Okay, so I’ve been meaning to resurface my backyard tennis court for a while now. It was getting pretty cracked and faded. I decided to go with red clay because, well, it looks awesome, and I’ve always wanted that classic French Open vibe.
First, I cleaned the existing surface. I mean really cleaned it. I power-washed the heck out of it, got rid of all the loose debris, leaves, and whatever else had accumulated over the years. This took a solid day, and my arms were pretty sore afterward.
Prepping the Base
Next up was fixing the cracks. I used a concrete patching compound for the bigger ones. For the smaller, hairline cracks, I used a special crack filler. This part was kind of tedious, like icing a giant, uneven cake. I let everything dry completely, which took another day, maybe a day and a half because of the weather.
- Used concrete patching compound for big cracks.
- Used crack filler for hairline cracks.
- Waited for drying process.
Then came the interesting part – laying down the clay. Now, I didn’t use real clay, that would be a nightmare to maintain. I opted for a synthetic red clay product, which is basically crushed brick dust. It comes in these big, heavy bags. I rented a small roller – the kind you use for lawns – to help spread it evenly.
I dumped the bags out, one by one, and started spreading the material with a rake. It was dusty, I won’t lie. I definitely recommend wearing a mask for this part. Once I had a decent layer down, I used the roller to compact it. Then I added more, raked it, and rolled it again. I did this several times to build up a good, solid base.
The final step was watering it down. This helps the material settle and bind together. I used a garden hose with a spray nozzle and just soaked the whole thing. It looked amazing, that rich red color really popped. I let that set up for about 24 hours.
It’s not perfect, mind you. There are a few uneven spots, but overall, I’m super happy with how it turned out. It feels great underfoot, and it definitely has that “Roland-Garros” look I was going for. Now, I need to work on my backhand.
