Got 99 problems but pinholes aren’t one

By California Sports Surfaces. 

Pinholes are a common sight on courts and horizontally applied coatings in general. Learn what causes them and whether you can do anything to minimize their presence.  

When you lay the surface coating down on a court, it is natural to see small bubbles appear. The cause of these bubbles is often heat. If the surface the coating is applied to is substantially warmer than the product, the bubbles will form more frequently. Because of this, coatings applied on hot days tend to have more bubbles.  

Eventually, these bubbles burst in the drying process and leave behind small craters called pinholes. This is a very normal part of any court and is generally just a cosmetic issue. But you may have noticed that some courts have more pinholing than others. Keep reading to learn why this is from the experts here at California Sports Surfaces. 

Certain asphalt courts, which are very “bony” or rough are also more prone to more pinholes. Almost all tennis courts have some minor pinholing and it should not affect the long-term durability or quality of the court. 

In general, conditions that can affect the formation of pinholes in the surface finish include: 

• The texture of the surface underlayment. Courser textures are more prone to pinholes. Some of the current asphalt mixes provide a coarser texture than some of the older available mixes. 
• The drying conditions during application. Hotter weather tends to increase the potential for pinholes, as the higher surface temperature causes the rapid evaporation of water from the coating mix. 
• When mixing the paint, air bubbles and foaming can form; these may result in the formation of pinholes. 

When pinholes are a concern to the owner, people often request an additional coat of color to attempt to hide them. What happens is that the new acrylic coating passes over the existing pinhole, trapping a small pocket of air, which may in turn become a new, slightly smaller pinhole. You can minimize and hide the appearance of pinholes, but you can never completely eliminate them. 

Original article and photo source: California Sports Surfaces