Sanderson Concrete is adding some top spin to its line of products. The B.C. company has begun experimenting with making outdoor concrete ping pong tables which Sanderson president Jan Arntorp believes could be the future of public games in limited park space.
Founded in 1929, Sanderson Concrete is one of British Columbia’s oldest precasters. Owned and operated by the Arntorp family since 1988, Sanderson Concrete produces a range of precast concrete products and specializes in custom and architectural precast.
Comprised of three main divisions; landscape, architectural and utility, with a fourth division — custom precast — encompassing the other three, Sanderson Concrete’s precast capabilities are well known throughout British Columbia, Alberta and Washington State.
Arntorp said the company has been making ping pong tables for about a year now and to his knowledge they are the only ones in Canada that do it.
He knows of only two other companies in the U.S. that make the tables.
The legs are precast in exposed aggregate and then powder coated steel hardware helps with support.
The top is made in two halves. It has to be fairly thin but also able to take the full abuse of being in a park where people may stand or jump on top of it.
Unlike traditional ping pong tables, the net is cut out of steel with a water jet.
The 3,000-pound table is pre-assembled in the plant and then craned into place once delivered.
Sanderson is so proud of its new ping pong tables the company is gifting a custom Canadian flag table to the Village of Steveston in Richmond, B.C. in honour of Canada Day and the country’s 150th birthday.
The top is white concrete that is cast upside down.
A void is left for two side strips and a leaf that is a half inch deep. That is then filled with a high-fibre strength mix of red concrete. The table is then given a high polish finish resembling terrazzo.
"We thought it would be cool to make a table with the flag cast into it," said Arntorp. "It is something that will stick around forever."
Arntorp said that he has been in discussions with several local municipalities about similar ping pong tables. He believes that with limited park space, small ping pong tables are a great way to add value to the community without eating up valuable park real estate.
"So often you see concrete as this basic building material," said Arntorp. "But we have something that is almost like a sculpture."
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Workers at Sanderson Concrete polish a Canadian-themed, concrete ping pong table. The table is a gift to the Village of Steveston in Richmond, B.C. Sanderson is one of only a small handful of companies in North America that makes the outdoor ping pong tables.
Photo: Sanderson Concrete
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The future of public parks may involve a lot of top spin. Sanderson Concrete in Surrey
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