Tips For Building A Backyard Ice Rink

BASIC OVERVIEW

There are many different ways to build a home ice rink, but here are some of the basic steps involved. These are not meant to be a specific rink plan, but a guide. As a general rule, the materials to get started may cost $100 to $300 including the liner, lumber, support stakes and attaching hardware.

• Find the flattest part of your yard and decide how big you want the rink to be. A rectangular rink is probably the easiest to build.
• Pick a tarp size that bests fits the space you have available. 6-8 millimeter thick White Polyetheylene tarps seem to be the popular choice because of the durability and color.
• In the fall, well before the snow and ice comes, assemble the wood for the outline of the rink. Lay your tarp over the boards. You might tuck the excess under the boards, but don't fasten it in any way, as expanding ice could rip it. When you finally hear a prediction for a cold snap, turn the hoses on and fill the rink. Maintain it by shoveling after each snowstorm, and scraping off ice shavings after every skating session.

PRO TIPS

Everyone that makes their own Backyard Ice Rink has their own little things that they do to improve the quality of the experience.  We are going to go over something’s that will help anyone create a top quality Backyard Ice Rink at low cost.

• One tip to help give your rink a more authentic look is to add lines (red lines and blue lines).  One way to do this is with Eco-Friendly paint.  Ice Rink Makers have been known to both paint the tarp directly (depending on the depth of the ice) or fill halfway and let it freeze, paint the ice and fill the rest of the way and let freeze over paint.
• Another way to create lines would be again to use Eco-Friendly paint but in a different way.  Some Pros will paint Ply Wood (cut in strips), old deck boards, or anything that will lay flat and can be frozen into the rink. Just make sure whatever you use will be flat enough not to protrude through the ice.
• No one likes to miss the net but we all know that occasionally it does happen.  We suggest using netting or a mesh tarp strung between two fence posts mounted 20’ to 30’ apart.  There are many other techniques to do this but this seems to be the most popular and cost effective.