If you're having a tennis court installed at your residence or at a recreational facility, school or other such property, you'll need to choose the right surface material for your needs and your location. Tennis courts can be made of concrete, sand, clay, grass or an artificial turf, and tennis court builders may have other materials that they offer for installation as well. To ensure you choose the best material for your needs overall, note a few details to consider and that will help you to narrow down those choices.

Glare

If the court will be installed in an area that gets lots of bright, direct sunlight, consider any glare that would come up from the surface. Plain concrete or concrete painted a bright colour may create glare, as does sand, which can be irritating and downright painful for players. Clay, carpeting with a dull finish, grass, or concrete painted in a matte colour can be a better choice in these settings.

Weather

Note the average weather conditions in your area, and how that would affect a court's material and maintenance. Heavy snow and rainfall may damage clay and sand, and these materials may take quite some time to dry. Lots of rain can also cause grass to grow very quickly, so that you need to consistently mow the surface of the court. Bitter cold may tend to cause concrete to get brittle and crack.

If there are lots of trees in the area, and high winds tend to blow leaves and other debris onto the court area, consider concrete or carpeting, as these can be easily swept clean; avoid grass, which may need outright raking every day in order to remove leaves, twigs, and the like.

Repairs

All tennis court surfaces will need eventual repairs, so consider this expense and work when choosing a surface. Cracks in concrete can often be repaired with a type of filler, whereas larger chips may need new concrete poured in the area. Grass surfaces will usually need replacing of divots and some new seeding over time, and clay and sand will need refilling as these materials erode or get worn away.

Artificial turf is usually one of the strongest choices, and doesn't easily suffer tears and other damage; the material can be sewn or patched when it does get ripped. Be sure you understand all the work involved in repairing any material over time, rather than just choosing the cheapest option or the material that is easiest to install initially.

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