Services>Maintenance>Surface Reconditioning

Surface Reconditioning

The main objectives of surface reconditioning are to remove and replace the worn and weathered surface material while maintaining the properly established slope of your Clay court. The requirements for quality control will be met when reconditioning is accomplished properly and in the following sequence.

1. Ensure that the court surface is firm enough to accommodate foot and light equipment traffic before you begin the reconditioning process. Those with experience know the benefits of proper timing, as well as the costs associated with trying to open a tennis court to early.
2. Remove any foreign debris such as branches, leaves and weeds from the court surface.
3. Brush and roll the court surface repeatedly until the surface is smooth and firm.
4. Lute into piles and remove the "dead material" that may have accumulated since last season. The "dead material" is that amount of loose surface material that has fallen out of prescribed gradation as a result of wind and water erosion and tennis play. This portion of the surface material is lighter in color and are the larger particle sizes of the mixture. A Lute/Scarifier, flat scoop shovel and a wheel barrow or cart are needed for this task.
5. Brush the entire surface repeatedly to re-distribute and re-level the remaining topdressing.
6. Identify and patch any low areas of the court surface. Those areas immediately behind and in front of the baseline where most of the play takes place will be the most obvious in need of particular attention. These areas are easily identified by observation after a rainfall and stretching a masons line over and marking the perimeter of the low are. New clay can then be applied and leveled with the straight edge of a Drag Brush/Lute of an aluminum extension ladder.
7. Experience has shown that hand looting the alley, center, base and service line areas with enough new topdressing to fill the old nail holes and level the surface prior to topdressing is very beneficial.
8. Topdress the entire court surface with clay using a spreading device that ensures an even application of surface material throughout. The amount of clay required is unique to each site and generally depends on the average depth of surfacing present. Ensure that the topdressing is applied at a rate of not more than one ton per application.
9. Immediately begin brushing the new topdressing before moisture migrates up from beneath the existing surface and adversely affects the smoothing/leveling process. Depending on climatic conditions preceding reconditioning, the court surface may have an amount of moisture that requires immediate brushing after each pass of the topdressing spreader. As a general rule, better results are obtained when working with a surface that is as dry as possible during reconditioning, followed by a light overhead watering, a waiting period and then rolling.
10. Irrigate the surface by hand with a shower that is as gentle and as thorough as possible.
11. Stay off the newly resurfaced court for at least 24 hours. Allowing the topdressing to absorb moisture and become firm is an essential element of long term quality control.
12. Continue the smoothing and leveling process by slowly brushing the surface in two directions making wide turns at the end of each run.
13. Roll in a back and forth method without turning sharply.
14. Continue alternating steps 12 and 13 until the desired results of smoothness and firmness are achieved.
15. The surface should be in playable condition before proceeding with the final tennis court preparation..

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