MARK HANSFORD, of contractors GroundCare, reviews the systems available and the maintenance and renovation of
Non-Turf Cricket FACILITIES B
efore you consider any work on a non-turf surface you must find out which system and, therefore, which construction type, you have. Most users are under the impression that there are only two types, ie. concrete or stone based, and that there is little difference in systems within those two types. That is really not the case.
Concrete Systems
There are only really two types of concrete system - those that are stuck to the base or those that are pinned to the surrounding woodwork or soil. If it has been pinned then it is probably a replacement for an old stuck down surface or a modern system on concrete. The main problem with sticking a carpet to concrete is the difficulty in replacing it - when lifted, a good proportion of the glue and carpet backing will remain firmly attached. All this needs to be removed before a new surface can be installed. It is this issue that leads a lot of contractors to pin the surface, rather than glue it, to aid replacement at a later date.
Whether the carpet has been stuck or pinned, there should never be any need to lift it unless it is severely damaged and
needs replacement. The surface should be kept as clean as possible. Grass encroaching on to the surface should be cut or strimmed back to the edges, any moss or plants that manage to establish on the surface should be physically removed and the surface then firmly brushed to remove all debris. If the surface has become severely contaminated then a pressure washer should be used to thoroughly clean the carpet pile. When replacing carpet on concrete
make sure that the work includes relevelling the concrete. Any loose material must be fully removed and the level made good, either by using a good hard adhesive filler or by refacing the concrete and using a self levelling concrete finish to renovate the surface. The last job should be to rub a carborundum stone over the whole surface to remove surface imperfections, before replacing the carpet.
Stone Base Systems
This type of construction has seen a number of variations:
1. Aggregate depth
100mm would be used for the majority of systems where fast and true bounce is
required. These give a surface closest to well prepared turf pitches, but require the most maintenance. The aggregate may be encased in geotextile, bordered by wooden edging, or just laid straight into the excavated hole. The surface 50mm should be made up of hard porous stone less than 6mm in size. 50mm depth is generally used with a specially produced shockpad that spreads the impact and provides a higher degree of bounce.
It is also possible to lay these specialised shockpad surfaces directly into a level soil area, generally with a blinding layer of sand.
2. Carpets and Shockpads
The most common types of carpetting are:
Needlepunch - is a mass of fibres intertwined with each other in a random pattern. These are secured with resin bonding and the surface, in some cases, is veloured to provide a more tuft like finish. The thickness is such that the base of the fibres provides an element of shockpad, making it the ideal surface to stick down to concrete. It is used on other areas as a budget material, but is not as strong as the woven and tufted surfaces, and is particularly prone to stud
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