Hard Court Builders
“Hard courts remind me of Jimmy Connors at the 1991 U.S. Open, putting a beat down on all of the young guys.”
Sport Builders builds, reconstructs and resurfaces all-weather hard courts throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Connecticut. Hard courts are favored by many Sport Builders customers for their durability, low maintenance and suitability for other sports. Hard courts are also customizable, allowing court owners to vary the surface characteristics to adjust speed, cushioning and color scheme. In general, asphalt tennis courts offer fast play, thus providing a slight advantage to hard-hitting players. This is the court surface chosen by the U.S. Open and a cushioned version is featured at the Australian Open. Hard courts typically consist of a multiple layers of asphalt (although post-tension concrete courts are gaining popularity in the Northeast) that are coated with an acrylic coating system. This mutli-layer paint system seals and protects the asphalt, provides the necessary surface texture for play and supplies the court's color scheme. Hard courts are low maintenance and suitable for other sports such as basketball and in-line hockey.
HARD COURT SERVICES
Sport Builders provides hard court construction, resurfacing, maintenance and various reconstruction procedures for cracked, worn and extremely aged court surfaces. We offer several procedures that will keep courts safe, playable and looking great for years to come. We can also service your court fences and provide lighting and other court amenities. We can create a game plan that will keep your courts safe, playable and looking great, while taking into account your budgetary concerns.
SURFACE
The hard court surface can be adjusted to play slow, medium or fast, depending on the amount of sand aggregate and the aggregate mesh size that is added to the acrylic paint layers (ITF Pace Rating). Cushioned hard courts are another surface option that adds resiliency to the surface (similar to the Australian Open). Multiple layers of rubber granules are installed on the court prior to the final acrylic color system. This produces a softer surface and makes playing on a hard court easier on the body.
CONSTRUCTION
Hard court construction begins with land clearing and excavation. This is followed by laser grading that will create an even surface with the correct pitch. A drainage system will be installed under the court if needed. Eight inches of modified stone is added to create the court's stone base, followed by two layers of asphalt and an acrylic paint system on top in the client's desired color scheme. Net posts and other amenities such as lighting, basketball systems, hitting walls, benches and other multiple accessories are also installed during the construction process, which makes the playing experience more enjoyable and the court more attractive.
RENOVATION
Over time, exposure to the elements (sun, water, freezing temperatures) will take a toll on even the most well-built hard courts. Cracks, low spots and delamination of the surface may occur. Sport Builders offers a variety of short-term and long-term solutions to correct damaged hard courts, restoring their playability and visual appeal. These services include resurfacing, asphalt overlays, stone dust overlays, synthetic overlays and complete court reconstruction. The Sport Builders team will point you in the right direction.
MAINTENANCE
For most hard courts, annual pressure washing, basic crack repair and periodic color coating is all that is needed to keep the courts looking and playing well. Over time, even well-constructed courts will begin to crack due to seasonal freezing and thawing. Sport Builders has several solutions for repairing cracks including the Tri-Force™ crack repair system and complete resurfacing programs.