Shuffleboard

Shufeboard
Court Painting and Lining
At
we have attempted to assemble the current information on how to paint and line outdoor
Floor Shufeboard Courts. We are not experts at this and consequently have culled this information
from various sources, mostly from the US. Before reading on please keep this in mind: build, paint and
line your courts according to local climate conditions AND take into the account the quality and
amount of on-going maintenance that will be performed on your courts.
We carry the liquid court wax sealer, disc wax and glass beads, and a stencil to help mark the lines
but we do not carry any paints, stains or tools to perform these tasks. If this is not a do-it-yourself
project you can nd businesses who can help under the following Yellow Pages headings: Parking Area
Maintenance and Marking; Pavement Marking; Floor; and General Contractors.
What works in Florida may not withstand a Canadian climate with the associated temperature extremes.
The concrete itself, as well as the marked surface, will suffer greater wear and tear. It is with this in
mind that we often recommend that Canadian courts don’t necessarily have to be greened. If this is
preferred then only greening the scoring area could be an option.
The most recommended stains are form Sherwin Williams. Known as “H&C Concrete Stain” they are
available in Canada and the US. For US information call #1-800 TO-STAIN (867-8246) and for the local
Canadian distributor contact (#) 905-507-0166. Advise the local store if it is a new or pre-painted court
and then follow the directions on the containers for application. Never use an enamel paint to mark
your courts. The discs simply will not slide. Another option is to use a good grade Latex paint to line the
court. Latex will wear but won’t chip and peel. (We’ve been told that the white paint is use to line our
roads and highways also works well). Always mark a test area rst to ensure different paints and stains
mix properly and that your discs will work on the court.
Below are instructions provided directly from the Ontario Shufeboard Association (OSA). The overriding
concern, according to the OSA, is to protect the surface of your court! They also stress that
keeping water away form the court is the number one concern for the court’s longevity. This is best
accomplished by using Nella-Seal liquid wax to protect and seal the court. Mr. Sandy Myers suggests
the following:
Reduce 1st coat of H&C 20%, with Xylene, which is the vehicle in the stain to soak into the
concrete. Then put two coats of stain on top. Lines should be painted with H&C white stain as
it is the same base and also does not leave a bump due to stain thickness. If done this way it
will withstand the weather but only if protected with Nella-Seal.
When painted, at least two coats of Nella-Seal (not too heavy) are applied, with a day inbetween for curing. On-going maintenance involves putting two coats on in Spring, one coat
during Summer and 2 coats in Fall.
The sealer is the most important part. You should always be playing on the sealer never on the
paint. Each time you put the sealer on you should wash and rinse the courts, rst with water
and then with a small amount of Spic and Span to remove the grime.
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Recommended Procedure for Construction of Shufeboard Courts
Orientation
Surface Preparation
Courts should be laid out on North South axia
whenever possible to minimize sun in the players
eyes.
After at least 14 days, lightly stone the court surface with hand rubbing stones to remove any sharp
points or loose grit. If the court is to be stained it
should be treated with a mild muriatic acid solution.
Site Preparation
Well drained, dead level, well compacted base
should be provided, over which a waterproof membrane is placed. In areas where ground freezing
is a problem, place crushed rock or cinders to a
depth below frost line.
Forms
Western Cedar, Redwood or a similar wood should
be used. The forms should be selected for straightness, they should be well oiled, and well staked
to establish a well stabilized, perfectly level surface form which to work. The maximum tolerance
should be 1/16 inch in 6 feet.
Reinforcing
Should be consistant with local practice for at
slabs.
Placing of Concrete
Pour courts rst, then next day pull forms, form
and pour gutters and bench slabs. The courts
should be 6 inches thick of either 2500 PSI or 3000
PSI Concrete, depending on local conditions. Court
surface should be dead level with no variations,
gutters to have proper slope and adequate drains
at centers. Bench slabs and curbs should be 1 1⁄2
inches above court surface, a 1⁄2 inch expansion
joint should be placed between courts and bench
slabs, ush with court surface. Court surface
should have an open nish for optimum bonding
of stains and sealers, a light sponge nish is preferred. The gutters should have a smooth trowel
nish and the bench slabs should have a light
broom nish.
Finishing of Court Surface
After an adequate curing time, a concrete stain
can be applied if desired, with dark green being
the ideal color. White concrete strain is recommended for the marking of the lines on green
or other colored courts. It should be applied by
spraying. Care should be taken to apply as thin a
coat as possible. And yet have a highly visible line.
For light gray courts black concrete stain should
be used. Lines can range 3⁄4 inch to 1 inch in width
and must have a sharp edge. After line markings
are dry. Shufeboard sealer-wax can be applied.
Glass beads or a powdered wax must be sprinkled
on the court in order to provide a fast surface for
disc travel.
Bumpers
Rope 1 inch in diameter or larger, or rubber hose of
similar size with a piece of reinforcing steel inside,
to kill the rebound of the discs can be attached to
the face of the bench slab with galvanized spikes
or screws in the expansion joint. A wooden 2” x 2”
can also be used.
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Maintenance
Eforescence: Water form the interior of the concrete migrates to the surface and evaporates,
depositing salts on the surface which appear as a
white stain.
Cross-section of concrete showing contamination form
laitance, eforescence or atmospheric pollutants.
Oils, grease, wax, etc: Contaminants such as curling sprays, waterproong sealers and form-release
coating have a tendency to penetrate deep into
the surface of the concrete. This may require deep
surface proling, such as mechanically sanding or
scarifying.
Surface Preparation:
There are numerous methods of preparing problem
concrete surfaces, each depending on the specic
problem that needs xing.
Whatever the problem, there are two critical factors that determine a good surface.
First, the surface must be clean of dirt,
chemicals and all other contaminants.
Second, the surface must be rough enough,
and have a high enough surface prole
(miniature ridges and valleys), to form a
successful bond.
A simple and effective way to check your concrete
is to do a test area. If the test is successful, your
project has a good chance for success also. If your
concrete test fails, you will need further surface
preparation.
Cleaning and proling The Surface:
Cross-section of concrete showing contamination from
substances such as oils, grease, wax, etc.
Atmospheric pollution: Includes salts from seawater, road salt, acid rain, grime and other air-laden
industrial contaminants.
Cross-section of concrete after acid etching or rotary
drum sander proling.
Concrete Hardeners: (Metallic silicate solutions),
will usually appear glossy and cannot be scratched
with a coin. Hardened concrete cannot be successfully coated unless special methods are used to
prepare the surface.
Cross-section of concrete after scarifying or mechanically scratching this surface.
Here are some of today’s methods to clean and prole a concrete surface:
Step 1: Cleaning
This can be achieved by a combination of methods, including sweeping vacuuming, wire brushing,
air-blast cleaning, high-pressure water jetting, trisodium phosphate (4 ozs./gallon of hot water),
steam cleaning and other industrial strength detergent cleaners. The latter two methods are the most
commonly used for removing surface oil, grease,
fat and waxes-prior to proling. (Some industrial
strength grade cleaners contain fragrances and pine
oil, which can interfere with the adhesion of a
coating.)
Step 2: Proling
Acid Etching should only be attempted after all
dirt, oil and grease has been removed. Muriatic acid
is the most commonly used acid for concrete etching. Pre-wet with water prior to applying etching
solutions. Free-standing water should be removed,
and the acid solution applied to the surface by the
way of a polyethylene sprinkler can.
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