| Name/Description |
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
|
|
Liquid Asphalt: A solid material that is liquefied by heating, then poured into the crack to re-solidify. Same process is done on roads. |
Very Inexpensive |
Material gets sticky on hot days. Not effective at all as a crack repair. |
Elastic Crack Filler: A flexible caulking usually tinted to match the color on the court. Designed for temporary repairs between resurfacings. |
Very Inexpensive. Good seasonal patch. |
Does not last more than one tennis season. |
Acrylic Crack Filler: A non-flexible caulking material similar to cement that is put in the cracks. The same material is used to fill birdbaths. |
Fills Crack voids well. Inexpensive. |
A hairline crack will appear in this material within months. |
Fiberglass Membrane: One of the most common attempts to repair cracks. Fiberglass fabric is glued over top of the crack. |
Looks good at first. Inexpensive. |
Fiberglass does not stretch, so it will fail every time it is used to fix cracks. |
Sawcut & Asphalt Patch: An area of asphalt containing the crack about a foot wide is removed and replaced with new asphalt. |
Sounds impressive. |
In every case, an expensive way to trade one crack for two parallel cracks. |
ARMOR® Crack Repair System: Utilizes a resilient fabric over the crack that absorbs movement. It is hidden beneath typical color coating materials. |
Long term success. No machinery required. Not too expensive. |
|
Infrared Repair: Propane is used to heat the asphalt around the crack in an attempt to get new asphalt to bond to the existing asphalt. |
None. |
No long term success. Moderately expensive. |
Geotextile & Asphalt Overlay: Fabric is first laid over cracks and/or over entire court surface. Then new asphalt, about two-inches thick, is installed over the court. |
Very effective crack repair. Corrects surface planarity. |
Requires heavy equipment. Relatively expensive. |
Stone Screenings & Asphalt Overlay: New asphalt is installed over a layer of small stones which act like a bed of marbles preventing cracks from reflecting up into the new surface. |
Most effective crack repair. Corrects surface planarity. |
Requires heavy equipment. Very expensive. |
Total Reconstruction: Remove existing court then build new court. |
Corrects slope and planarity. |
Very expensive. Cracks could reappear. |
Roll-Out Prefabricated Court Surface: A roll of material, usually urethane rubber, is rolled out on top of the court and color coated. |
Hides cracks well beneath it. Adds cushion to the surface. |
Very expensive. Susceptible to "dead spots". |