Artificial Surfaces
(around four weeks) although, if used over a longer period of time, the lines may start to detract from the playability and enjoyment of the sport, as the aerosol paints leach and fade. Excessive build-up of aerosol paint can also contaminate the infill and cause the area around the lines to become a hazard. An alternative to aerosols is the specialist 2-PAC sports compound - an effective, semi-permanent material applied using an airless spraying technique to produce clearly defined, accurate lines that allow around twelve months’ use. There have also been developments
recently in the use of water-based paints, which have demonstrated a similar longevity to the 2-PAC compounds, and have certainly proven to be a good solution for short-term, seasonal requirements such as tennis court markings.
Increased revenue can be generated by adding extra play lines to an artificial pitch but, by its very nature, linemarking is highly weather-dependent, so there is only a limited window of opportunity each year to carry out this work. Attempting to complete linemarking when it is raining is a futile exercise, as the paint will inevitably bleed. Even if it is not raining, pitches generally hold more water during winter - particularly with morning frosts and reduced hours of daylight - and, consequently, paint cannot dry or adhere to the carpet fibres. Exactly how long painted lines will last on an artificial pitch is dependent on a number of factors, including the amount and type of use the pitch receives, prevailing weather conditions, maintenance routines in place on the surface and the type of footwear worn by players. As a rule, it is worth making provisions to have this work completed
annually by a specialist contractor during spring/summer.
Summer is also the best time of year for an artificial pitch to benefit from a deeper clean. When dry, it is easier to penetrate the top layer (usually the top 5-10mm) of infill. This procedure can help to enhance performance levels over a longer period of time, by halting the spread of contamination within the surface infill. An infill clogged with contaminants (e.g. decomposed leaves, vegetation, dirt and debris) causes a pitch’s drainage capabilities to slow down, as well as leaving the surface feeling hard underfoot, which affects playing qualities such as ball roll and bounce.
Surface contamination can be identified by the presence of dark patches or areas of silt on the surface, and can be remedied (and even avoided, with best practice) with an annual deep-
JUNE/JULY 2012 PC 99
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