What's the best flooring for pickleball?

29 Apr.,2024

 

What is Pickleball? A Guide on What Type of Flooring it ...

There’s a lot to love about Pickleball; it’s easy to learn, requires a smaller space, and is gentler on the body than your traditional racket sports. If you’re new to the world of Pickleball, picture a smaller version of tennis, or a larger version of ping pong with bigger paddles. Despite its compact badminton-size court, Pickleball is fast-paced, fun, and more accessible than ever as it continues to grow in popularity. 

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What is Pickleball?

Pickleball is typically played on a badminton-size court and a slightly modified tennis net. A sport that anyone can easily play, the basic goals include:

  1. Not letting the ball go out of bounds
  2. Understanding the rules on how to serve the ball to the opposing person or team
  3. The “two bounce rule” or the ball must bounce at least once on both sides
  4. Avoiding the “No Volley-Zone” when serving the ball
  5. Knowing that the score goes up to 11, 15, or 21 points.

Thanks to the lightweight wiffleball used in Pickleball, virtually any indoor or outdoor space can be used as a Pickleball court. Tennis courts, basketball courts, and even indoor gym spaces have been successfully converted. Of course, each surface type will affect the pace of the game; properties like the speed of the ball bounce and surface traction are important aspects to consider for your playing preferences. 

Concrete, Asphalt, & Rubber Gym Flooring 

A quality concrete or gym surface can be repurposed into a Pickleball court. Harder courts and rubber surfaces are wonderful for maximum ball bounce and competitive tournaments. Tough and long-lasting gym flooring installation comes complete with striping, professional coatings, and everything else you need to maintain flawless Pickleball performance for years to come! 

Why Choose A Tennis Courts?

Did you know if you’re researching tennis court costs, you’re already on the right track for creating a Pickleball court? In general, if you’re after a beginner-friendly surface, playing on a tennis court is the way to go. 

The flooring is slightly “bouncy”, providing foot forgiveness and a slightly slower-paced game that’s perfect for new players and sensitive joints. It’s also a great court because of the casual community setting. 

Contact A Professional

Keystone Sports will gladly help you compare and create the perfect Pickleball court surface options in detail, and guarantee high-performance traction and unparalleled Pickleball performance with any of the surfaces we can help you install, upgrade, or maintain! Contact us today to find out more!

Pickleball Court Flooring, Kit, 26×52 - ModuTile

ModuTile’s indoor or outdoor pickleball court floors are high-performance court systems built for residential backyards and/or general outdoor use. This Pickleball Court Kit is assembled with our Perforated (Drain) tile, meaning it can withstand any weather condition such as snow, heat, rain, and ice (walk with caution). The size of the full court kit is 26.5 x 52.5 feet since each tile measures at 12 in. x 12 in. x ½” thick and each edge is 12” x 2 ½” x ½” thick plus a 1” expansion. These tiles are engineered with high-impact polypropylene plastic, purposely designed to be inflexible to create a firm, flat, and uniform game court. This also makes the tiles rigid and sufficiently strong enough to support heavy weights such as cars, without harming the tiles. ModuTile offers a variety of color combinations; so you could have the Pickleball court made just for you!

  • UV Stable Material
  • Traction Control Perforated Pattern Surface
  • Mold Resistant
  • Stain Resistant
  • Four loop-to-peg interlocking system
  • Pickleball Court Lines and Areas
  • Easy to Assemble (DIY Installation)
  • Clean easily using mild soap and water
  • Use a broom or shop-vac to clean debris
  • Different Sizes Available
  • Different Colors Available
  • Rigid High-Impact plastic tiles
  • Mesh (Perforated) Matte finish
  • Made in USA

Easy to Assemble (DIY Installation)

One of the many benefits about this outdoor pickleball flooring kit is that the installation can be done with your own bare hands. We call it a “Do It Yourself” court floor because it does not require professional installation nor professional tools. The tiles have a four loop-to-peg interlocking system, snapping together with a single downward push just like a puzzle. Disassembling the tiles is just as easy as the installation.

Installation Tip: Although not required, you may wish to use a small plastic mallet and knee pads to further ease the installation process.

Traction Control Perforated Pattern Surface

The tiles are built with a traction control feature on the surface of the tile. This feature increases traction to prevent slipping or sliding while playing on the court. In addition, the tiles have a grid structure base that helps prevent the floating floor from slipping. This grid structure works well with rough concrete surfaces. The grid structure and perforated surface allow water to flow under the tiles and keeping the walking surface dryer.

UV Stable Material

The Interlocking Perforated floor tiles used to build this outdoor court are UV stable and made for direct sunlight exposure. This makes the tiles resistant to fading. In addition, the custom painted lines have a UV protection coat that allow the lines to last for many years before needing to be re-touched.

Mold Resistant

These tiles are manufactured with small holes all over the surface and contain a grid structure underneath, to allow water and air to flow through the tile. This also allows water to drain out with a slight sloped concrete. High-impact polypropylene is a mold-resistant material which prevents microorganisms from developing.

Pickleball Court Flooring – Lines and Areas

The Pickleball court lines are painted based on the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) regulations. The lines are painted to the 2-inch standard. The names of all the lines featured on the Pickleball Court are listed below.

  • Baselines – the lines parallel to the net at the end of each court
  • Sidelines – the lines perpendicular to the net on the side of each court
  • Non-Volley Lines – the lines on each side of the net between the sidelines and parallel to the net (According to USAPA these lines are located 7 feet (2.13 m) from the net)
  • Non-Volley Zone Area- the area of the court enclosed by the two sidelines, the non-volley line, and the net
  • Centerline – the line crossing the area between the non-volley line and the baseline on each side of the net
  • Service Courts- the areas on either side of the centerline, bounded by the non-volley line, the baseline, and the sideline

Please see the picture to the right for a visual demonstration of the lines and areas of the court. This specific Pickleball court floor kit may not be the exact size of your specific slab; therefore, you may request a custom size.

For further information regarding Pickleball court lines and areas, please visit https://www.usapa.org/court-diagram/

Want more information on indoor pickleball court flooring? Feel free to contact us.

Custom Courts Available

These courts are made based off the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA). However, we do make custom courts as we know these dimensions are not suitable for all residential spaces. Customer options regarding this product are not limited to just one dimension. You are welcome to contact us via email or telephone with your custom court size. We can create any custom size with a 3 to 5-day turnaround time.

For custom court requests, we will need the following information from you:

  • Overall dimensions of the concrete slab
  • Color preferences
  • Line color preference (lines are done in white, but black is also available)

By request, we can customize the lines to fit your concrete slab dimensions and needs. If your concrete slab is large enough, we paint the lines based on the USA Pickleball Association (USAPA).

Subfloor Required

For the pickleball court subfloor, we recommend concrete slab or asphalt. The slab or asphalt will need to be perfectly flat and have a light broom finish. There should not be any imperfections such as vertical displacements, unevenness, or cracks on the floor; if it contains any imperfections you will experience dead spots. Also, if you have any concrete spacers it will need to be filled in, which a contractor can provide more detail on how to fill in the spacers. The USAPA does mention how modular court tiles are not recommended as a surface for pickleball courts because it will have inconsistencies with the ball bounce. You may read more information on this with the link above or through research. Testing the tiles over your subfloor is suggested before making a court purchase, which can be done by buying a few tiles.

NOTE: We do not advise placing a pickleball court over compacted gravel, grass or dirt as it will be very difficult to get a perfectly flat surface without any imperfections.

If needing to know what kind of ball to use for your outdoor pickleball court, we suggest the ONIX brand. We have tested these balls bounce with our tiles and they work very well.

All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

Easy to Clean

If sticky debris remains on the tile, it is advised to rinse off your court. Unlike other courts, the web-like design of the court flooring generally requires only one simple type of cleaning method using mild soap and water.  You may use a shop-vac to clean small debris. Routine cleaning will extend the life of the flooring.

Maintenance

All plastic objects will fade over time but to prolong the color you may do the steps mentioned below.

Step 1: Use water and mild soap with a broom to clean off all dirt and debris that is stuck on the tile.

Step 2: Rinse the court by water hosing it down.

Step 3: Allow the court to dry off completely.

Step 4 (Optional): Repeat steps 1-3 until the court is properly clean.

Step 5: In a spray bottle add a Clear Protecting Conditioner

We offer a clear Protecting Conditioner that can be applied to our polypropylene tiles. We recommend this to be done every year or so.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of multi purpose sports flooring. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.