Page 8 - April 2009
“Best things you can do to
keep your outdoor all-weather
tennis courts looking good.”
by Bill Righter of Nova Sports USA
With the economy the way it is and budgets being cut everywhere people are looking
for ways to get more for their money. In regards to tennis court facilities, if you can
get a few more years from your courts it will save you money. In this article I will give
you some ideas as to how you may be able to extend the life of your outdoor hard
tennis courts.
We receive questions all the time from tennis court owners and Park & Recreation
departments as to what should we be doing to extend the life of our tennis courts.
Please realize that each tennis court has its own unique circumstances and this is
written in general terms and some of the recommendations may not relate to your
particular tennis facility.
1. Blow or sweep the courts on a regular basis. One of the best things you
can do to extend the life of your tennis courts is to blow or sweep the courts
on a regular basis. Loose dirt or sand on the tennis court can act as an abrasive
and can cause pre-mature wear of the tennis coating. A premium acrylic tennis
coating system should give the court owner 7-10 years of play. Dirty tennis
courts don’t last long.
2. Clean leafs off the court. I see this all the time, piles of leafs that sit on a
tennis court all winter. This will cause mold and mildew on your tennis courts
and will dramatically shorten the life of a hard court. When leafs fall of the trees
get the leafs off the tennis court a soon as possible. Most tennis court coating
manufactures have recommendations for the best way to clean the courts if the
courts have mold or mildew on them from leafs.
3. Pressure wash the tennis courts annually. If you pressure wash your tennis
courts annually you will be amazed at how good they look. I have seen 8 year
old tennis courts look almost brand new after pressure washing them. It is very
important if you do pressure wash to use the widest band on the wand. You
could do some damage to your court if you do not use the widest band. Again it
would be wise to call your tennis coating manufacturer for suggestions as to the
best way to pressure wash your tennis courts.
4. Repair any hairline cracks. You should repair any small hairline cracks as soon
as they appear on the tennis court with a crack repair product that is compatible
with tennis court coatings. If you do not repair the cracks they will grow and
soon become major structural cracks thus shortening the life of your tennis
courts. It is very important the repair method used is compatible with acrylic
tennis court coatings. We often see crack repairs where sticky rubber systems
are used. These systems may work well on a road or parking lot but they are not
compatible with acrylic tennis coatings and it is a lot of work to remove. Acrylic
caulk works very well for this type of repair and can be purchased from any
tennis court supplier.
For more information contact Bill Righter at Nova Sports USA,
6 Industrial Road, Milford, MA 01757. Call 1-800-USA-NOVA or
email bill@novasports.com for more information.
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