By Emma Peterson.

One industry expert shares insight into how to effectively coat court surfaces.

At the end of July, The Coffee Shops® crew got an incredible opportunity – record a live CoatingsTalk out on a jobsite with the CourTex Construction crew to see them finish installing California Sports Surfaces’ CoolTop®. Not only was this a great opportunity to see the talented work of applicators in person, but Weston Ready, president of CourTex, walked us through each step of the coating process, providing valuable background and insight into how quality installations set projects up for long-term success.

Weston started by explaining the work that must happen before the crew gets to the jobsite, sharing, “Day one, we meet the customer and find the footprint that makes the most sense. To do that, we have someone on site to shoot grades with a laser and determine the elevations. Then that data gets sent to Chelsea in the office, who calculates an estimate.” Once that estimate is made, the CourTex sales team looks it over and customizes it to the needs of the individual client. Weston explained, “To be clear, they’re not trying to upsell things the customer doesn't need. They’re just really learning the person and the project to ensure that the court we build serves their needs.”

From there, it’s time to get the crew in the field. At CourTex, they run everything in-house, from the excavation and the coating to the lighting and hoops. Weston went over the installation timeline:

We start with what’s called a cut and fill, which is used to get a 1% (per ASBA standards) and 95% compaction rates. Then we put in a post-tension foundation. That has a 30 to 40 day cure time, and while that’s curing, we put in the components, such as the lighting and the fencing. Once the cure’s done, our crew gets out there and starts surfacing. Which, in short, entails patch prep, acid etch, acrylic resurfacing, color coat line primer and then lines.

While our team was out recording with Weston, the CourTex crew was actively working on the line portion of that process. Looking at their work, precision was clearly the name of the game. As Weston put it, “We don’t want to rush anything. When you’re working with the lines, you actually spend a lot of time cleaning and leaf blowing so that aggregate, insects and bugs are not on the court when we’re doing the actual painting...Timing and patience is huge.”

And it’s this careful attention that sets crews like Weston’s apart from the crowd. As he put it, “Detail's everything if you're trying to be the best at what you do and nothing's going to beat workmanship, you have to have talented people that care about their work. In my opinion, someone that cares is the main thing that's just going to separate great from good.”

Want to see Weston’s crew at work? Watch the live recording from the jobsite! You can also Listen to our conversation with Weston for more about proper sports coating installation.

By Emma Peterson. 

A special CoatingsTalk® recorded in the field explores how changing recreation trends are reshaping the athletic surfaces market. 

In a special live from the jobsite CoatingsTalk®, Heidi J. Ellsworth got the chance to meet up with Weston Ready, the president of Texas-based CourTex Construction, on one of his company’s coating projects. As Weston’s team finished up installing a California Sports Surfaces’ coating (Plexipave®), Heidi got to pick his brain about the growing sports surfaces niche and the unique demands of athletic facilities.  

The conversation started with Weston sharing his history in the sports surfaces market, saying, “I’ve been in the business for 16 years. At this point, our team is surfacing and resurfacing a little over 700 courts a year across the country — about 80% commercial, 20% residential.” Recently, he has noticed the market has grown more popular with new companies entering the scene. 

When we asked what has driven this growth, he pointed to the rise of popularity of padel (a racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash) and pickleball (a racket sport that resembles tennis played on a doubles badminton court). He elaborated:  

Every year there are trends and there are shifts. Right now, padel is up and coming and pickleball, as we all know, is super popular. We’re even seeing pickleball become an organized sport in colleges. In response, a lot of parks and recreation buildings are converting spaces into courts for these games, and some people are even building play areas in their backyards.  

Weston’s best advice for people coming into this market? Learn the proper ways to install sports surfaces. He explained, “It looks easy on paper and it's a very tough business. We have seen an uptick in maintenance work specifically related to correcting deficiencies in other people's installs.” 

Where can you learn about the best practices for sports surface installations? Industry associations, like the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), and veterans like Weston. He shared, “Getting involved is so valuable. I love hanging out with the suppliers, getting to know the vendors and even working with friendly competitors. I would always find a way to work with a competitor versus against one.”  

Want to learn more? Listen to the whole conversation with Weston or Watch the recording of our live stream from the job site!

By Emma Peterson. 

On this live CoatingsTalk, experts from California Sports Surfaces and CourTex Construction will discuss athletic coatings, contractor partnerships and the final day of a three-day court installation. 

We are excited to announce that CoatingsTalk will be coming to you live on July 30, 2026, which is the final day of a three-day multi-sport athletic surface install project! The episode, Live from the Court!, will showcase a project that features California Sports Surfaces’ CoolTop® product with installation provided by CourTex Construction.  

California Sports Surfaces is a leading sports surfaces manufacturer known for providing the products used on multiple Olympic games and other world-renowned events like the China Open, the Shanghai Masters, the U.S. Open from 1978 to 2019 and the Australian Open from 1988 to 2018. As for CourTex Construction they have 16 years of experience constructing everything from tennis and pickleball courts to basketball and multi-game spaces across Texas and beyond.  

This special live event will feature experts from both companies in a conversation about the growing sport surface niche, the unique demands of athletic coatings and the importance of strong contractor-manufacturer relationships. Further, the CourTex team will also share about how they are wrapping up their three-day install and why California Sports Surfaces’ CoolTop® coating was the perfect product for this project.  

Closing the event will be a discussion about how each project phase, from product selection to final inspections, affects texture, playability and long-term performance.  

Make sure to tune in on July 30, 2026 at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET) for this special, live CoatingsTalk!