.

This is very popular and growing event, on the beautiful shores of Maui.  In 2016, the tournament will host both Men’s and Women’s matches, with $50,000 total prize money for each.

Players from over 20 different countries will be competing in the SportMaster TCOM, including last year’s winner, Jared Donaldson. Here are some bullet points that the tournament will host, as pointed out by the USTA Pacific Section:

  • 32 Qualifying Men’s & Women’s Singles Draw
  • 32 Main Men’s & Women’s Singles Draw
  • 16 Men’s & Women’s Doubles Draw
  • $50,000 total prize money and showcasing some of the finest men’s tennis players in the world – ranked number 50 and above
  • $50,000 total prize money and showcasing some of the finest women’s tennis players in the world – ranked number 40 and above

Royal Lahaina Resort & Tennis Ranch

The Royal Lahaina Resort will be hosting the SportMaster Tennis Championships of Maui at their Tennis Ranch.  This site boasts 11 tennis courts, just resurfaced with a green and blue SportMaster surfacing system.  The courts include a premium texture package for a medium pace, or playing speed. Tennis Court Surfaces Hawaii
The surface texture provides spin-responsive play and ideal footing for optimum play and competition.

SportMaster Sport Surfaces | Title & Surface Sponsor

SportMaster is premium brand of tennis court surfaces, with stocking and supporting locations throughout the world.  There are currently over 90 locations, including Hawaii, where SportMaster tennis court surfaces can be purchased.  The SportMaster brand is produced in the United States and has been in production since the 1970’s.

Hawaii Tennis Court Resurfacing
Royal Lahaina Challenger Tournament | Maui, HI

“We are proud to be the title sponsor and surface of this exciting tournament”,  said Jeff Gearheart, director SportMaster Sport Surfaces.  “All Court Hawaii does an exceptional job on installing the court surfaces at the Royal Lahaina Tennis Ranch, and it is a top-notch destination”

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.