This past August, we embarked on a major renovation on courts 3 & 4 indoors, giving them a much needed face lift. If you don’t remember, the courts better resembled the 18th green at the Masters than a tennis court! The project was an extensive operation that involved a number of steps which I actually found interesting and informative.
big machinery was needed
The first job we performed was to bring a 5 ton vibrating roller onto the courts and double roll both courts. This helped compact the base and begin to top off some of the high spots or “Starke bumps” as my staff affectionately referred to them as. Standing on the court, one could feel the vibration from the roller. Yes, I was a bit concerned about my courts, but I figured I couldn’t make them much worse then they already were, so what the heck!
if you ever have to use a grinder, hire this guy, and wear this mask!
Next, we took a floor grinder and meticuosly grinded off the numerous high spots. Due to the amount of dust created, a mask was needed. We then took a floor polisher to the entire surface to sand down and further even the court.
We then spent two days patching the various high and low spots still left. Now, finally the court was ready to be resurfaced.
We chose a plexicushion system, which is a seven layer cushin/coating system. This is one of the finest systems you can purchase, and due to the amount of layers is very time consuming to lay on. The initial layer is an acrylic resurfacer, to help the next coat adhere. The next two layers contain the cushion, and must be laid on with care, and given proper time to cure. The cushion is color coded, so the customer knows what he is getting. The cushion coatings are followed by 3 coats of fortified Plexipave, and then a final paint or cosmetic coating.
The “master” at work laying down a cushion coat
Kris trying her hand at laying out Plexipave. Helps if you keep your eyes open!
The entire project lasted 3 weeks, finishing the night before the first day of contracts. The courts now play completely different. I have yet to sniff a bad bounce. They are considerably slower, with long lasting points. They play more like a clay court but without the sliding and bounces. One can feel the cushion under ones feet. We owe a big thanks to Bob Okienowski of Okie Construction. His expertise, care and effort made this project a huge success. He worked on these courts like they were his own. Enjoy! 
Bob Okienowski in a rare pose for the camera.
