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Pickleball Court Conversions for the tennis court you already have

One tennis court, two ways to add pickleball: blended lines that keep tennis playable, or a dedicated layout with up to four courts on a 60 by 120 foot paved area.

Get a quoteCall Bill · 215-251-2984

Before / after photos coming

Signs it’s time

Walk your court

Blended lines leave your tennis court as it is and add pickleball on top. USTA guidance allows up to two blended pickleball courts on a 78-foot tennis court, one on each side of the net, painted a shade lighter than the court in the same color family. A dedicated conversion goes further. New color coats bury the tennis lines, and the whole court becomes pickleball only, each court with its own lines, its own net and the kitchen (non-volley zone) running 7 feet back from that net on both sides.

Which one fits depends on numbers you can measure and questions only you can answer. At USA Pickleball’s minimum playing area of 30 by 60 feet per court, four courts use every inch of a square-cornered 60 by 120 foot paved area. Fewer courts give each one more room. Then there’s who plays, how often, whether tennis still matters, and how close the nearest house sits. Measure the paved area before you settle on a layout, and let those numbers set the court count.

  1. 01

    Players keep taping their own lines

    Tape is a stopgap. USTA guidance says to use painter’s tape for temporary lines so the acrylic surface isn’t damaged. If players keep putting tape back down, the demand for painted lines is there.

  2. 02

    Pickleball lines painted tennis white

    When both sets of lines are the same white, players have to sort out which line counts on close calls. USTA and ITF guidance put blended lines a shade lighter than the court, so the white tennis lines still stand out.

  3. 03

    The court sits empty most days

    If tennis players use your court a few times a week while pickleball players drive across town for a game, blended lines put both on the court you already maintain.

  4. 04

    Three or more courts on site

    USTA guidance for public facilities keeps blended lines to sites with two or fewer tennis courts. With three or more, it points owners first to separate pickleball courts or other paved space, so plan the whole site, not one court at a time.

  5. 05

    The color coat is due anyway

    If the surface is faded, worn thin or patched, do the conversion with the resurfacing. A dedicated layout puts fresh color over the whole court, and blended lines are only as crisp as the color under them.

The process

How the job goes

Every court is different, but the order of an acrylic job isn’t. Here’s the usual sequence, start to finish.

  1. 01

    Measure the paved area

    Measure your paved area edge to edge, check its corners for square, and note where the fence, gates and tennis net posts sit. Those numbers decide how many courts fit before anyone talks about color.

  2. 02

    Pick blended or dedicated

    Who plays, how often and whether tennis stays are the questions to talk through with Bill. Blended keeps the tennis court and adds pickleball on top; dedicated hands the whole court to pickleball. You make the call, with the measurements in front of you.

  3. 03

    Lay out the courts

    Each court is laid out at 20 by 44 feet to the outside of the lines and checked for the 8 feet industry standards recommend between each baseline and the fence. USA Pickleball recommends north-south outdoor courts so players aren’t looking into a low sun, worth following wherever the existing court allows.

  4. 04

    Fix the surface first

    Cracks get filled, and birdbaths, ASBA’s word for low spots that hold water, get corrected when they fall outside its tolerance. Then dust, dirt and loose material come off so coating and line paint bond to the court, not the grime.

  5. 05

    Color coats, if dedicated

    On a dedicated conversion, new acrylic color coats cover the whole surface, old tennis lines included. Coating makers allow them only when the surface is at their minimum, commonly 50 to 60°F and rising, with time to dry the same day and no rain coming.

  6. 06

    Mask and paint lines

    Each line is masked with tape and painted with textured line paint; its maker calls for temperatures above 50°F that day and the next. Pulling the tape once the paint dries keeps edges crisp. Blended lines go a shade lighter than the court and stop 3 inches short of tennis lines.

  7. 07

    Check every line

    Each line gets checked against the layout, including each kitchen line: 7 feet from the net line to its outside edge, within the eighth of an inch USA Pickleball allows.

The details

Specs, and what’s included

Tennis vs. pickleball court dimensions
SpecTennisPickleball
Court, to outside of lines36 x 78 ft doubles; 27 ft wide for singles20 x 44 ft, singles and doubles
Paved area with runout60 x 120 ft (international); 56 x 114 ft (club)30 x 60 ft minimum; 34 x 64 ft for new courts
Net height at center36 in (3 ft)34 in
Net height at the ends42 in (3.5 ft) at the posts36 in at the sidelines
Net postsCentered 3 ft outside each doubles sideline22 ft apart, inside to inside
Nearest line parallel to the netService line, 21 ft from the netKitchen line, 7 ft from the net
Line width1 to 2 in; baselines up to 4 in2 in, all lines
Court sizes are measured to the outside of the lines. Tennis paved-area figures use the ITF’s recommended minimum distances from the lines to the fences.

What the job usually involves

  • A court count set by the paved area’s size
  • Blended or dedicated layout, settled before any paint
  • Courts laid out at 20 by 44 feet
  • Kitchen lines 7 feet from the net
  • Blended lines a shade lighter than the court
  • Crack filling and low-spot leveling before striping
  • Acrylic color coats for dedicated conversions
  • Textured line paint, masked for crisp edges
  • Nets, runout and neighbor noise talked through early

01Residential

Backyard courts

A backyard court usually answers to one family, so the choice is simpler. If anyone still plays tennis, blended lines add up to two pickleball courts, one on each side of the net, and leave the tennis lines alone. If tennis is done, a dedicated layout gives you one roomy court or more, depending on the paved area. Think about the house next door, too: USTA’s Southern section notes pickleball courts in residential areas have caused conflict over noise, and a backyard court sits in one.

02Commercial

Clubs, schools, HOAs & parks

On a club, school, HOA or park court, a conversion is usually a board decision, so the plan has to hold up in a meeting. If your courts host USTA league or tournament play, ask your USTA section about its line policy before anything is painted; USTA Southern, for one, won’t sanction play on courts carrying both sets of lines. Put court counts, blended versus dedicated, and line colors in front of the board side by side.

FAQ

Questions we get asked

Related work

How many pickleball courts fit on one tennis court?

With blended lines, USTA guidance allows up to two on a 78-foot tennis court, one on each side of the net. With a dedicated layout, a square-cornered 60 by 120 foot paved area holds four, each with USA Pickleball’s minimum 30 by 60 foot playing area and nothing to spare. Fences, angled corners and posts change that math, so talk to Bill at 215-251-2984 before you settle on a number.

Can we still play tennis after adding pickleball lines?

Yes, if the lines are blended. The tennis lines stay as they are, and the pickleball lines sit a shade lighter than the court so they don’t compete with the white. Two things to plan: a schedule, since both games can’t use the court at once, and a portable net for each blended court, stored off the court when tennis is on.

What color should pickleball lines be on a tennis court?

On a shared court, USTA calls for textured line paint a shade lighter than the court, in the same color family, 1.5 inches wide. The ITF’s blended-line guidance points the same way: lighter than the surface, same color family, narrower than standard lines. On a dedicated court, USA Pickleball’s rulebook calls for 2-inch lines in one color that clearly contrasts with the surface.

What is the kitchen, and why does its line matter so much?

The kitchen (non-volley zone) is the 7 by 20 foot area on each side of the net where players can’t volley. Its line counts as part of the zone, so a serve that lands on it is a fault, and so is a volley hit with a foot on it. USA Pickleball allows just an eighth of an inch either way on that 7 feet, so on a converted court that line is worth measuring from the net, not eyeballing.

What should we plan for besides the lines?

Nets, runout and neighbors. A pickleball net is 34 inches high at the center and 36 at the sidelines, lower than a tennis net, and dedicated courts need posts set 22 feet apart, inside to inside. Leave at least 8 feet between each baseline and the fence. If houses are close, plan for sound early; the USA Pickleball and ASBA construction manual treats acoustics as a site question. Schedule any new posts, fences or windscreens before the pickleball lines go down.

Pickleball Court Conversions across Bucks County