DIY Backyard ice rink
Update 12/19/2007 - I make it sound easy so it’s only fair to tell the story of my first rink
Update 12/9/2007 - Find out how to build your own rink rake for under $20
Update 12/6/2007 - Here’s a tip for keeping your garden hose from freezing
Update 11/25/2007 - Click here to see photos of how I built this year’s rink.
When I was a kid, every winter my dad would pull out some old boards and plastic tarp and assemble a backyard ice rink. We had a collection of old skates we would go through to find a pair that fit and have a blast skating on the ice.
Three years ago for Ethan’s 2nd birthday we got him his first pair of skates and I decided it was time to put up our own backyard hockey rink. I’ve been putting the rink up for each year since then and have gotten it down to a very simple process. I typically assemble our rink during Thanksgiving weekend, but I decided to post this early for anyone planning on putting up a rink for the first time. I’ll post detailed pictures when I put our rink up, but here is the basics.
How to Build a Backyard Ice Rink
1) Location. You’re yard might seem flat, but you would be surpised. Put 4 stakes in the ground for where you envision your rink will be and rink string across diagonally making sure to keep it level. Now measure how high the string is off the ground from one end to the other. If its 5″ on one end and 8″ on the other you have a 3″ drop. Considering you will need at least a 2 inch ice base that means your water level will be 5″ at the deepest end. This is important for determine what size lumber to buy. If you have a very large drop from one end to the other you can either build a super structure or start getting fill. I’ve done both and getting the fill is the easiest in the long run.
2) Lumber. The construction is actually very simple. I settled on a 16 x 24 sized rink which is two 8 foot boards on one side and 3 on the other. No cutting involved. I had been using 2×8 boards, but am considering going with 2×10s to allow me a deeper ice base and let me cover more ground for a larger rink. 16×24 for fine for little kids, but as they get bigger they will want a larger rink. Make sure you get pressure treated wood and buy a couple extra boards.
3) Hardware. Buy a box of 2 1/2″ prime guard decking screws. The new pressure treated wood will eat threw the old galvanized screws very quickly. The prime guarded ones have a coating to protect the metal. They cost more, but you can use them for several years.
4) Liner. There are 2 ways to do a cheap liner. The first is to buy a large sheet of vapor barrier. Lowes sells a 20′ x 100′ roll which I used for my rink. This stuff works great, but is hard to use for more than 1 season. The roll is long though so I used half one year and the other half the second year. Last season I bought a large tarp which is much thinker material. It seems to have held up fine and will try using it again this year.
5) Assemble. I cut the extra boards into 12″ pieces. These are used on the outside of the rink to attach the boards together and to reinforce the corners. For my 2×3 setup I needed 1 piece on each end and 2 on each side for a total of 6. Add in 4 for each corner and thats 10 pieces. Lay your boards out on flat surface, put a 12″ inch piece over a seam and start drilling in screws. Make sure they bite into the boards, but don’t go all the way through. I used 8 screws on each seam. Once the sides are together, stand them up in place and overlap at the corners. Put a couple screws in to hold it up where they overlap and than add your corner piece on the side to give it some reinforcement. I’ll get better pictures of this when I put mine together.
If you have any gaps under your boards because of dips in the yard, rake up some leaves to stuff under them. If you leave these gaps as-is your liner might bulge through them as it freezes and tear. I used hay for this as well. Anything that the mower can simply eat up in the fall is easiest.
Once the boards are all up, lay your liner down. I’ve attached the liner to the boards 2 ways. With the ‘disposable’ liner I stapled it onto the outside of the boards. This works, but as the weight of the water pulls on the liner it will tear. You also have a mess of staples to pull out in the spring. With my tarp I simply wrapped it over the boards and tucked it back underneath. This worked great, but you need to make sure your tarp is big enough to handle it.
6) Fill It. You are now ready to fill it up. It is best to wait until you are getting some consistently cold temperatures, but this is often hard to predict. Last year we had a very mild winter so I had over 6 weeks with a pond instead of a rink. I fill it from my garden hose to a depth of 2 inches at the shallowest. When it freezes it will expand making it a little deeper.
7) Wait. It will take awhile to freeze all the way through so be patient. If you get on the ice too soon with will just break and freeze uneven. Try and fish out any leaves, branches, or critters that find their way into the water.
Prep it. Zamboni time! I purchased a Rink Rake to smooth my ice, but you could easily build one. This is a simple device made of PVC pipe that distributes a thin layer of water onto your ice just like a zamboni. Do this a couple times to build up your ice a little more and make it really smooth.
That’s it! It does take a bit of work and practice, but the materials are really very cheap and most can be re-used for a long time. I’ll post more tips and pictures when we get closer to winter. Feel free to send me any questions you have. Here are some pictures of our hockey rink from last year.
Ethan rescues salamanders from the rink during a warm spell.
Posted by: John on October 11th, 2007 under DIY Projects, Sports.
Comments: 70
Related Entries
· Backyard Ice Rink
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· Backyard ice rink confessions
· Backyard Ice Rink Tips
· Backyard ice rink tip - keeping your hose thawed
Comments
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Comment from David
Time: December 2, 2007, 10:00 pm
Need anyones help !!! I installed my rink 2 days ago… I was able to flood to get a base on. Yesterday the rink received 5 inches of snow. I wanted to remove the snow to resume flooding. As soon as I stepped on the rink the ice underneath broke apart exposing the tarp. I didn’t even start to shovel because I am afraid of more craked ice and I don’t want to ruin the tarp. Should I wait a few more days so the layer of ice underneath the snow freezes? Thank you !!
Comment from John
Time: December 2, 2007, 11:33 pm
David - A lot of us are in the same situation with this storm hitting the northeast. Mine hadn’t frozen yet so I have a think layer of slush. Best thing to do is leave the snow. It would have been better if the ice hadn’t broken because then the snow wouldn’t have gotten wet. Wait for the ice to freeze solid and then shovel it all off. When its all off use a rink rake to smooth your ice surface. Might take a few passes over a couple days, but don’t worry you’ll get it. The worst thing that can happen is you rink gets over full, but even then you can still get a good skating surface, but the pucks will slide over the sides.
In the future, always leave the snow until you are sure you can walk on it. I even use my snow blower on the ice to get it off. You’ll need to smooth the surface with the rink rake, but a few passes and it will be like glass.
Comment from Patrick
Time: December 3, 2007, 11:19 am
I put my boards up this year, but did not get a liner installed and now we have received 5″ of snow. I am thinking of simply packing the snow down smooth, and then start to flood. My rink is very irregular shaped as it follows garden curves so I have had trouble in the past getting tarp to seal anyhow. Has anyone made rinks without using tarps?
Comment from John
Time: December 3, 2007, 11:33 am
Patrick - I know in Canada people will build rinks without liners and sometimes without boards. They pack down the snow and then use a rink rake or sprinkler to seal the snow. I think the trick is to get the snow wet, but not melt through. Once its sealed you start building up your ice base by slowly adding coat after coat with the rink rake. Sounds like this would only work in an area where you won’t get any midwinter thaws.
As for putting the tarp on the snow, my concern would be if the snow melts the tarp would start sinking and could tear. You could try shoveling or snowblowing the snow out first.
Comment from Steve
Time: December 4, 2007, 1:33 pm
My rink is also suffering from snow before the ice is thick enough to walk on. Has anyone ever tried covering the thin ice with another sheet of plastic and removing it after each snowfall. I’ve found that ice covered with snow takes very long to freeze and that an ice/snow slush makes lousy ice. Any thoughts?
Comment from John
Time: December 4, 2007, 2:58 pm
I see one possible flaw with that idea. The weight of the snow could make the ice crack and flood water above the plastic. When that freezes your plastic is now part of your ice base.
We had about 3 inches of snow, but fortunately the wind blew most of it off the ice. I went out with my rink rake pushed it out to center ice and pulled it around. Flooding the rink helped melt the rest of the snow and slush and also melted the new snow that fell on it overnight. Going to do the same thing tonight.
Comment from debbie
Time: December 5, 2007, 1:25 pm
hello iwant to make a simple skating rink in myyard for my two grandbabies 3 and 11 my father always made us one he just made a mound on all sides with snow and sprayed with water continuously…will that work i just want a small one like maybe 10 by 14…its just memories from childhood nothing fancy just something ican doin my spare time thanks sincerely debbie laclair
Comment from sean
Time: December 7, 2007, 10:35 am
I built a rink this year (NY) and we have had weather in the mid-20. It froze. What is the best way to maintain? I have some rough area’s. We had some snow after I had sprayed it down. When I tried to shovel it off, it turned to slush. Not knowing the water spray from the night before had not froze all the way. Should I use warm water? Will it ever be smooth?
Comment from John
Time: December 7, 2007, 11:27 am
The best thing I’ve used is a rink rake. I bought mine online from rinkrake.com, but I plan on hitting the hardware store tonight or tomorrow and getting parts to build a larger, sturdier version.
All the rink rake is is a bunch of PVC pipe that attaches to your hose and makes a T. The bottom of the T is where your hose attaches and the top has a row of holes about 1 inch apart. You drag it on the ice and this makes the water disperse a large area with a smaller quantity. Lets you really soak the ice without melting holes. Using this I have gotten my ice as smooth as glass. With frozen slush you need to flood it a little more on a cold night to melt the slush a bit and freeze a smoother surface.
Without a rink rake, you could try using water straight out of the hose, but the trick is not to hold it in one spot for too long. If you do, you could melt a hole all the way through. A sprinkler might work, but could also cause rough spots.
Check back in a few days and I will hopefully have DIY rink rake instructions up. I’m hoping to build a nice one for under $20.
Comment from sean
Time: December 7, 2007, 11:44 am
Rink Rake…..Do you pull a towel behind it? I built a rinkrake the other day out of PVC pipe. Home Depot is great! I have it all set, but I was trying to find a way to attach a towel or something to smoth out the water over the ice. Is this needed?
Comment from John
Time: December 7, 2007, 12:28 pm
I don’t use a towel and get great results. I experiment with the holes up or down.
I think the towel might help when its really cold and the water is freezing soon after it hits the ice. Doesn’t really get that cold here so I just put down a thin layer of water and let it freeze. Try to do the whole rink pretty quick. It’s always better to shovel snow of first so you get less slush that you need to melt.
Comment from elaine
Time: December 7, 2007, 1:27 pm
Our rink (35×70- dip of 6 inches) seemed solid enough yesterday. Then the snow came and in parts around the edge it looks like water is seeping or being pushed from below(that doesn’t seem technically possible) or is it just the edges melting? I now have a couple of patches of 1inch slush. What do I do, just hope that it freezes? I don’t think we will ever get on this thing!!
Comment from Jim
Time: December 7, 2007, 1:48 pm
Question: Once you build your frame, lay it down - and then put the tarp down. Am I correct that you put the tarp over the frame, and then tuck under the boards? Once it is filled/frozen - how do you protect the boards, that are now covered by the tarp - from the skates, shovels, etc?
Comment from John
Time: December 7, 2007, 1:51 pm
Was the ground frozen solid yet? If the ground is warm it will thaw the bottom of your rink and the weight of the ice will force the water to the surface. The sides will sometimes get warm (the dark wood will absorb the heat of the sun) and melt the sides. When you walk on it the water will be pushed up.
If you can walk on it without cracking the ice, shovel all the slush off. If not, let the slush freeze and then use an ice resurfacer (like a rink rake) to smooth the surface. If its cold and the ice is frozen solid again you can really saturate it to melt some of that slush and let it freeze solid.
My rink rake just broke so I’m going to try hitting Lowes and getting parts to build a new one myself. I’ll put directions on the site in a few days with a parts list and cost estimate.
Building a rink can be relatively cheap and easy, but it does mean pulling Zamboni duty to keep the ice smooth. Keep in mind that its still early in the season and we’ve had unseasonably cold temperature. Don’t worry if it gets a little warm and the ice gets soft. It will get cold and freeze again. Resurface the ice whenever its cold enough and the ice is strong enough and you’ll get great results.
Comment from elaine
Time: December 7, 2007, 2:15 pm
You are spot on! Ground probably wasn’t frozen. Thanks.
Comment from ph
Time: December 7, 2007, 2:46 pm
How big are the holes you put in the pvc for the rink rake?
Comment from John
Time: December 7, 2007, 3:00 pm
Jim - So far I haven’t had any luck re-using a tarp from year to year. This year I ended up buying a roll of 6mil plastic from Lowes ($75 for 20 x 100). Since I don’t reuse I don’t worry about the skates.
My first year I stapled the plastic to the boards. Problem is that the weight of the water pulled the plastic in a few spots and made tears. Not enough to leak fortunately. Now I just tuck the plastic over and under. This means I also don’t spend an hour in the spring getting rusty staples out 
One year I even had some rodent make a nest UNDER my rink. Chewed through the plastic in one corner. Shelter and water all in one I guess.
I haven’t seen a good, simple, cheap system for protecting the tarp along the boards yet. If you lay your tarp the same way each year then any holes made one winter should still be above the water line the next winter. You can also try patching holes. I use duct tape before on 6 mil and it worked fine.
In the spring, rather than throw out my plastic, I plan to offer it on freecycle. I’m sure someone in my area could use it for another project.
Comment from John
Time: December 7, 2007, 3:05 pm
ph - I bought my first rink rake. Going to hit Lowes tomorrow morning after I take the kids to hockey practice to get the parts to build a new one. I’ll take measurements of the holes on my old rake and post them on here with complete instructions and photos.
Comment from Jim
Time: December 7, 2007, 4:29 pm
Thanks for the answer and a very helpful website. This is my first go at it, so I am sure to make mistakes…..one more quick question - do I need any braces on the outside of my wood? The only thing I could think of was 10 inch bolts that I will attempt to nail in the ground, and angle up against the boards — or is this even needed?
Comment from John
Time: December 7, 2007, 4:49 pm
What size wood are you using? I use 2×8s and am fine without bracing. I’ve read elsewhere that if you use 1 inch thick boards you should add some braces and if your boards are pretty tall you should some.
One of these days I need to post my first rink…let’s just say I made some mistakes my first year too
Comment from Jim
Time: December 7, 2007, 5:09 pm
I am using 2/10’s….and using corner metal braces as well. We have had about 14 inches of snow over the past week here in MN, so I was snow-blowing my backyard - which probably looked a bit humorous to the neighbors!
Comment from John
Time: December 7, 2007, 5:24 pm
I’ve taken my snowblower right up onto the ice rink I also used it to clear a sledding run for the kids. Left about 4 inches of snow to pack down. Worked great. I’m going to try it again if we get a big storm, but this time use my rink rake to ice over the sled run.
Comment from Mike E
Time: December 9, 2007, 10:45 pm
Any tips on frozen garden hoses and how to prevent them from freezing.
Comment from Joan
Time: December 12, 2007, 2:49 pm
This is my first year attempting to build a rink. I don’t have a flat enough area in our backyard to accommodate much of a rink so will need toput in in the front yard. What should I be expecting when the rink is removed from the grass? Will this completly kill the grass or is it removed priot to the fost lease the ground?
Comment from John
Time: December 12, 2007, 4:37 pm
I haven’t had any problems with the rink damaging the grass. The key is waiting until the grass goes dormant (Thanksgiving weekend works for me) and take it does before it gets to warm. As soon as the ice melts and you know the freezing days are gone you can take it down.
Comment from John
Time: December 13, 2007, 5:53 pm
Before my ice froze solid a few leafs blew onto the ice. What’s the best method of removal? The ice isn’t strong enough to walk on yet.
Comment from John
Time: December 13, 2007, 9:20 pm
If your ice isn’t very thick you could break it up and pull the pieces off. I did this one time when I got a lot of leaves frozen on the surface. Otherwise just wait for everything to freeze solid, then try to shovel off whatever leaves you can. If you get some melting holes into the ice you can pack some snow into the holes and then go over it with your rink rake.
Comment from brad
Time: December 15, 2007, 8:54 am
HI, I am attempting to build a rink for the first time and have already hit a snag. We had so much snow that I simply shoveled as close to the ground as I could. I then dragged a sled filled with weights to pack it and laid a liner (6 mil). I tried the lazy man’s method by letting the hoses (I was running two, each from a different spout) run–the water pooled in the lowest spot of the rink and melted the snow below it to the ground, so there was obviously a hole and the water is warm (that should have been obvious coming from a 65 degree basement), as there is little ice above the plastic liner. Should I attempt to level the area with snow? Or should I just flood the proper way in layers, knowing I will now need more in that spot? Should I be concerned that the hole is green grass and thus will absorb sun, rather than reflect?
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Time: December 15, 2007, 1:40 pm
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Comment from S
Time: December 15, 2007, 8:49 pm
Advice needed for first time rink builder…. I have my boards up (30×54), and I’ve put the liner down. I have not started to flood yet.
Snow storm is in process and I expect to have about 5 inches of the white fluff filling my rink by morning.
Should I just wait for the snow to finish, leave it in there and flatten down as best I can, and start spraying light layers of mist?
Or, should I wait for the snow to stop, try to empty out the snow as best I can, and then flood with water?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Comment from Owen Lawrence
Time: December 16, 2007, 12:41 pm
Need some help. First time rink builder, build a 24′ X 40′ rink and filled it a week ago. When I came home from work the next day the water had dropped 4-5″ so I had at least one hole. I found a hole and patched it up and re-filled. Now it looks like water is still escaping. How do I find the other holes? One end requries about 14″ of water because of uneven ground so I don’t know how to check this spot.
P.S. Built a rink rake out of PVC pipe easily. Used a T joint, caps on each end and a link piece on top that a hose screws right into. Easily drilled holes along the bottom and attached old carpet to pull behind.
Comment from Erik
Time: December 16, 2007, 4:11 pm
I finally was able to complete my boards and install the tarp; 36×72 w/10″ drop. I ran the hose last night and filled up approximately a third of the volume w/water only to be woken up with a fresh 6″ of wet snow. The deep end has water with a thin ice snow while the shallow end is full of wet slush. Cold weather is coming this week. How do I proceed? Should I skim off the slush or continue to water. I do have a home made rink rake that I can attach to domestic water. Thanks.
Comment from John
Time: December 16, 2007, 8:24 pm
Erik - My entire rink was snowed on before it froze and I had a 1-2″ layer of slush. I let it freeze and it has worked out fine. The surface was less even than it might have normally been, but I’ve been using the rink rake to get it smooth and level.
Comment from John
Time: December 16, 2007, 10:48 pm
Owen - I don’t have any experience finding holes. One option is to cover your tarp with snow (if it snows you’re all set). Compress the snow by walking on it or pulling a sled with weight in it. Then spray it with the hose. Just enough to saturate the now, but not enough to melt through to the tarp. Let that freeze, repeat. Keep doing this till you have a frozen base. I’ve never done this myself so I don’t know how long it will take until you can walk on it. The slope might make this tricky too. You could use your rink rake and pull it across with the hose to keep building the base without walking on it.
Another idea is to see how far the water drains to. You figure it will stop when it gets below the level of the hole. Might help finding it.
What did you use for a liner?
Comment from Maggie
Time: December 17, 2007, 3:41 pm
When you use the liner to make the rink, will this kill your grass? How soon after a thaw do you need to remove the liner so that your grass will grow back?
Comment from Matt in Michigan
Time: December 18, 2007, 12:43 am
Have you ever made your rink without a liner? Any success? I’m a first time “rink builder” and chose to skip the 100 dollar expense (I may regret it later).
Any advice?
Comment from Jay
Time: December 18, 2007, 12:06 pm
Hey Mike E, what works best for me to avoid your hose freezing is make sure all water is out. I do this by removing the hose from the the tap, holding it up high so the water drains out the other end and coil it up in a garbage can. As long as you start at the tap end and coil it into the garbage can you can leave it outside no matter how cold it gets.
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Time: December 19, 2007, 7:26 am
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Comment from John
Time: December 20, 2007, 10:11 am
Matt - I haven’t tried, but in the area I live we frequently has days go above freezing and rarely do have snow so early in the season. I do have some old family pictures where it looks like my dad made a rink that way and in Canada they do it all the time.
Comment from Owen Lawrence
Time: December 22, 2007, 6:54 pm
John, I’m looking for some more advice if possible. I found a number of small holes along the deep side of the rink. I think that perhaps after attempting to patch the last hole I then tried to fill the rink again but there was a significant slab of ice in the rink already. When this was pushed up with the new water I think it caused the other small holes in the side. Does this sound likely? I am facing the same problem now where I need about 4-5 more inches of water in my rink but I have a slab of ice about 3″thick covering 2/3rds of the rink. Any ideas?
P.S. I went to a pool store and they had some sticky clear patch material they use for pool liners. I cut pieces out for both sides of the hole and it seems to work really well even in water. The other benefit is that it’s clear so no melt problems with the sun unlike the acoustic Culk.
Comment from kelli
Time: December 28, 2007, 11:02 pm
I haven’t had a chance to read all the comment, but…….the old picture of your father’s ice rink is OUTSTANDING!!!! Was he a skater, having so many options of skates laying around. It’s just not the typical adventures my family had.
Comment from IMT
Time: December 29, 2007, 4:36 pm
Does anyone know: ??
If you don’t use a tarp, but rathre just the existing snow cover and are able to get a nice sheet built, what happens to the grass underneath in the spring?
Also, for smoothing, buy a tiger torch which connects to your bbq propane tank and walk your rink moving the torch side to side. Also use this to clean your rink from the snow after skating. This works excellent and I have used it to make clean surfaces on lakes and ponds.
Comment from John F.
Time: December 30, 2007, 7:13 pm
I love all the posts and comments here. My apologies for such a long post, but it’s great to meet other people that take such joy in a backyard rink.
I’m in my 5th year of skating rinks. My first two years, I put it up in the only semi-level place I had, right in the front yard. It was about 16×24 but the kids were really young so it worked out well. Basic construction - 2×10’s and 6mil plastic liner from The Depot. Then we had some yardwork done, including a 30×50 basketball court - with the intent of using it for a skating rink. I bought a ‘kit’ online, that consisted of 2″x4′ plastic pipes that fit into each other, and special corner pieces to make the ‘frame’. then you’d lay the tarp over it, and slip plastic caps on top to hold the liner in place. It was the WORST setup ever. My court slopes ‘a little’ in order to have rain runoff, and with 2″ pipes any delta of more than an inch around all 4 corners means disaster. I had to try to prop up the frame, make braces, etc etc. We never got to skate on it once that year.
Last year, I tried something new - it’s 24×40, made out of 2×10’s. To address the ‘bracing’ issue, I screwed the side boards to PT 2×8’s for a base - from the end, it looks like an ‘L’, and then screwed the corners together. The base plate needs to be staggered at the corners so that the pieces fit together. No need for exterior braces, and I have never had a problem with bowing. The liner from the ‘kit’ was OK, so I kept it. It’s about 6mil white plastic, and I expect to only get a year or two out of it before i need to replace. My next replacement will be a much sturdier tarp that has a silver side to reflect any sunlight.
I just assembled it today, and it’s filling as we speak. Last year it took about 7+ hours to fill. Because of the slope, one corner gets about 4″ and the opposite corner around 10″, but it was so cold last year we got to use it a lot.
To protect the tarp, I actually saved and re-use the plastic ‘caps’ that came with the kit. once it’s filled, I just slip them over the sides, and it not only holds the plastic in place but also protects it from skate blades.
I made a rink-rake VERY similar to the one describe above - basically just 1″ PVC pipe made into a ‘T’, with 6 small holes drilled into the underside to let out as little water as possible. Instead of a towel, I found that foam pipe insulation (for a 1″ pipe, of course) works VERY well as a ’squeegee’, and makes for a smooth-as-glass surface. I usually scrape the snow off with a shovel, and then hit it with the squeegee for a smooth surface.
Comment from Cory
Time: January 3, 2008, 12:55 am
I am interested in building a rink and wanted to do it the easiest way possible so I was wondering if packing down the snow and letting it flood method really worked or not I live in ottawa area and just thought someone with some insite maybe able to give me some advice on this area.
Comment from Jonna
Time: January 5, 2008, 11:22 am
Help! This MA weather is crazy and my ice rink is going to have 50-60 degree weather on top of raina nd new snow when it is melted. Do I just leave alone? Thanks. This CA girl doesn’t want warm weather ruining her kids icerink! THanks.
Comment from John
Time: January 5, 2008, 7:46 pm
We’re going to get some of that warm spell too. The rink will often withstand a short warm spell because the frozen ground underneath help keeps it cold. However, this forecast will probably do in a lot of rinks. Mine is on the north side of the house and remains in shade most of the day which helps a lot. The thing to watch for is if the ice starts to float on the melted water. If that happens, stay of the ice because it will definitely crack and could put a hole in your liner.
All you can do is wait it out. It’s January so you can count on it getting cold again. If it doesn’t…well, you can always buy some remote controlled boats
Comment from John F.
Time: January 8, 2008, 6:15 pm
Jonna - I feel your pain. we managed to get some skating in last friday, but there was too much water on the surface to use it over the weekend. I bought some 20×30 tarps from Lowes that has a silver side to it - I covered it hoping it would reflect much of the sun, but I don’t think there’s much you can do when it’s 50 degF outside 
FWIW, I think I put up last year’s rink on January 26th, so we’re at least a few weeks ahead of least year…
Comment from Brian
Time: January 10, 2008, 9:01 am
I am having trouble with an over flow of water over my boards. If I add more 2×8s I am soon going to run out of liner if the water builds up in my deep spot somemore. I got some plywood to put on top of my 2×8s and I am wondering how to I’m gonna use more liner so water doesnt leak out. Can someone help me?
Comment from Peter
Time: January 11, 2008, 8:54 pm
Like everyone else in the Northeast we are experiencing a warm spell, 40’s during the day and 30’s at night. My rink is staying partially frozen though the snow banks are getting lower (next year I will use wood). Other than hoping that it will again get cold and my snow banks stay high enough to build the ice rink back, I have a problem. We have an Oak tree 30 feet away from the rink that is dropping leaves on the rink and then the leaves are sinking/freezing in making holes. I hope that I will be able to resurface once it gets cold enough and that the dark leaves will not be a problem.
Any thoughts?
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Time: January 16, 2008, 10:34 am
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Comment from Tom
Time: January 17, 2008, 4:42 pm
1st time rink builder here. 20×48 area. having problems with plastic sheating bought from both lowes and HD leaking.
bought a 20×100 roll of 4 mil from lowes and it leaked from somewhere. this plastic was not the best product as there were some areas that seemed stretched and were very think. however, i could not locate noticeable holes. ended up romoving and returning it.
then got the 20×100 roll of 6 mil at HD.. same freakin thing. it filled up only so much at the low end and then starts leaking somewhere..WTF!! so pissed. seemed to have filled up just at the same point as the 1st covering of 4 mil i tried and then leaks.
any clue to the possible issue. it does seem like there are some very small areas on the plastic where there are some sort of stress marks that are noticeable. i wonder if water is getting through those areas.
OR..there is something on the ground that has pierced both liners that i may need to look for.?? thx
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Time: January 17, 2008, 5:01 pm
[...] can keep the happiness going that winter season by building a backyard ice skating rink. Don’t say it is too late in the season to do that project, considering we have many months [...]
Comment from John
Time: January 17, 2008, 10:15 pm
Hi Tom,
First - if you find holes in the liner, duct tape should work to patch it.
Second - I agree, check your ground carefully. My second year I had a weed I’d mowed over get revenge by poking through my liner. It might look fine when you lay it out, but the weight of the water will push the liner down and something might be poking through. I always rake over the rink area to make sure I get any branches.
Are you leaving enough slack in the liner along the boards? The weight of the water can also tear the liner along the boards unless you leave some slack for it to spread out while filling. Another first year mistake I made was stapling it to the wood. The plastic pulled in most spots and the staples pulled out leaving holes. Now I just lie some scrap wood on the plastic, inside and out. Enough weight to keep the plastic from blowing away, but loose enough to be pulled out without tearing. The wood on the inside will float - just pluck it out before it freezes.
Comment from John
Time: January 17, 2008, 10:20 pm
Peter,
We also have an oak tree with branches right over our rink! I wait to setup the rink after its last leaves have dropped, but I still get leaves AND acorns. I do what the NHL refs do for holes. Scrape some ice with a skate (or grab some snow) and pack it in the hole. Then resurfaces with your rink rake. The hole will freeze over and usually will be opaque so the dark leaf won’t catch as much sun.
Comment from Peter
Time: January 19, 2008, 1:51 pm
We survived the January thaw! Our rink is banked by snow, no wooden boards with a 6 mil liner. At the height of the thaw (a week ago) all the snow banks were gone and we had a bad leak at the low end. I took some 4×4s, stacked them, banked up snow behind them and stapled the liner up on the inside. I attempted to fill the rink with a hose but found that the low end had some holes so everything leaks out. At this point I almost gave up. But, as things got colder the ground froze again and the holes froze up as well.
I now have a rink rake and after several spraying sessions and rakings things are looking great! We plan on going out tonight and skating for the first time since New Years Eve. Thanks for all the advice.
Comment from anthony
Time: January 21, 2008, 2:24 pm
Hey guys, I have built a rink out of snow barriers and lined it with a ful 1 peice of plastic. Its 30′ x 70′. My issue is i flooded it but it is not high enough to cover the high spot on my lawn. I need to get another 7″ into it. Currently I have 3″ of ice and i can stand on it but everytime i add water it burries a hole adding water but not getting any higher. This week it suppost to be -16 to -11 all week, what would be your advise. Just flood it. Or wait till it is frozen to add to the top not bottom? Seems like everytime i flood it it does nothing.
Comment from Dutch941
Time: January 21, 2008, 9:11 pm
Hey John,
Things going great here with the rink. Kids loving it..neighbor kids skating on it….Mite hockey practice happening here as well. However, When i Rinkrake it the ice cracks and leaves huge cracks that dont seem to bother the surface too much but as we skate the cracks get slushy and water leaks through?? Have you see this happen? What do I do to prevent it? Do I need to prevent it or will these cracks re-freeze and settle down? Your opinion will be helpful. Thanks ..Dutch
Comment from John
Time: January 21, 2008, 9:57 pm
Dutch,
Is the ground frozen yet? Sounds like the ground might still be warm and is melting the bottom of your ice. A few more days of cold weather might be all it needs.
As for the cracking…applying warm water from the rake can shock the ice and make it crack. Not a big deal and will stop happening as your ice base gets thicker.
Comment from John
Time: January 21, 2008, 10:14 pm
Anthony,
The warm water can easily melt holes and even crack your ice. I had the same problem my first year. It’s always easier to flood it to the depth you want than to try building up the ice when you need that much more.
However…with temps that low you might be able to flood it. Try filling a garbage can with water and dumping that onto the ice. This will make the water spread out more and is less likely to melt a hole like a hose would. This is how my dad used to do it when I was a kid. Add a few garbage cans, let it freeze, then add a few more. If you add too many it could also melt through in spots.
Comment from Dan, Sylvan Lake, AB
Time: January 23, 2008, 5:58 am
To all,
I have just found this web site and have read almost all the comments. I built our 1st rink last year and was talked out of using a liner, which was going to cost $250.00. That was a huge mistake. It took well over 20,000 gallons as 50% of it leaked out due my slope of 24″. By the time I realised I was going to build a rink, I didnt have time levelling it. This year I spent most of the summer levelling it with my gardening tractor. A Bobcat would have been way better. Then I decided to lay a grain tarp down this time. It was well worth the money due to the time it saved my and my son flooding this rink. As I live in Canada, even with our winters, the ground doesn’t freeze until around the end of November, and even when it did I had water thawing the edges around my 4 ft boards. My water comes from a well but runs through the house. The tarp is the only way to go, especially for the larger rinks and warmer climate.
I too will be building a rink rack when I get home, as I am using to much water with a sprinkler, and thanks to all the comments I think I finally have my answer about not using hot water. The pipe insulation idea for the rink rake sounds great too.
Comment from sarah
Time: February 3, 2008, 1:18 am
I wish our rink building went as smoothly! We bought an ice n go rink last year and it worked well. But this year some mice moved in underneath the plastic liner, and when there was a thaw the ice melted and the darn dog dug a hole right through the middle of the tarp - ARGHHH! So we need to get a new liner. Any thoughts on which kind to get? Ice N Go makes a replacement liner, but I wonder if a tarp would be less suseptible to tears?
Thanks in advance.
Comment from Matthew
Time: February 8, 2008, 12:26 am
Hi! When your rink melts in the spring, what do you do to it?
Comment from John
Time: February 8, 2008, 1:51 pm
Matthew,
In the spring I siphon out most of the water with a garden house. This gets the water further away from the house. Once the water level is low I just take the boards apart and let the water run out.
Some people simply cut the liner with a knife and let everything drain out. Since my rink is only a few feet from my house I don’t use that method.
After its drained and disassembled I stack everything up behind my shed until next winter.
Comment from jen
Time: February 22, 2008, 3:56 pm
I have a very large concrete surround around my pool. Can I put an ice rink on the concrete?
Comment from John F.
Time: March 9, 2008, 5:25 pm
Well, the time has come to say ‘goodbye’ to the rink. The Wife wants to be able to get the boys out to play on the basketbally court, and since it’s unlikely we’ll get another cold snap deep&long enough to freeze it all again, it’s time to drain and disassemble. I use as many garden hoses as I can get my hands on to syphon the water away off the yard and into a wooded area. I finally splurged and bought a 1/4HP utility pump from The Depot to make it go a little more quickly - i’m hoping it drains in an afternoon so I can roll up the tarp and disassemble the sideboards.
Not the best skating year, due to whacky weather and also cold/flu, but my daughter did get enough use out of it to keep her happy.
For next year, I’m toying with the idea of running some 2″ (or larger) pipes *under* the tarp, at least around the edges, and then using a small blower to circulate really cold air when it does get cold at night. I’m wondering how effective this would be in freezing it or keeping it frozen. Thoughts?
Also - I had a lot of nicks in the liner this year from the kids’ skates, and also from a shovel (my fault). I will end up buying a new one next year. I’m considering making a ‘cover’ for the sides out of PVC/composite boards for the edges and a spacer out of a 2″ board. The idea is that each section would fit over the side boards like an upside down ‘U’, and protect the liner from the top all the way to the bottom. The corners will be a challenge (where the liner bunches up), but I have thoughts on that one. Anyone have some thoughts on how effective this would be?
Comment from Carl D
Time: March 11, 2008, 10:35 pm
Wow, I have enjoyed reading all the comments and suggestions. This year I made my first rink. Used snow piles for the sides and a tarp. Tarp was a big mistake - made in China - seems didn’t hold water. There was a big snow storm after I started and basically couldn’t get the tarp up! From there just did it the old fashioned way - pat down the snow and wet it. Fill in any low areas with snow and wet (slush) and freeze. After many hours 15-20 - and fortuanately very cold nights - I had a sealed ice surface. Any cold night added water. Here in Michigan we had 3 thaws/rains - but I had it so thick that is survived all of them. Got a good 7-8 weeks of skating with my kids - and two sprained wrists - fell racing my son - but I won!! Next year I will use boards and plastic - the old fashioned way is a lot of work.
Comment from John
Time: March 12, 2008, 11:02 am
We had so many thaws this year we didn’t get as many skating days this year, but when the ice was good we had fun.
Yeah, I was disappointed with my tarp. Worked fine last year, but I think the coating breaks down and gets numerous pinholes. This year I went back to clear plastic and it worked great. That’s the only expense each year is buying more plastic. No point reusing for me because I usually get holes from the shovel and mice that nest UNDER the rink and chew through the liner…to get a drink?
Next fall I’m going to look into expanding my rink and adding taller boards. My current rink wood will probably get used to build a fort for the kids this summer.
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