How Much Does Tennis Court Repair or Resurfacing Cost?
Last Updated: January 14, 2022
On This Page
Depending on the amount of use it receives, a tennis court should be resurfaced every 5 to 10 years. Resurfacing could be as simple as applying a coat or two of surfacing material, or it could involve repairing cracks and low spots, repainting, and replacing accessories such as nets and windscreens. Predictably, the amount of work the court requires affects how much the resurfacing project costs.
Tennis Court Resurfacing: What's Involved #
It's a good idea to have your court inspected by a contractor before the repair/resurfacing project starts. While some trouble spots will be obvious, structural issues might take a trained eye to detect. With that in mind, here's what to expect from a basic hard court resurfacing job:
- The court is cleaned, flora is removed, and cracks are filled.
- Low areas (i.e. "birdbaths") are checked for by flooding the court and patches are applied where needed (in some cases, this is considered a premium service and may not be included in a basic resurfacing).
- Loose coating is scraped and removed.
- Two coats of acrylic color-coating are applied. Sometimes, a resurfacer product (basically inexpensive filler) is applied before the acrylic color coats.
- New white lines are painted on the court.
In the case of a clay court, the process is somewhat different. Clay courts are resurfaced due to large amounts of clay being lost due to wind, rain, and game play. The surface must be prepped, loose material removed, the court surface scarified (for adhesion), new surfacing material spread, watered, and rolled firm, and new line tapes installed.
Finally, you should be aware that reoccurring cracks in the same spots, settlement, or heaving are often signs of structural problems that will require reconstruction to solve. If your court is experiencing foundation problems, consider hiring a geotechnical engineer. This expert will bore beneath the court surface, take samples of the material, perform an analysis, and make recommendations for repairing structural issues (if indeed there are any).
Tennis Court Repair/Resurfacing Costs #
- A basic resurfacing job might cost $4,000 to $6,000, while a more complex job could be as much as $10,000 to $15,000. Factors affecting the actual cost include the age of the surface, the condition of the surface, the number of cracks/low spots, and the number of surfacing coats.
- Hiring a geotechnical engineer to inspect the condition of your court's foundation costs $400 to $600.
- If structural issues are discovered and major reconstruction/restoration is needed, expect to pay $25,000 to $50,000 or more.
- Do-it-yourself resurfacing/repair is possible and will reduce costs. A crack repair kit costs $50 to $500, while a complete DIY resurfacing might cost $3,000 to $5,000, including the necessary equipment and supplies.
- Replacing a tennis net ($100 to $200), windscreens ($.35-$.40 per square foot), and other accessories will add to the total project cost.