RE: Court Repair

>I would like to know if it is possible to
patch hard outdoor courts and what is the best material to
use so that the repair lasts for at least several years. The courts are
exposed to the cold winter's and hot summers. Patches in the past don't seem
to last more then one season before patched cracks start appearing and
opening up again.<

Kenneth,
  The painful truth is that all crack repair is only temporary. A more
accurate term is crack minimizing. Not having seen your cracks I can only
guess at their severity. My recommendations ( based upon my experience in
Georgia on thousands of courts ) is as follows:
 Tape & repair materials can be found at:
http://tennisstuff.com/ts/courtrepairpage.htm#Crackrepair
  With complete resurface:
     Pressure wash court and blow out all foreign material from
cracks to base. ( be sure to get all roots out.)
     Fill cracks with expandable foam crack filler. ( being
        careful not to overfill - it will expand to fill. ) ( Foam is
        available at any building supply store) Allow to cure.
     Scrape overflow and cut with razor knife to 1/4 to 1/2"
        below court surface.
     Apply crack filler to completely fill cracks and scrape
        level with court surface. Use 2" or 3" putty knife
Reapply to area's where it sinks when curing.
     Surface as usual.

     This method is used to supply a base for repair so that repair will not
fall into crack as court expands and contracts. Cracks will reappear with
first cold weather but should remain water resistant for two or three years
and you should plane to resurface in 4-5 years depending on severity.

   Stand alone repair:
    Tape & repair materials can be found at:
http://tennisstuff.com/ts/courtrepairpage.htm#Crackrepair

     Clean out cracks completely to base.
     Clean area around cracks completely.
     Fill cracks to within 1/4 to 1/2" of surface with fine grain
        sand ( available at building supply stores)
     Clean excess thoroughly.
     Apply high quality masking tape to follow cracks approx.
        3/4" on both sides of crack. ( provides for cleaner

        appearing repair.)
     Using 2" putty knife fill cracks thoroughly and scrape
        level with court using tape as border. LEAVE NO
        EXCESS!!
      Use appropriate color.
This method will keep most cracks water proof for two to three years but it
is recommended that complete surfacing be done ASAP to properly protect
sub-base from water damage.

I hope this helps. There are always new methods claiming to work better
than the above. I haven't found the permanent answer yet. Most are
expensive and some are down right stupid. One key is to avoid any method
that requires making cracks bigger. This to me is counter productive. Also
beware expensive methods that claim a guarantee but have small print. Avoid
qualifiers such as " hydro-static water pressure not covered " Anything can
be blamed on water pressure and really can't be proved or disproved leaving
you broke and still cracked!!
John Carey
www.TennisStuff.com
877-tennis7



Received on Sun Jul 30 2000 - 09:33:00 CDT