Laykold Chemistry v ‘Just Paint’

Do you know what you are paying for?

Laykold is the chosen surface of the US Open, Miami Open, Canadian Open (Toronto), WTA Finals and many more international events, as well as the preferred surface for prestigious colleges and clubs around the world.

As an elite performance tennis court surface, Laykold is trusted by the best and may seem a little more expensive initially, than our ‘just paint’ competitors. However over the long-term, Laykold courts more than pay for themselves with long-lasting Court Pace Ratings (CPR) performance, colors that stay vibrant for years and hard-wearing topcoats.

Tennis court installers can be tempted to buy lower priced products - but this can backfire, through lower yield rates and cut-price quality courts which results in more surface repairs, warranty issues and eventually unhappy customers and players.

So, let’s look at some examples of the quality you are paying for when you choose Laykold…

1. It’s almost rocket science: advanced chemistry from the world’s largest sport surfacing group

At the heart of Laykold’s elite performance is advanced chemistry, built up over 75 years of developing and manufacturing tennis court systems. Laykold is not a repurposed paint product; it has been designed and is manufactured to meet specific high-performance markers by our industry-leading sports surface chemists.

Laykold courts achieve the most accurate and consistent Court Pace Ratings. This is a direct result of the advanced chemistry that is part of each and every topcoat layer put down on a Laykold court – whether at the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium or at the hardcourts at your local club. The Laykold formula which delivers pace precision, means that the court speed sticks, enabling elite players to have perfect predictability to execute their strokes. Developing juniors and learning players are given a stable, consistent court speed over time that supports correct development of their technique.

2. Higher quality acrylic latex for lasting surface pace

Laykold uses a greater percentage of high-quality acrylic latex than any other industry competitor, and this allows us to achieve the higher dry film strength that Laykold is renowned for in the industry.

This means that Laykold surfaces retain their surface pace longer than thinner (watery) alternatives. Price-cutting competitors are forced to use cheap fiber fillers in attempts to increase the appearance of their dry film strength. However, these lower quality finishes can experience excessive texture loss after 18 months, resulting in a court pace that becomes inconsistent, too fast, and slippery.

3. Advanced sand science makes Laykold courts last longer

Our proprietary blend of round and angular sand delivers higher quality control of the court pace, as well as prolonging the life of the court due to the increased abrasion resistance.

Laykold offers a range of factory-designed and managed ‘pre-mix’ topcoat blends. This is an industry difference that enables the end user to know with certainty, that their Laykold court will have the Laykold sand science within it, and therefore achieve the court pace consistency and performance that they are paying for.

4. Green Technology

As the tennis market moves to more sustainable options there is value for installers to be at the forefront of this. Made from 60%+ renewable resources, ‘Laykold Gel’ is the world’s most sustainable court system.

Laykold has included recycled tennis balls in our products for over 7 years, including recently at the Canadian Open. LEED certification and LEED points are available with all Laykold systems.

Unlike some competitors, Laykold does not use isothiazolinoes which are extremely toxic to fish. Many countries are looking to ban isothiazolinoes due to the known dangers to the environment.

“Our proprietary blend of round and angular sand delivers higher quality control of the court pace, as well as prolonging the life of the court due to the increased abrasion resistance.”

5. Better quality color pigments

Color fade is a big complaint by end users, and for installers, this can put off future clients because your reference courts look substandard. Laykold avoids this by using automotive grade pigments that retain color for longer. This quality obviously comes at a higher raw materials cost, and is further evidence that cheaper alternatives will not do the job.

Because of this type of quality technology, Laykold offers up to 5-year warranties even in Australia and Asia, where the sun and UV radiation is at its most extreme. These are longer warranties than any other acrylic product manufacturer.

6. The strength of quartz maintains long-term court look and performance

Laykold uses high quality Quartz in our topcoat layers. This very hard material doesn’t weather, which keeps Laykold courts fresh even after many years of prolonged use. Whereas, to save money at the front-end, our competitors use cheaper feldspars which are softer and therefore more susceptible to chemical weathering. Over time this causes inconsistencies and shortens the lifespan of the court, resulting in back-end costs as courts need replacing or repairing sooner than necessary.

7. Solar reflectance comes as a standard

Laykold topcoats have been including solar reflectance for over 10 years. This is not new technology, and its effect on reducing the actual court surface temperature is modest. For this reason, reflectance topcoat technology has not featured as a ‘key benefit’ of Laykold courts.

8. Laykold’s cooler technology: we don’t reflect heat, we dissolve it

True court cooling is a very important innovation that will revolutionize the court surface and major event industry. Laykold chemists have been working for more than 10 years on ways to improve on the low return that solar reflectance technology offers.

The result is Laykold Chill tech. The patented temperature reduction innovation uses nano-technology to dissolve rather than reflect heat and delivers a 30% reduction in ambient to court surface temperature. The new and advanced technology debuted at the 2024 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open and will be commercially available from the middle of 2024.

9. Avoid mica crystals as filler

Laykold does not use micas. Micas, which are highly reflective and flake easily, are used by competitors as a cheaper filler material. Micas can show up as shiny spots which look low quality and glossy on TV screens.

Tournament Directors often complain about these shiny spots showing on the court.

10. Advanced Manufacturing – ISO Certified Quality

There is no point having advanced chemistry if you don’t have advanced manufacturing.

In the USA and Australia, Laykold is manufactured by APT, in ISO-certified factories. APT is certified for ISO 9001 Quality Management and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems. In Germany, Laykold is manufactured by Polytex, which is ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 (Energy Management) certified. All of these are Sport Group-managed and run operations.

Our ISO certifications amount to a non-negotiable commitment to providing our installation partners and the final owner/user with the most reliable and effective products and best value every time, while promoting strong environmental practices.

No other competitor has these quality assurance qualifications.

11. Integrated supply chain

Laykold, as part of Sport Group, the world’s largest sports surfacing company, largely controls the physical properties of our products. We make many of the component ingredients that are used in Laykold formulations. Smaller competitors are required to purchase their ingredient materials off the shelf, which can lead to potential integration problems with the chemistry.

12. Advanced Installation – greater yield

During installation, Laykold product yields are typically 10 to 20% greater than our competitors.

For installers this means that although Laykold might be more expensive, it goes 10 to 20% further during the installation and this offsets up to 20% of any cost difference between Laykold and low-priced coatings. Laykold is thick and creamy rather than thin and watery; you can tell the difference as soon as you open the can.

13. Advanced business support

Laykold is only as good as our installation partners, and we support our network with 24/7/365 technical support via a technical hub and through Laykold’s full time technical team.

The Laykold marketing team provides partners with the support they need to be successful, including website and social media content, promotional products and co-branded material.

So, you get what you pay for. With Laykold you get US Open-quality chemistry, production and support.