We manufacture the surface, so we see the whole spread: crews whose courts look new at year eight, and courts we get sad phone calls about at year two. The difference is visible before the contract is signed — if you know what to ask.
Seven questions that sort the field
- "How many courts did you coat last season?" Court surfacing is a specialty, not a side job for a paving crew. You want a number in the dozens.
- "Whose coating system, and are you trained on it?" A pro names the manufacturer without blinking and can hand you the spec sheet.
- "Can I see three local courts, including one 5+ years old?" Anyone's work looks good in month one. Year five is the résumé.
- "How will you handle my cracks?" The right answer distinguishes filling from membrane bridging — the crack repair guide is your cheat sheet.
- "What's the slope and how do you verify it?" 1% one plane, and they should flood-test or laser it.
- "Who's actually on my site?" Sub-of-a-sub arrangements are where quality dies.
- "What's the weather plan?" Acrylic needs dry 50–90°F windows; a pro talks schedules honestly instead of promising a date in March.
Red flags
- A quote that says "paint" instead of a named system with coat counts.
- Big deposits before materials are on site.
- "We can coat right over those cracks."
- No local references older than two seasons.
What a legitimate quote includes
Prep scope, crack treatment method, the named coating system and number of coats, line paint, slope verification, weather terms, and warranty language — surface AND workmanship. If any of those is missing, ask why.
Or start from the network
The ATS installer network is crews who install our systems regularly — which means the manufacturer is in the loop on your job by default. Tell us where you are: (770) 734-3000.