A base-coat can be the most important step of the resurfacing process
but may be eliminated under certain conditions!
THE BASE-COAT
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promotes proper adhesion
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fills voids and surface imperfections
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conceals crack repairs and leveling of depressions
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provides a uniform textured surface which is not possible with color alone
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the textured surface provided by a base-coat also provides the proper texture to maximize uniformity of applied colors
WHEN TO APPLY A BASE-COAT
A base-coat should definitely be applied to all new asphalt or new concrete surfaces.
WHEN TO CONSIDER NOT APPLYING A BASE-COAT
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If the court surface has been color coated before and does not require a lot of crack filling or leveling of depressions
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If you are prepared to accept whatever imperfections are present before applying two coats of color
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If budget constraints are such that the savings will compensate for the ellimination of a base-coat
THE ADDITIONAL COST (or savings) FOR A BASE-COAT
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The cost or savings of a base-coat will be in the range of $0.125 per sq.ft. plus plus additional shipping
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A standard tennis court with dimensions of 60' x 120' (7200 sq.ft) will be approximately $900.00 plus additional shipping
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A typical 1/2 court basketball pad with dimensions of 45' x 50' (2250 sq.ft) will be approximately $300.00 plus additional shipping
IF A BASE-COAT IS NOT USED, CAN SMALL SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS BE IMPROVED BEFORE APPLYING COLOR?
The answer is yes.
Chips or surface "pock marks" can be filled and smoothed with "ElasticCrack-Fortified" and a putty knife. One gallon of ElasticCrack-Fortified will go a long way when used for minor repairs.
HOW TO START?
Put your mind at ease. It's not rocket science. It's common sense.
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Power wash the court using a power washer with 2000 psi to 2200 psi pressure and a fan style or rotary nozzle.
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Have a long-handled scraper handy while power washing. Scrape any area that appears to have loose material.
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Flush out dirt and debris from cracks.
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Depressions to level? Flood court, allow to thoroughly dry and then, using chalk, outline the perimeter edge of each puddle or depressions you want to level.
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"We discovered Tennis Universal on the internet in June 2004 and ordered a complete set of all products needed to refurbish our private court. My wife and I did the job ourselves and found all the paint materials to be excellent, getting the coverage as stated so we had enough to finish the job. The instructions on the internet were accurate and very helpful. Tennis Universal went out of their way to send by 2-day air a replacement squeegee that had been lost in the original shipment. I highly recommend purchasing Tennis Universal's application squeegee and long-handled scraper. Our court turned out beautiful and we are extremely satisfied. We will definitely order from Tennis Universal again!"
David & Fumiko Ojima
Bremerton, WA
New Asphalt Courts (base-coat recommended)
New asphalt surfaces should cure for a minimum of 21 days prior to any coating applications.
Existing Asphalt Courts - Never color coated (base-coat recommended)
An extremely porous or rough asphalt surface occurs when a court (or other sport surface) has been constructed for several years and never coated. Color coating the surface offers protection to the asphalt from harmful weather elements and lengthens the useful life expectancy. Drying and oxidization occur when asphalt is not protected.
Note: An asphalt road is not subjected to the same drying and oxidization as that of a tennis court, due to the movement and weight of vehicular traffic. The continuous vehicular movement and weight causes the oils and binders (used in the asphalt batching process to hold the sands and stones together) to be constantly massaged and worked back up to the surface. An asphalt sport surface, when not protected, does the opposite. The oils sink away from the surface and oxidization occurs.
So... if your court has never been protected by a color system, oxidation is apparent, and you and your partners do not weigh anywhere near the weight of a vehicle… you definitely need a base-coat. See applying a base-coat. Your surface may also require treatment of cracks and/or leveling of depressions.
Existing Older Concrete Courts Never Coated (base-coat recommended)
Existing or older courts that have never been color coated must be thoroughly power washed (power washer should be 2000 psi. to 2200 psi with a fan style or rotary nozzle) prior to commencing repairs or coating applications.
Please contact us if you have any questions about the resurfacing process described above and not answered by the above application guidelines. Your input is welcomed and greatly appreciated.
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