When shopping for Versacourt tiles for your recreation area, the first question will be ‘which one’? I had the exact same question when I was shopping for my basketball court tile. I had a different configuration setup than most people, since most people are either outdoor or in a climate controlled building. My indoor non-climate controlled shed though was an exception to that rule.
I got a sample of all the tiles from Versacourt when I was trying to determine what I was going to do. I’ll try and run down each tile now so you know the differences and what I’d recommend. I’ve also got a video below that will show you the differences as well:
Versacourt Game Tile
This is Versacourt’s most popular outdoor tile. This was the one I was originally considering for my building. I thought that the combination of air holes (to make sure that condensation didn’t build up underneath the tiles) and grip would make it be ideal for my basketball court. When I got the tile though, I noticed a few things.
One, the tile is taller than the other tiles by about 1/4 of an inch. Now normally that wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but in my shed with garage doors and stuff it would make stepping off the court a little awkward.
Two, the tile has a lot of grip. So much so, that if you fall on it, I think it would scratch you a little bit. Not bad by any means, but it would leave a mark I think.
Third, anything with small wheels or small balls wouldn’t roll across this very well. The gaps are large enough that things like marbles or skates wouldn’t roll very good across it.
Now if I had an outdoor court in a climate where it rains a bunch, then this tile would probably be the best option as it provides the best wet traction by far and would definitely dry out faster than the others.
Versacourt Compete Tile
This is one of Versacourt’s two indoor tiles along with the speed indoor. In fact this, speed indoor, and speed outdoor are all quite similar.
The compete tile is also the same thing as the skate tile. I know they’re listed as separate items on the website but that’s strictly a marketing thing.
Like the other tiles, the compete tile has holes to help vent air underneath. The grip on the tile is similar to the other three as well, a little smoother than the speed tiles. There are no nubs on the compete tile like there are on the other three smooth tiles. If you notice, the pattern of all three of those tiles is the same, it’s only the holes that are different.
Versacourt Speed Outdoor Tile
This is the tile I picked for my court. It had the combination I was looking for. First, it had enough holes to prevent condensation issues. Second, it wasn’t abrasive, so I didn’t have to worry about falls scrapping people up. Third, it was flat so everything rolled across it perfectly.
The nice thing about this tile is that you can use real leather basketballs on it and it won’t rip them up. That makes it especially nice for sports that use balls that are constantly hitting the court.
The one disadvantage of this tile vs the Game tile is that it’s definitely slicker when wet. When coming into the shed from the rain or snow, we definitely have to dry off our feet before running around. The slipperiness is similar to wet shoes on a wood floor.
The tile has a lot of little bumps on it for additional grip. My knees feel so much better after playing on this vs the concrete we were playing on before. All the tiles would provide this support, not just the speed outdoor.
Versacourt Speed Indoor Tile
I considered this tile quite a bit before going with the outdoor version. They’re very similar, the only reason I went with the outdoor version is that the holes were bigger which I thought would help since I’m not climate controlled. Other than that, there isn’t a whole lot of differences between the outdoor and indoor. Basically, if you’re climate controlled, then you can go indoor, otherwise outdoor is the better choice.
Conclusion
Basically, the hardest decision comes if you’ve got an outside court. Do you buy the court that’s great for water but not great for things that roll, or do you get the one that’s great for everything but not great when wet? Tough decision to make.
The indoor stuff is a little easier because the differences between the tiles isn’t as big. I think either one of the indoor tiles would work well for about anything though one might be slightly better for some sports than others. Hopefully this rundown of Versacourt tile differences has helped you make a decision, but the best way is get a free sample yourself and test them out.
If you have any questions, please email me at info@masterbasketball.com. If you decide to buy Versacourt and my articles helped you make a decision, I’d really appreciate it if you’d tell them Aaron Taylor referred you because it would really help me out.
I have an additional article here on Versacourt:
