How to paint an outdoor basketball court?

[karl07]

Hi, for a 10m x 6m concrete area to be used as a basketball free throw area, rather than putting basketball court tiles (which is pricey), I am thinking of painting it, as an alternative, with acrylic paint with different colours for free throw lane and rest of the court.

Is there a recommendation for the paint (type and brand) to be used and the tools required to do it myself (a complete beginner)? What do I use to prevent the paint for getting on the edge of the retaining wall and grass? Is it difficult to do it myself to achieve a relatively high standard in look and feel? 

Thank you.

[Jason]

Sounds like a fun project @karl07.

I think my concern would be ensuring that it is a non-slip coating. Let me tag our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. experts in @EricL and @JacobZ for their thoughts.

Jason

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @karl07 

I definatly think you  can do this job yourself  the trick to make it look super good is to properly mask your lines so the look neat and smooth but it dosnt have to have to be perfection,  Masking  tape will curve if you apply it cm by cm around the curve.  Mark the  court lines in pencil or crayon so you can masking tape to it.

Any little paint mistakes  can  be fixed  with a little more paint with a small artist brush once the main areas painted and dried.

Mask your wall in thick painters masking  tape to keep it clean.  Dosnt matter if  grass is painted it will grow out. But when it matters you can use any old flattened card board  box and just move it along as you paint covering the grass or  anything at all i use old  bed sheets. 

Is there an out door non  bleed painting masking tape? as regular masking tape may  fail if rained on.  Or jusk mask and  paint the same sunny day.

Bunnings has a few pathing paints fit for purpose  some with limited  colours.  eg 

Berger Jet Dry 4L Heavy Duty Deep Charcoal Paving Paint

You can always use normal  outdoor acrylic paint for the line color but may  wear away in 5 years or  so,  

You  can also add into the paint anti slip concrete additives for extra  traction.  Dy Mark  and dulux in bunnings.

My money is on NU Tech PaveCoat it  has a decent colour range and some yellow or red line marking colors as well as anti slip as an add on.

Pavecoat itself is as follows.

Australia’s Number 1 Concrete Sealer  search  internet for sellers  wish bunning stocked this brand.

PaveCoat is a superior-quality, solvent-based acrylic penetrating sealer that has earned the distinction of being Australia’s leading concrete sealer. Designed for diverse functional, decorative, and protective concrete applications, PaveCoat provides exceptional sealing, colouring, and safeguarding of concrete surfaces, rendering them long-lasting and economical. Its high-performance formula offers robustness to withstand pedestrian and light vehicular traffic. At the same time, its aesthetic appeal makes it an ideal choice for enhancing the appearance of new and old concrete. PaveCoat is available in standard gloss and matte finishes to meet its customers’ unique requirements.

Applications

PaveCoat concrete sealer is manufactured from acrylic polymer resin and is stabilised for all types of concrete, including:

• Paving
• Driveways
• Factories
• Workshop floors
• Service Stations
• Tilt slab construction
• Asbestos and cement sheeting
• Slate flooring
• Concrete roof tiles.

PaveCoat clear and colours are recommended for:

• Plain concrete
• Pattern paving
• Stamped impression paving
• Stencil paving
• Spray on finish paving.

PaveCoat is highly durable and resistant to oil and most chemicals.

For improved resistance to petrochemicals, refer to PaveCoat Petrol Resistant.

Features

• Available in clear and 29 standard colours
• Can be custom colour-matched upon request
• Excellent UV light resistance
• Resistant to fading
• Non-yellowing
• Resistant to oil and grease

[JacobZ]

Hi @karl07,

It's great to see you've gotten some advice from @Jewelleryrescue.

I'd suggest having a look at How To Paint Concrete Floors as it gives much of the details, you'll need to carry out this job.

Whatever paint you choose to use, it is important to clean and etch the concrete. Each brand has a product for this purpose, but the Berger Jet Dry Active Clean and Berger Jet Dry Active Etch are a good option.

There are a few different paints you can use, each with its pros and cons.

The Dulux Concrete and Paving range is the best I've found in terms of colour options, but it can get quite expensive if you are planning on using multiple different colours. It is a 3-step system comprised of a cleaning or etching product, a primer and a topcoat. You can achieve a P4 slip rating by using Dulux 4L Concrete & Paving Super Grip as your topcoat.

The White Knight White Heavy Duty Ultra Pave Concrete And Paving Paint is also a good option with a variety of colours, but the slip rating is slightly less at P3. They do not have their own grit additive, but you might like to add some, or even some sand to increase the grit in the paint.

The Berger Jet Dry Charcoal Paving Paint can achieve a P4 slip rating with Berger Jet Dry Clear True Grip added, but your options in terms of colour are very limited.

Masking off your lines and areas you do not want to paint can be done with ScotchBlue 48mm x 55m Original Multi-Surface Painter’s Masking Tape and drop sheets.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob