Beach Tennis Court Flooring: Modular Base Under Sand, or Modular Playing Surface?

Beach tennis grew on a simple idea: sand and a net. But loose sand in a permanent court has three problems every club owner knows: it sinks and goes out of level with use, it holds water and stays unplayable after rain, and it disappears — it has to be topped up, levelled and sieved regularly. Most of those problems are not the sand's fault. They come from the lack of a base. The modular PP panel fixes the base; it does not replace the sand. This page sets out both applications, what to specify in each, and where each choice stops making sense.

1. Application A — panel as a draining base under the sand (the common one)

The player still plays on sand. The panel sits underneath, invisible, doing three jobs:

• Drainage. Panels are perforated and the joints are open: rain passes through and leaves via the base system instead of sitting in the sand.
• Level stability. Sand rests on a firm, flat surface, so it does not form hollows in the high-traffic zones — net area, service line, back of court.
• Containment. With a geotextile membrane between panel and sand, sand loss downward drops sharply, so you top up less often during the season.

What does not change: you still buy sand locally, and the sand depth is still set by your design. What changes: monthly maintenance drops and the court becomes playable much faster after rain. See also our subbase and site preparation guide.

2. Application B — dry modular surface (covered and multi-sport courts)

Here the panel is the playing surface. It makes sense when:

• The court is covered or indoor. Sand indoors means dust, dirty changing rooms and replacement cost. A dry modular surface removes all three.
• The space is multi-sport. Beach tennis by day, futsal or volleyball at night: one surface serves all of them, with line markings produced as coloured panels per sport — see futsal court panels.
• It is an event or temporary operation. Exhibition, brand activation, a square: install, use, lift and take it to the next site.

Where it does not fit: if your product is traditional sand beach tennis and the customer expects sand, delivering a dry surface changes the product. Be explicit at the point of sale — and if your project needs sand, the panel is the base (Application A).

3. What to put in writing before you order

• Which application: base under sand, or playing surface. This sets format and thickness.
• What is on site today: loose sand, compacted sand, concrete or asphalt. The base must be flat and firm; over loose sand, compact and use a membrane.
• Panel format: 304.8 × 304.8 mm (more support and drainage points, better under sand) or 500 mm (faster coverage, fewer joints).
• Perimeter and access: border pieces and transition ramps finish the edge and stop the first row from shifting — see the edge and ramp guide.
• Surround drainage: the panel drains, but the water needs somewhere to go. Confirm falls and outflow before signing off the design.

4. Panel formats we build

Our range runs from the 13 mm panel (MS-3048, 305 × 305 mm) through the 18 mm large format (MS-251, 580 × 580 mm) and the heavy-duty 16 mm format (MS-340, 300 × 360 mm), plus a 14.8 mm rubber panel (MS-250) and a 25 mm composite panel (MS-500) for shock-absorption-led projects. All are 100% virgin, UV-stabilised PP, RoHS and REACH tested by SGS (report No. XMNMLC2000227101).

Building or refurbishing a beach tennis court? Send the application (sand or dry surface), court dimensions, whether it is covered, and the city — we will return a recommended format, panel quantity and a free layout drawing. Contact MESKO →

Installed projects