Everything You Need to Know about Taped Court Markings and Painted Court Lines

PrecisionLM
Nov 9
3 min read

Court line marking tape is perfect for low use indoor courts, or facilities that want to test out how a new sport layout fits for a season. Painted lines are obviously more permanent and suit higher use scenarios. Both look similar when first applied.

So what's to know about taped court markings?

We generally say taped sport court markings are temporary, but many customers get many years of play out of a good tape application. Now that is not to say the tape wont have some damage over that time, but it will still be functional. The most important step to ensure long lasting taped game lines is preparing the floor with the right solvents to ensure a good bond from the tape, we use two different solvents to ensure the floor is free from contaminants that weaken the tapes bond. Also important is choosing the right tape, for us we go to 3M, as cheaper tapes tend to leave a residue when removed. This makes reapplication of the tape in the future more time consuming and expensive, but also makes clean up a mess if court lines are no longer needed.

What surfaces suit taped court markings?

Any smooth surface. Vinyl floors, wood floors, epoxy floors etc. Synthetic grass doesn't do so well and neither do high friction surfaces like that used on outdoor courts.

Is there any maintenance required?

Yes and no. Properly applied court line tape should be maintenance free up until the point it is due for replacement, but in saying that, a little maintenance can go a long way to extending the life. Trimming back peeling edges is the best way to increase the lifespan. Those little corners that start to peel off get exponentially worse the longer they are left. Cut them back and leave it at that, or apply a little spare tape. Other than that, there is not much to note. Applying a little solvent to a cloth and wiping the tape will bring back some colour if it gets dull, like rubbing alcohol or wax and grease remover.

What to know about painted sport court lines

Lines are typically masked both sides either by hand, or a hand application machine to a width of 50mm or 2 inches. Masking gives a high level of precision - for us, usually within 3mm of specification. The masking gives a clean line when removed. For outdoor courts, especially on rougher surfaces we may use an airless spray machine which is faster, less expensive but less precise. Horses for courses really. The type of paint and preparation depends on the surface. Generally we clean the floor thoroughly, degrease it to remove any wax residue from polishing, and if really glossy we may give it a light scuff to increase adhesion. Paints are typically two component polyurethanes similar to that which your car is painted with, so that gives you some idea of their durability. Durability of the paint of course does not always mean durability of the overall result as how well the paint sticks to the substrate also matters. It is worth testing compatibility if you have access to an unused area of the court or can get a material sample from the flooring supplier.