There are several different types of surfaces available. Some are best suited for indoor tennis courts and others for outdoor tennis courts.
Asphalt Tennis Court - A hard court surface that is made with between 2-4 inches of asphalt with an acrylic coating on top.
Clay Tennis Court- A natural product that requires daily and seasonal maintenance.
Determining if your surface is in good enough condition for resurfacing is very important.
Some may need to be re-asphalted. The more problems with the surface of the tennis court will cost you more money to repair it. (cracks, birdbaths etc.)
* Remember that no tennis court is perfect, and you will most likely get cracks and small puddles in the surface.
1. How bad are the cracks? Is there a lot of cracks? If you have very large cracks or there are cracks all over the place. You may want to consider re-asphalting. If the cracks are reasonable they you will want to fill them.
2. Are there any puddles in the surface? Puddles are fairly easy to fix. Small puddles are usually left alone and puddles in the non playing surface are usually less cared for.
3. How poor the original surface is? Is the surface peeling? If the surface is peeling at the cracks, it is usually OK. What happens is water gets under the surface and peels it up. If the surface is peeling in other spots it may be because the asphalt is deteriorating. This could be caused by water coming up through the asphalt. (poor drainage). If the courts drainage system under the court is failing water will deteriorate the asphalt.
Fact: Tennis Courts that have never been coated or are in bad shape have no protection from the weather elements. This causes the asphalt to dry out and deteriorate as the oil in the asphalt sinks away from the surface.
