Basketball Court Painting

By basketball court painting, I’m referring to painting a basketball court with tennis court paint. This process is also referred to as resurfacing. I, personally, do not like the term “resurfacing” because it implies that a layer of either asphalt or concrete will be applied or something is being resurfaced. This is not the case. Tennis court paint might be thick but, in my opinion, the painting process should be referred to no differently than any other type of paint and referred to not as resurfacing layers but coats.

Asphalt and concrete can be painted with tennis court paint. They have different application procedures but they’re basically the same. Here are the differences:

Asphalt Basketball Court:
-Once the asphalt pad is laid, according to manufacturer’s instructions, it should be allowed 2-4 weeks for the asphalt to cure. From what I understand, you’re basically waiting on the asphalt to harden as well as the oils to come out of it.
-One to two coats of an acrylic “resurfacing” paint is then hand applied with a rubber squeegee to smooth out the pores in the asphalt. It is this “resurfacing” coat that fills in these pores and gives the court, such as a tennis court, the smooth finish you see. As you will read in my post about Basketball Court Costs, the asphalt used for a backyard court is not of the same quality as that of a tennis court. As a result, you will more than likely need two coats of “resurfacer” for asphalt courts.
-Once the “resurfacing” coats are complete, you will need to hand apply, with a rubber squeegee, two coats of color.
-The white lines are then applied using a professional taping machine.

Concrete Basketball Court:
-Like asphalt, once the concrete pad is laid, according to manufacturer’s instructions, it should be allowed 2-4 weeks for the concrete to cure.
-Make sure, when your concrete pad is constructed, that you have your mason or landscaper use a brush finish. They will know what you’re talking about. This is extremely important. The surface of your court needs to have texture to it so the paint has something to grab hold of. If it’s a smooth finish, you run the risk of your paint chipping and peeling.
-The first step is to clean the surface of your concrete court with an acid wash. This is not to clean the surface as much as remove alkaline from the surface.
-Another important step is to add an adhesion promoter to make sure that first coat of paint adheres properly.
-One to two coats of an acrylic “resurfacing” paint is then hand applied with a rubber squeegee. A concrete court is not nearly as porous as an asphalt surface and will not use nearly as much paint. This, however, does not mean you should not still do four coats of paint. In fact, because you will be using far less paint is all the more reason you should do four coats.
-Once the “resurfacing” coats are complete, you will need to hand apply, with a rubber squeegee, two coats of color.
-The white lines are then applied using a professional taping machine.

Color choices:
-People typically go one of two directions, they either go with a sports-themed court such as their favorite sports team or they go with something that doesn’t stand out such as an earth-tone colors. Whatever direction you go, you will have up to 16 colors in which to choose.

Keep in mind, you may have to accept certain colors. What do I mean by this? Tennis court paint only comes in 16 color options. It’s not Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore or Behr where you have color chips and can choose between thousands of options. For instance, if you want a green, your options are dark green, forest green or light green. If you want a blue you have Navy, Royal or Columbia blue. There’s only one yellow, orange or purple.

Who to hire?
If you live in the NY or Philly metro area, Home Court Hoops is your company. However, if you live outside this area, local painting companies that specialize in epoxy painting or pavers with an extensive background in sealcoating will also do. Handymen will also do, provided they are comfortable with painting.