Court Painting

Line Marking Australia paints tennis, basketball, netball and pickleball courts across Australia using textured acrylic court coatings made for outdoor sport. We prepare the slab, apply the coloured coats and mark the lines. Painting a tennis court with a full acrylic recoat starts from about $8,000 (Airtasker cost guide, 2026).

Court paint isn't the same as house paint or floor paint. It has to grip under sports shoes, hold up to sun and rain, and give a ball a true, even bounce. Get the system wrong and it peels, fades or turns slippery within a season.

We line mark courts every week, so we know which coatings hold their colour and which lines stay crisp. Here's what to know before you paint a court.

What paint is used on tennis courts?

Tennis courts in Australia are painted with acrylic court coatings: a water-based acrylic resurfacer to fill and level the surface, then two or more coloured texture coats with fine sand for grip, and finally acrylic line paint. This system bonds to concrete or asphalt and stays flexible in heat and cold.

A typical court paint system, from the slab up:

Layer	What it does
Crack filler and patch	Fills cracks and low spots so water doesn't pond
Acrylic resurfacer	Levels the surface and gives the colour coats something to grip
Cushion layers (optional)	Rubber-filled acrylic layers for a softer feel underfoot
Coloured texture coats	The playing colour, with sand for grip and a consistent ball speed
Line paint	Crisp lines for each sport, in a contrasting colour

What is the best paint for a basketball court?

The best paint for an outdoor basketball court is a textured acrylic sports court coating designed for concrete or asphalt. It grips under shoes, resists UV fading and copes with the scuffing of dribbling and quick cuts. Floor paints and garage epoxies can turn slippery when wet and aren't designed for outdoor sport.

For backyard half courts, we often paint the key in a different colour from the rest of the court. It looks sharp and makes the three-point line and key easy to read. If you're starting from scratch, our basketball court construction team can build the slab and paint it in one job.

Can you paint a pickleball court?

Yes. Pickleball courts are painted with the same textured acrylic coatings as tennis courts, with 50 mm lines and a 2.13 m non-volley zone (kitchen) on each side of the net. Many owners paint the kitchen a different colour so players can see it at a glance, which also looks great on a backyard court.

If you're adding pickleball to an existing tennis court, we can paint pickleball lines in a contrasting colour so both sports stay readable. See our tennis court to pickleball conversion page for layouts.

What colours can you paint a court?

Court paint comes in a wide range of colours. Blues and greens are the most common for tennis and pickleball courts in Australia, often with a contrasting colour inside the lines and another outside. Basketball and multi-sport courts often use a separate colour for the key or the kitchen so each sport is easy to read.

• Classic tennis: blue or green inside the lines, a darker green outside
• Pickleball: a contrasting kitchen colour and bright white lines
• Basketball: a feature colour in the key and three-point area
• Multi-sport: each sport's lines in a different colour, with the main sport in white
• School courts: bright colours and playground games around the edges

Does court colour affect heat and UV fading?

Yes. Lighter court colours stay cooler underfoot in Australian summer sun, while very dark colours absorb more heat. All acrylic court paints fade slowly under UV, but quality UV-stable pigments hold their colour much longer. In hot parts of Australia, a lighter colour and a good UV-stable acrylic make the most practical combination.

Other things that help a painted court last:

• Sweeping off leaves and debris that stain and hold moisture
• Clearing moss and mould from shaded areas
• Fixing drainage so water doesn't pond on the surface
• Keeping heavy furniture, bikes and sharp objects off the court

Can you paint over an old court surface?

You can paint over an old acrylic or asphalt court surface if the base is sound and the existing coating is well bonded. We pressure clean the court, remove loose and flaking paint, repair cracks and low spots, then apply a resurfacer before the colour coats. Painting over a failed base only hides the problem for a while.

If the court is badly cracked or water sits on it after rain, read our court resurfacing page first. Sometimes repairs or a rebuild need to come before the paint.

Can you paint a new concrete court straight away?

No. New concrete needs time to cure before it can be painted with acrylic court coatings, otherwise moisture coming out of the slab can stop the paint bonding. We plan the curing time into your build schedule and check the slab is ready before the first coat goes on, so the paint lasts.

New concrete should also have the right surface finish for coatings. We talk to the concreter about this before the pour on courts we manage from start to finish.

How much does it cost to paint a court?

Painting a tennis court with a full acrylic recoat and new lines starts from about $8,000 in Australia (Airtasker cost guide, 2026). Basketball, netball and pickleball courts are quoted per site, because the price depends on the court size, crack repairs, the number of colours, cushion layers and how many sports need lines.

We itemise the preparation, coatings and line marking so you can see where the money goes and choose options such as a second feature colour or cushion layers.

How we keep every court painting job compliant

Every court painting job follows the same safety and quality steps, from backyard half courts to school and club courts. Painting work is lighter than a full build, but surface preparation, dust, wash water and school sites all carry rules, so these are the checks that apply on our painting jobs.

• Work Health and Safety laws followed on every site, with Safe Work Method Statements where high-risk construction work is involved
• Silica dust controls using water suppression or on-tool vacuum extraction when grinding or cutting concrete during preparation
• Sediment and stormwater controls so wash water and coating waste stay on site
• Slip-resistant textured finishes in every colour coat
• Court dimensions for each sport, and Tennis Australia guidance for club and community tennis courts
• Licensed builders who hold the licence your state requires, with public liability insurance
• School sites: work scheduled for school holidays where possible, and Working with Children checks for crews

What do you need from me to quote court painting?

To quote court painting, we need the court type, size, current surface and condition, plus the colours and sports you'd like. Photos of the whole court and any cracks, puddles or peeling paint help us quote accurately without guesswork. If you have a colour idea or a photo of a court you like, send that too.

• Court type and the sports to mark
• New court, repaint or conversion to another sport
• Court size, number of courts, indoor or outdoor
• Site type: home, school, club, council or strata
• Current surface (concrete, asphalt, acrylic) and its age
• Cracks, ponding, slope or drainage issues
• Access for vehicles and equipment
• Preferred colours and whether you want cushion layers
• Equipment, fencing or lighting work planned at the same time
• Photos, plans and any approvals
• Timing and budget