| 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". |
