Ever wondered what goes into repairing a squash court wall?

Thanks Tyron Holloway!

 

I’ve spent well over 250 hours in the past year working on the walls in preparation for the Australian Masters later this year. 12 of the 14 courts have been repaired and painted since around this time last year and I’ve only noticed one small chip of old wall fall out from those (touch wood).  I wouldn’t say I’m a professional as I’ve had no training and pretty much picked it up as I went and cherry picked from the advice gathered from Kane and Simmo, members, casual players and such over the past decade.

 

The last time we patched and painted all the courts proper like this was for the previous Australian Masters. It was rushed and hodge podge and I’m pretty sure I came close to breaking. So I gave myself plenty of slack this time around as I’m much fatter and more unfit than my 20-odd year old self. So hopefully the advanced prep and hardcore detail work pays off for Mirrabooka.  

 

Another thought I also had was that you could speak with Carsten from Subi Kings. I’ve heard he has repaired courts across the metro area in his many years as a squash enthusiast (also heard he’s not a fan of wall repair, and I don’t blame the fella hahaha). His insights may be beneficial too. 

 

Court 12 and steps taken during repair and repainting 9/7/25 

 

CLICK HERE to see the photos for each stage.

 

Step 1: Collect tools and products you’ll need to do the job. Nothing like missing something you need and there being downtime on the court. 

 

Equipment:

• Ladders or other height reaching equipment scaffold 
• Masking tape for edges and service line 
• Big broom 
• Rubbish bin, a clean site is an efficient site 
• Dust pain and brush 
• 2 x buckets of water, one for washing the wall of dust and the other for cleaning the paint stirrer 
• Big sponge 
• Hammer 
• Heavy Chisel 
• Stainless steel scraper 
• Eyewear 
• A tool for digging out hard to reach places. Found what I think is a fishing knife that seems to be handy. 
• Smaller bucket for mixing mud to patch holes 
• Granosite Granopatch Smooth 
• Cement 
• Patching scraper 
• Small Scraper 
• Belt sander and appropriate sand paper (80 grit) 
• Orbital sander and appropriate sand paper (60 grit) 
• Extension lead 
• Scissors 
• Dust masks 
• Kookaburra 3 in 1 primer for seal coat 
• Kookaburra Squash Court Paint  
• Cloth tape (red for ours) for court lines 
• Extension pole for painting (make sure it fits your roller) 
• Paint stirring tool that fits to a high-powered drill 
• High powered drill 
• Paint rollers and roller covers to fit 
• Paint trays that fit the rollers that you’ve selected 
• Paint brushes 70mm  
• Drop sheets, enough to cover a lot of the court 
• Clingwrap 

 

Look over court to check where you need to pay attention too. Rarely there’s a deep hole on the side wall, but it can happen. If there looks like there is filler needed on the side wall take note and add it to your step 3.

 

Eg. Court 12 has heavy damage in the corners to due to the expansion crack there. Side walls are flaky (sweat, wear n’ tear) and some of the lines have been touched by paint in the past.  

 

 

Step 2: Use masking tape on the edges, service line and the tin top. Putting a strip on the lower part of the tin top then the higher is usually the better way to go. When we wash the walls, the tape stays on better. Taping first is easier as court is not as dusty.  

 

Equipment:

• Masking tape for edges and service line 

 

Step 3: Begin stripping the front wall and side wall where deep holes are looking to occur. Usually where there is a hollow sound where you’re knocking with your knuckles there is heaps of loose stuff underneath that must go before we patch it up.  Scratch out loose stuff from expansion cracks in the wall.  

 

Brush the deeper holes and where you will apply patch to for dust.  Once the deeper holes that require patch have been stripped, sweep away the dust and debris including the tin top. Clean site is happy site.  Wash where you will use patch with sponge and water. This is important as the patch will stick better now that you have done this. 

 

Equipment:

• Hammer 
• Heavy Chisel 
• Stainless steel scraper 
• A tool for digging out hard to reach places. Found what I think is a fishing knife that seems to be handy. 
• Eyewear 
• Bucket o water 
• Sponge 
• Brush and Broom 

 

Step 4: Mix up the mud to patch the walls. You don’t need a lot of cement. Less is better and you can also add more if the mix is not quite thick enough. I mix this in a smaller bucket.  

 

Apply the patch to the areas you need it. Not too thick or it cracks too easy. From the middle to the outside of holes with your tools is the best.  Doesn’t need to be perfectly neat around the patch as that can be tidied up with the orbital sander later.  Clean tools between layers makes it easier too.  

 

Sometimes it takes me up to 7 layers of patch to fill a hole. It takes time for the layers to dry too (1.5-3 hrs depending on weather, I’ve been told patching in the cold is better though I haven’t had huge dramas with the warmer). You can do Step 5 while you’re waiting too.  

 

Once all the holes are filled and dry. You can use the orbital sander to tidy your patches. Dust the tin top, wash the wall with water then apply a final tidy coat of patch to make it super nice and flat.  

 

Equipment:

• Patching scraper (or plasters trowell if you’re super pro unlike me) 
• Small Scraper 
• Small bucket 
• Orbital sander and appropriate sand paper (60 grit) 
• Bucket o water 
• Sponge 

 

Step 5: The side walls deteriorate usually due to sweat and wear and tear. I find that patching is not appropriate for this. Usually creates more issues.  

 

Scrape away the real loose chips. Makes it easier to find the spots that need sanding as you go too.  Use the belt sander where you’ve scraped to get the areas you’ve scraped relatively smooth.  Then use the orbital sander to get the smooth finish. Keeping an eye out for loose bits as you go.  Alternating between the belt and orbital sander is handy on the bigger jobs not to overwork those tools.  Having proper dust bags on your sanders reduce the dust and messiness around your entire facility! An absolute must.  

 

Sweep up the paint and dust when done. Then wash walls with sponge and water.  

 

Equipment:

• Belt sander and appropriate sand paper (80 grit) 
• Orbital sander and appropriate sand paper (60 grit) 
• Extension lead 
• Scissors 
• Dust mask 
• Bucket o water 
• Sponge 

 

Step 6: Once the patches are dry you can paint your walls 😊 

 

Drop sheets are key to keeping the paint off your walls. It’s always handy to have the bucket and sponge handy for the inevitable drips, drops and mishaps. Easy to clean wet paint off the floor than dry. Towels and rags are always handy to have around.  

 

Stir all your paint with the drill and yellow stirring tool. Hand stirring is not as efficient or effective. Wash your stirring tool straight after as it’s a pain to clean dry paint off.  

 

Do a seal coat with the 3 in 1 primer where you’ve sanded and patched. You may need a paint brush for the areas in the corners. Let this dry for approx 2 hrs.  

 

Do the edges of your court with the squash court paint (topcoat) and a brush where a roller won’t reach.  You can then begin painting your topcoats. Two coats brings you a nice finish. Avoid painting top lines as they are hard to redo neatly. 

 

(Note: there may be paint bubbling on the side walls. This will subside. We’ve tried sugar soap, oil-based sealers and all sorts with not much luck. It’s just going to happen with amount of sweat that goes into the walls.) 

 

Equipment:

• Paint brushes 70mm  
• Paint rollers and roller covers to fit 
• Paint trays that fit the rollers that you’ve selected 
• Extension pole for painting (make sure it fits your roller) 
• Bucket o water 
• Sponge 

 

 

Step 7: Remove masking tape. Add red line tape where required on top lines and service lines.  

 

Tidy up all the tools and clean them if required. Take note of supplies you need for the next court.  Cling wrap is handy to store roller covers or brushes in the fridge without having to clean them. Mark with a sharpie whether it is seal coat or top coat.  

 

Sweep up bigger bits that a vacuum won’t pick up, then give it a good vacuum.  Give the court a wet mop and time to dry. The longer the better. Though in the past we’ve had people on after 4 hours of painting. 

 

Equipment:

• Clingwrap 

 

 CLICK HERE to see the photos for each stage.