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| Do-it-Yourself Resurfacing | ||
| Treating Asphalt & Concrete Cracks | ||
Repairing and Resurfacing
Previous:
Other Preparations:
An Asphalt or Concrete Court
Is Not Rocket Science,
It's Just Plain Common Sense!
Guidelines Chart
Determining Surface Condition
Leveling Depressions
Is a Base Coat Required?
Hairline, Surface or Structural Cracks?
Let's consider the cracks on your court and decide the best way to treat them.
Important: In northern climates where freezing does occur during the winter months, it is highly
recommended to check the surface for cracks and fill them before the winter begins.
So you have a few cracks in your court. Just about everyone has cracks in their court,
particularly in the northern parts of the country.
Generally, a crack is a crack and it will almost always come back. This is especially true if it is a structural or reflective type crack. If someone
tries to tell you differently, ask him or her to complete the repairs and give you an unconditional guarantee for just one year. You won't get it.
If the cracks are only "hairline, not wide enough to accept crack filling material, then forget about them.
When the coating applications are applied, they'll be sealed and covered over.
If the cracks do not exceed ˝" in width,
are shallow in depth, and do not go all the way to the base material, you can flush the cracks with water and fill them.
See Treating Surface Cracks.
Wide Cracks? Deep Cracks?
If the cracks have penetrated completely through the surface (structural cracks) to the gravel base, then you can
be reasonably sure that some of the water gathering on the surface is being drained off the court through the structural cracks.
When this occurs, much of the fine gravel below can be washed away leaving voids and channels under the surface.
The voids and channels in the gravel base need to be filled to prevent water from gathering under the surface like miniature lakes
and rivers. In cold climates the water will freeze during the winter months and can cause heaving of the surface.
In most cases, this situation can be remedied at a minimum cost and effort. Cracks wider than ˝". See
Treating Structural Cracks.
Preparation of Cracks Prior to Filling
Cracks must be cleaned of dust, dirt, mildew (if any) and debris including vegetation. Flushing out the crack
with high pressure water will usually do the job. Apply weed killer if necessary.
Treating Surface Cracks to 1/2" Wide (Asphalt & Concrete Sport Surfaces)
For surface cracks up to ˝" wide, we recommend filling the cracks with "ElasticCrack" Crack Filler.
"ElasticCrack" is an elastomeric crack filler that remains flexible even in extremely cold weather. "ElasticCrack" comes in 1-gallon pails
and is ready to use. There is no mixing or addition of any other materials.
Treating Structural Cracks - Greater Than 1/2" Wide (Asphalt & Concrete Sport Surfaces)
Filling the voids under the surface:
Place a bag of fine silica sand on the surface near the cracks. Pour sand on the court surface near the crack and broom back and forth over
the cracks.The fine sand will pour through the cracks (just like the hour glass our grandmothers used when cooking).until all voids under the
pavement surface have been filled. Repeat this procedure until all cracks have been filled flush with the bottom of the asphalt or concrete
surface. Do not fill the crack with sand. Soak the cracks with a hose to settle sand. Leaving the sand at the bottom of the cracks will
allow a solid filler to be placed in the cracks to within 3/8" below the top of the surface which wil provide a solid base for the finish crack filler.
Filling Structural Cracks
After the gravel base has been restored under the cracks by filling with sand, we recommend filling the crack with Sacrete or similar
concrete mixture to within 3/8" below the top of the court surface (Sacrete can be obtained from Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware or
similar building supply). When the Sacrete has hardened, apply "ElasticCrack-Fortified" Crack Filler to be smooth and flush with adjacent
sides of crack.
TIME SAVING TIP: Wipe off excess crack filler from surface with a damp cloth. If you don't, intensive scraping
will be necessary before starting coating applications.
"ElasticCrack-Fortified" comes in in 1-gallon pails and is ready to use.
There is no mixing or addition of any other materials.
Application of "ElasticCrack" and "ElasticCrack-Fortified"
Use "ElasticCrack" and/or "ElasticCrack-Fortified" from the pail as is. Do not dilute. Work material down into the crack
using a rectangular trowel or hand held putty knife.
Important
Wipe off excess material with a damp cloth before it dries
to prevent material build-up on the court surface. It requires a great deal of unnecessary effort to scrape off
excess dried material from the court surface afterwards if it is not removed while filling cracks.
Coverage for "ElasticCrack" and "ElasticCrack-Fortified" crack fillers in 1-gallon pails:
Approximately 125 linear feet of ˝" wide by ˝" deep cracks per 1-gallon pail.
"ElasticCrack" & "ElasticCrack-Fortified" both come in three colors. Neutral, Green and Red
Clean Up
Wash all tools with water. If material has dried, use kerosene.
Cautions
- Read the container label before using. Follow label instructions.
- When applying, air temperature must be a minimum of 50 degrees F. (10C) and rising. Do not apply if surface temperature exceeds 135 degrees F. (57C)
- Do not apply if night temperature will be dropping below 50 degrees F. Depending on the depth of the cracks, you may require two or three days and nights with temperatures in excess of 50 degrees F. for the waterbased crack fillers to thoroughly dry.
- Do not apply when rain is imminent or forecast
- When applying indoors, use with adequate ventilation during application and drying
- Close containers when not in use
- Do not store in direct sunlight or where temperature may exceed 100 degrees F.
- KEEP FROM FREEZING
After The Cracks Have Dried
After the cracks have dried, you will likely see that some of the crack filler has settled slightly into the cracks. This is to be expected particularly
with wider cracks. ElasticCrack and ElasticCrack-Fortified are water soluble materials. As a result, when the filler dries (and the water content
is no longer there) settling will occur in some cracks. Don't worry about it.
Fine Tuning Crack Repairs After The Base-Coat Has Been Applied
When you apply the acrylic resurfacer base-coat, minor crack indentations will disappear. Remaining crack indentations after the base-coat
has been applied can be easily treated by pouring a bead of the base-coat material (the same material and consistency that you applied over
the entire court) along each still visible crack. This process can be repeated as many times as necessary for you to be satisfied before applying
the 1st coat of color. We refer to this process as "fine tuning your crack repairs" before starting the color.
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.
Toll-free... 1-800-263-8800
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With A No Obligation Free Estimate Including Shipping Charge
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