tennis court maintainence

Closing Out a Clay Tennis Court For Winter Checklist

October 20, 2017 by Roger Bouchard Leave a Comment

It’s almost the end of October. In Massachusetts’ North Shore cities such as Salem, Ipswich, Beverly, Marblehead, Danvers, and Peabody, it’s about time to finish up the outdoor clay tennis season. That means you should begin to think about closing out your clay tennis count and ensuring you have all the tools you need, as well as the proper storage facilities to hold your equipment for the winter and establish a process for doing so.

Steps to Close a Clay Court for the Winter in Massachusetts

Turn off your sprinkler system
Remove your net straps
Take down your tennis nets
Extract the net posts from the ground
Pull up the line tape
Store all items in a safe, dry location
Take down the windscreens

Establishing a process for closing out your clay court for the winter will not only make the job that much smoother during the cooler fall months but will also make it that much easier for you to get everything set back up in the springtime.

Tips for Closing a Clay Court for Winter

Ensuring the storage facility is clean and easily accessible.
Plan ahead for where inside the facility each piece of equipment will go. The last thing you want is to fumble around in the dark looking for a spot t place a heavy net while you’re standing there holding it.
Begin with the net straps, and place each strap on top of each respective net when you roll it up for storage. This will help keep them both together.
Organize the strap/net and net posts together in sets, to make it easy for you to remove the sets or equipment for each court in the spring.
Remove and fold each section of the windscreens in order and be sure to number each section on the tag.
Store these in reverse chronological order and set them up in reverse chronological order as well.
Use a tarp to protect the exposed clay court surface to prevent erosion from wind, sun and precipitation over the winter.

Need any assistance with your end of year tennis court maintenance? Contact us today for a season closeout and free consult to get ahead of any repairs for next year.

Tennis Court Maintenance Tips for Fall

September 15, 2017 by Roger Bouchard 2 Comments

Do you have a tennis court in your backyard? Are you a tennis pro at a private club in the Greater Boston area? October and November signify the winding down of the outdoor tennis season in the North Shore of Massachusetts. However, before the last ball is struck, it’s important to take proper care of your outdoor hard courts before the end-of-season.

massachusetts outdoor hard court maintenance tips for fall

Reasons to Maintain Your Outdoor Tennis Court in the Fall

Ensuring your outdoor hard court has been properly maintained before the winter season can help cut down on tennis court repair and repainting costs in the spring.

Leaves and small sticks can hold moisture on the surface, which can effect the top layer of paint. This can cause inconsistencies in the playing surface in the form of uneven bounces as well as variations in court speed.

Additionally, once the surface has been impacted or impaired, whether through abrasion or other damage, the impacted area(s) can become more vulnerable to further and faster erosion.

Small cracks can expand and uneven sections (depressions) of the courts can worsen over the winter months with the weight of snow and freezing water.

Fall Maintenance Tips for Outdoor Tennis Courts

Remove all leaves, dirt, sand, sticks and other foreign items from the tennis court surface using a light bristle broom.
Take down the tennis nets and store in a dry place
Remove the net posts from the ground and cover post holes to prevent water and debris build-up.
Take down and store all windscreens
Contact a professional tennis court construction company to fill or repair cracks on the court

In need of late-season tennis court repairs to prevent bigger problems in the spring? Call us at (978) 578-1379 or contact us today for a free consult.

How much does it cost to resurface a tennis court?

December 5, 2016 by Roger Bouchard 1 Comment

For the purpose of this piece, we are focusing on traditional hard courts. Several factors determine the cost to resurface a tennis court such as: how much cracking, in linear feet, as well as the width and type of surface crack as well as the size of the court.

Straight cracks v. bent cracks – straight cracks are easier and faster to fill and repair as there are fewer crack shield cuts necessary (read: less starting and stopping) and therefore require less labor.

Type of cracks – groups of small, hairline cracks (see image below) that are grouped more closely require pose a challenge as the proximity prohibits the application of a traditional crack system. This more intensive repair process requires more starts and stops with various cuts and sizing despite the relatively small surface area affected.

small, hairline cracks on tennis court

Photo Courtesy: designm.ag, Flickr

Amount of puddling – the number and size of the puddles as smaller puddles require less time and materials to repair. In the event the puddled area is too large, cutting out, repaving and re-painting are necessary to properly repair the affected section of the tennis court.

Post footing – the tennis net posts are sunk about 3 1/2 to 4 feet into the ground and mounted with cement. Net pressure and frost heaving (raising of the post) will cause cracks around the base of the post. Raised posts will necessitate the installation of new posts, which will require more parts and labor.

Other factors – the size of the court may also impact the total cost to repair and repaint a tennis court as pricing is based on total square footage. Some residential tennis courts have more surrounding areas outside the standard tennis court area requiring repairs.

Bids for Tennis Court Construction

Regardless of the type of court, condition or amount of work required to resurface your tennis court, it is best to do your homework and solicit bids from several different court installation companies. Be sure to solicit bids from three to four different companies in your area and to get answers to common tennis court repair questions when doing so.