Designing court surfaces that deliver performance and visual impact

As wellness continues to shape not only how we live but how we design our spaces, sports courts are becoming functional and aesthetic centrepieces. Tennis, pickleball, badminton, basketball and netball are all enjoying a renaissance, fuelled by a growing understanding of their benefits—not only for physical health, but for emotional and social wellbeing, too. 

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that both public and private projects are placing greater emphasis on well-designed court spaces that can serve a variety of uses—casual play, competitive sport, recreation, or even as engaging visual elements within a landscape.

Here we speak to Resene’s Karen Warman about the latest innovations in court coatings and how they boost performance as well as aesthetics.

Where form meets function

“The courts we’re seeing today are very different from what we saw ten years ago,” says Karen Warman, marketing manager at Resene. “There’s much more consideration for how they look, how they feel to play on, and how they interact with their surrounding environment.”

A well-considered sports court must deliver more than just playability. Today, it’s expected to blend form and function—offering traction and bounce for performance while also enhancing the visual story of a space. Resene Sports Court Coating is designed with exactly that in mind.

Available in a wide range of curated colours—including bold greens, rich reds, cool blues, terracotta, and vibrant accent shades like orange or gold—the coating makes it possible to design a court that complements architecture, echoes a school’s identity, or contrasts artfully with its surroundings.

“Colour plays a huge part in how a court feels,” Karen explains. “It can energise a space, tie into the landscape, or even offer a playful point of difference. With Resene Sports Court Coating, you can also go fully custom. We can tint to almost any Resene colour, which gives designers and specifiers incredible creative freedom.”

For design professionals, this opens up exciting possibilities—especially in projects where courts sit alongside landscaped gardens, pathways, buildings or recreational zones. Multi-colour layouts are increasingly common, used to delineate activity areas, define court boundaries, or simply introduce visual flair.

Performance under pressure

But performance matters just as much as presentation. Engineered for both new and existing surfaces, Resene Sports Court Coating combines aesthetic versatility with technical reliability. Based on a system that has achieved an ITF (International Tennis Federation) pace rating of slow—with an average surface pace of 25.6—it offers excellent bounce characteristics and slip resistance, making it ideal for a wide range of sports, especially tennis, pickleball, netball, basketball and indoor cricket.

“The non-skid finish helps with footwork, and that’s crucial, especially on multi-use courts,” Karen says. “Whether it’s school kids running netball drills or a tennis doubles match at a community club, players want a surface they can move confidently on.”

The coating’s durability also makes it suitable for general leisure spaces—kids’ play areas, outdoor learning zones, or even integrated footpaths and walkways. In mixed-use projects, it creates a cohesive finish from the court to surrounding spaces such as carparks, cafés or classrooms.

Another advantage? It’s as suitable for refurbishments as it is for new builds. Concrete courts can be renewed without full removal or reconstruction. “It’s a relatively simple process,” Karen notes. “For an existing court, we’re typically looking at acid etching, water blasting and finishing, and for a repaint it’s simply a thorough clean-down, spot priming if needed, and topcoating. It’s an efficient way to refresh a surface that might be structurally sound but visually tired.”

As an all-season solution, Resene Sports Court Coating is formulated to retain its colour richness and integrity even with regular play and exposure to the elements. That makes it a dependable choice for facilities that see high foot traffic—from schools and sports clubs to community venues and commercial properties.

Ultimately, the growing demand for sports courts is about more than sport—it’s about creating spaces that encourage connection, movement and joy. And when these spaces are thoughtfully designed, they don’t just support play—they become part of the architectural narrative.

“With the right materials and colour choices, your court can be as considered as any other part of your project,” says Karen. “It can perform beautifully—and look even better.”

Learn more about Sports Court Coatings from Resene