Maintaining Tennis Courts for a Grand Slam Season
General guidelines for all-weather courts is fairly simple. Contact a Professional Contractor to thoroughly inspect them annually for excessive wear, cracks, mildewed areas, and other various problems that can reduce the life expectancy of your courts.
To extend the life of your court, it should be recoated by a Professional Contractor, every five to six years. Usually a two-coat system is required to re-texture the surface.
As a court owner, Property Manager or Maintenance Director there are routine maintenance items you can do to keep your court in good condition:
- Grass should be trimmed below grade of the court surface perimeter to allow for water flow and to stop any growth through the surface.
- Shrubs and surrounding trees should be cut back at least 10′ (if not more) to allow sun on the surface all day to prevent mildew.
- Leaves, pine needles, and debris should be cleaned off regularly (especially in the fall).
- Posts and nets should be removed annually (in the winter) and inspected. Posts should be greased and painted as needed. Typically, nets are replaced every five to six years pending use, vandalism, etc.
- Fencing should require very little maintenance, but again inspect it regulary for vandalism and also gate and latch adjustments.
Cracks are a common occurence in the midwest and range from hairline to structural cracking.
Hairline Cracks happen in many different lengths. The cause can come from many different factors such as foreign matter (worms, leaves, pine needles, clay sub-surface), improper mix design, solvent type coatings and improper seal coats. One method to slow the cracking and maintain the problem is to use a rubberized crackfiller for cracks that are 1/4″ or less in width.
Structural Cracks are usually because of a failure in the subbase. There are several possible methods of repair depending on the extent or severity of the cracks and an evaluation of the site to determine which method suits the type of crack. One methond is to clean then fill the crack with an acrylic latex patch. When hard a rubberized crack filler is used before any color coating is applied. This method is a short term solution and will most likely last approximately 12 to 18 months.
Resurface or Reconstruct is understandably a budgetary concern. Resurfacing, when looked at as maintenance rather than a permanent cure, is the most cost effective method of restoration. In any given year, only a very small percentage of court owners can afford major reconstruction work. The extent of work your court needs when it comes to reconstruction will depend on how well it was built originally. Some courts can get by with a new lift of asphalt overlay on top of the existing layer of asphalt. Others may need all the old asphalt removed or pulverized and additional gravel installed to insure a long-lasting, quality court. Each court’s need will be different and on-site inspection will be necessary in order to determine the best course of action.
