The base
Three choices. One of them is right for almost every backyard here.
Reinforced concrete
A 4 inch slab with fiber in the mix and a rebar or wire mat, poured on compacted crushed base over compacted sand, raised above grade with a 1 percent fall. This is what we build for single pickleball courts and half courts and it is the standard in the Orlando market. It holds its grade on sand, cures in 28 days, takes any surface, and will show only hairline crazing after a decade if the base was done right. The construction page shows the full sequence.
Post tensioned concrete
Steel cables run through the slab and stressed after the pour so the whole pad is in compression. It is the gold standard for tennis courts and it is overkill for a 30 by 60 pickleball pad on sand, where the problems are water and settlement rather than expansive soil. We spec it on tennis courts and on any job where an engineer asks for it.
Asphalt
Still common in Florida for tennis, and for good reasons: 20 to 30 percent cheaper than concrete at tennis scale, goes down in a day, easier on knees. It also expands in July heat, settles where the base is soft, and needs crack filling at every recoat. On a single pickleball court the savings mostly disappear because asphalt crews price by the ton, so we rarely use it below tennis size.
The surface
Acrylic
Resurfacer, two textured color coats, lines. True bounce, any color, $4,500 to $7,500 on a pickleball court. Wears four to six years in full sun here before a recoat, and goes on only when the slab is dry and rain is hours away, which in summer means 7 am starts. The cushioned version adds rubber layers under the color: softer, quieter, two or three thousand dollars more.
Modular tile
Tile is the other direction entirely.
Interlocking polypropylene tiles snapped together over the slab. Cooler underfoot by 15 to 20 degrees in August, noticeably quieter, forgiving of hairline cracks and birdbaths because it sits above them, and a drenched court is playable in minutes because water runs through. The bounce is slightly deader and the price is higher, $9,000 to $14,000 for a court. HOAs with noise complaints in the file have started asking for it.
What Florida does to each
| Stress | Acrylic on concrete | Tile on concrete | Acrylic on asphalt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon sun, 95 degrees | Dark colors over 140 F; go light | Coolest option | Hot; asphalt softens |
| Daily summer rain | Dry in 20 min on a sloped slab | Playable almost at once | Dry in 20 min; watch for ponding where it settles |
| Mildew in shade | Yearly bleach wash | Pressure wash; tiles lift for cleaning | Yearly wash; cracks hold algae |
| Hurricane season | Nothing to do | Nothing to do; tiles are locked | Nothing to do |
| Years to first resurfacing | 4 to 6 | No resurfacing; tiles last 15 plus | 4 to 5, with crack fill |
Our usual answer
Reinforced concrete with a two tone acrylic surface in mid tone colors for most backyards. Cushioned acrylic if the court is for older knees or is close to a neighbor. Tile if noise or afternoon heat is the deciding problem, or if the slab is an old one with birdbaths we would rather bridge than fill. Asphalt and post tension at tennis scale, where the tennis court page lays out the trade. Prices for each path are on the cost page.
Straight answers
Can tile go over my existing cracked slab?
Usually. Tile bridges hairline cracks and shallow low spots that acrylic would have to fill. A slab with a displaced crack or a section that has sunk still needs repair first.
Does asphalt get too hot in Orlando?
Dark asphalt with a dark acrylic coat does. A light color coat on asphalt is similar in temperature to a light coat on concrete. The surface color matters more than the base.
Is post tensioned concrete worth it for pickleball in Florida?
Rarely. It solves slab cracking from expansive clay and from very large pours. Orlando sand does not swell, and a 30 by 60 pad is small. Spend the difference on fill, base and drainage.