At Trueline we use the best products suited to each particular job.  Most owners, managers, and municipalities simply look at manufacturers’ specifications.  That’s where the first problem arises.  In Southern California, we have the distinction of having mostly concrete courts where most other states use asphalt for their game courts.  Approximately 90% of courts in California are concrete.  Guess where all the manufacturers of these products are? Yep, back east in places such as Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, etc. We won’t get into the “why’s”, but you can guess! Why does this matter? It matters because most contractors in other parts of the country run scared if you mention you have one of the few concrete courts in existence in those areas.

 

     The entire process of preparation is different.  For new courts, you must first acid wash the concrete, check for Efflorescence (which represent various forms of mineral salts), sometimes rinse again, then apply a primer.  Too much moisture or no vapor barrier presents a whole new set of problems, which are not common to asphalt.  The point is, concrete courts peel for many reasons if not properly prepared.  A leading cause of this is not having a vapor barrier, since very few courts have one.  Often the court will need to be stripped of all existing materials and a fresh start is needed.  The buildup of resurfacings will prevent the moisture from passing upward through the slab.

 

     We take extra care in our prep work and have developed state of the art techniques to keep us ahead of our competitors, as this is the most critical part of the job!  We use the best primers for the situation and have a thorough knowledge of concrete hardeners, efflorescence removers, epoxy primers, and patch materials to start the beginning process off right. If the court has been previously surfaced, we use a 4000 psi water-blaster (and sometimes a spinner attachment if we have a problem situation) to clean off the existing surface.  If no bubbles become present during the wash process, we know the surface is sound. Any unsound concrete will be brought to our attention in the preparation process.

 

     Once we are past the preparation work, we begin patching any cracks, spalls or broken concrete.  We use different materials, depending upon each situation.  We also grind any uneven portions of the court, as well as trip edges. Once preparation and repairs are done, the next step is to put on the acrylic resurfacer.

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     Many contractors are unsure as to whether to use this product, but in fact it should be used on almost every single job.  It not only fills in the smaller cracks, which we cannot get repair materials into, but also provides a heavy body to provide a better color coat application.  If the court is worn out, with no texture remaining, it becomes slick.  Therefore, when passing a squeegee over it to apply the color coats, it will leave a thin layer of new material.  It can be a struggle to get the following coat to cover properly, leaving the owner of the tennis court with two thin layers which will wear out quickly.  Think of this as a squeegee on glass where the squeegee passes over and leaves virtually no materials behind.  Applying the resurfacer coat leaves a heavy body of material, no matter what the existing texture of the court is, allowing the following coats to be applied at the proper thickness.

 

     We even hand pick our sand for quality!  There is only one manufacturer in Southern California that we will buy our sand from.  We check it for angularity.  We want the larger #60 silica sand for the resurfacer since the angularity is better.  On the color coats we prefer a much finer sand that is less angular to provide a more consistent surface and a reduction in squeegee lines.  All jobs have squeegee lines, but they will fade in time.

 

     We use the best acrylic resurfacer on the market as well as the most vibrant, long lasting, UV resistant colors available to us.  Because of customer demand, we use two major providers of materials here in Southern California, Sportmaster and Plexipave. 

 

    Trueline does twice as many courts as its nearest competitors.  Because of our innovative techniques and economies of scale, we are able to provide a better product for a more competitive price.  Just ask our customers or we are always happy to provide references! Our management has over 90 collective years of experience, while our 4 foremen have over 85 years of delivering expertise to your court!

 

     Contact Trueline today for all your court needs!