DIY Simple backyard ice rink plans and photos
Thanksgiving weekend has become ice rink building weekend at our house. We’re getting good at it and can now have the boards assembled and liner in place in about an hour. This year I took photos of the whole process to share with everyone.
Ingredients
I keep the rink simple and relatively small since my boys are only 5 and 3. I use 10 2 x 8s to make a rink 16′ x 24′. This is my third year with these boards. Notice I left the bracing attached to all the boards. This saves time. My braces are 2 x 8s cut to 1 foot lengths. I used 10 braces total (6 on sides, 4 on corners). I have a closeup of the bracing below.
I used 3″ primeguard screws to put everything together. The primeguard screws are more expensive, but they won’t corrode with the new ACQ treated lumber. I cannibalized the screws from last year in another project so I needed new ones for this years assembly.
My liner is a 20′ x 30′ tarp. Very heavy duty and also very dirty because I used it to cover post holes most of the summer as I started our new deck. The entire rink was made of last years parts or leftovers of other projects. Gotta love FREE.
Make sure you get the right length screws. A 2×8 is NOT 2 inches thick (it’s 1 1/2). I used 3 inch screws and made sure not to countersink them much. Last thing you want to do is put holes in your liner because your screws are sticking out the other side.
Assembly
Once I have my pieces all together I lay them out and get the rink squared and ready to screw. Notice my pile of leaves. I raked out the area a bit to get rid of any branches that might put a hole in my liner. This happened my first year as I was filling the liner. Bit of a scare, but nothing duct tape can’t fix.
I leave a pile in the middle to use as filler for any small gaps under the boards.
 Here is a picture of my bracing. I overlap each board with my 12 inch brace and use 4 screws on each side. The ice will push out on the boards as it freezes so I wanted to make sure my braces holds up. |
 For the corners I use a brace to overlap and strengthen the joint. |
My yard is far from flat so I ended up with gaps like the one below. For the smaller ones I just use leaves from my pile to fill it up. This helps prevent your liner from pushing under your boards and tearing as the ice expands.
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Last summer I added topsoil to level the area some more. Unfortunately some areas settled more than others and I had a very large gap under one corner. The ideal fix would be adding more topsoil and making the ground level. I’m on a budget this year so instead I screwed some scrap lumber onto my boards to close the gap.
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Liner
With the assembly done I add my liner. I simply tuck the sides of the tarp under the boards. Make sure you leave enough loose liner inside the rink because the water will really pull on it and stretch it out once you fill the rink. At the same time, don’t leave so much liner that get folds of liner floating in the water.
Also don’t let the liner ‘tent’ along the sides and corners. Push it all the way down. The weight of the water could cause the liner to tear if you don’t leave enough material.
Update 11/27 – Darn…my tarp did not survive the summer very well. It wasn’t holding water so I grabbed the duct tape and went hunting for the leak. Turns out the whole thing is pretty porous from the plastic material wearing off. Going to look for a cheap replacement. Probably going to go with a 1 season plastic liner.
Conclusion
That’s it! Pretty simple and cheap. This year was free since I reused everything, but my first year startup costs were under $100. Ten 2x8s, a box of screws, and a large tarp.
I was hoping to get one more picture of the rink filling, but I made a rookie mistake and left our hose outside and it froze. Never leave the hose outside because it is a pain to thaw. Instead I use an old rubbermaid to store the hose and bring it inside. I’ll cart it in and out all winter to do my ice surfacing.
Feel free to send me any questions or suggestions. I’ve only been doing this a few years and am always looking for ways to improve the rink. Next year I’m considering an upgrade to taller boards (2×10 or 2×12) and making the rink itself larger as well (24 x 30 if it will fit).
Check back this winter to see how our rink is progressing. I’m hoping to have it frozen filled and frozen by the weekend if mother nature cooperates. I’m also considering adding corner seats and building a rebounder (a piece of elastic to bounce the puck back to you).
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John
Thanks a ton…I am off to Lowes to start…great info.
Can u tell me what to do if it cracks
Cracks aren’t a big deal. Just wait for the whole thing to freeze and then get to work with the rink rake. If it freezes solid and you get a gap or hole in the ice, pack it with snow and saturate it with water. Don’t melt the snow, just enough for it make a nice mortar. Pack it in good and let it freeze over night. The next day you can go over it with the rink rake and it will be good as new.
HOw do you level the low spots in the yard?
Do you think 2 x4′s would work if the slope is not more than 1 1/2″?
I would not recommend 2x4s. You need a couple inches of ice as your base and during the season as it snows and rains your base will get thicker.
I have a significant slope across my rink. I use 2x8s and one corner will have 2 inches of ice while another corner is 5 inches deep. The 2x8s are enough to handle this much of a slope and I have enough wood above the ice to keep pucks in.
I know people who build rinks and have a 2 foot slope! They build a frame and use plywood for walls. This works too, but it takes longer for the ice to freeze.
What about the low spots in the yard do you have to level it out? Someone said to put hay in the low spots, is this necessary?
I had a bout 4 inches of water at the highest spot in my rink. I had water covering about 98% of the surface because I have a slope. About 2 inches were frozen when we get a big snowfall today. The frozen ice sunk and I have slush on top. Should I shovel it all off or just water it all down after the snow stops?
Yeah..Im having the slush problem as well….rink is 20 X 40 and I have a 10 inch deep side and 2 inch deep…
The ice sank and slush was created………It seems to not want to freeze up! UGh. I want the kids to skate. I considered shoveling the slush but I m thinking eventually having the ice lower and water from below becoming frozen ice up top will be beneficial….Great site BTW ..extremely helpful.
Yeah, its been a strange start to the rink season. Lots of storms with freezing rain. My best recommendation is patience. Last year my rink was a ‘lap pool’ until mid January because it was so warm. We only had about 6 weeks of decent ice. I was tempted to buy the kids a remote controlled boat for Christmas so they could drive it around the rink!
This is our first year w/a backyard rink. We had the slush problem too. We filled the rink (24×40) about 3 inches and then got a couple snows, totaling about 8 inches, which sunk down in. The water was almost to the top of the sides, so we spent a couple of hours cracking up the 2 inch layer of ice and pitching it out, then scooping the remaining ice chunks out. Looks like we were able to lower the water level by a few inches. Now if it would only freeze before we get more precipitation!
Hi
my tarp has a very small hole in it. Would this be something I could fix with duck tape?
Scott – Duct tape works great as long as the area around the hole is dry. If the hole is under water some others have posted about using a patching caulk they bought at boat and marine shops.
How do you break down the frame for summer storage?
I just use my cordless drill to remove all the screws. I save the screws in a cup and pile the wood behind my shed. This is why I stress the importance of primeguard screws. They hold up much better over the winter and it is easy to back them out in the spring. I sometimes use the same screws the following year, but they usually get cannibalized for other projects during the summer.
Hey John! Question…Do you feel up the rink with so much water, let it freeze and then fill it up some more and let it freeze or do you just go ahead and fill it up all the way? Thanks!
What about the grass underneath? Does it kill it? Can you tell in the summer you had an ice rink all winter? Thanks I am really starting to get excited about this endeavor!
well this is my 3rd year putting my rink up….it is 32×64, i would like to go bigger but i need to move to make that happen….anyway the first 2 years i can only get about 80% of the rink filled. would it be easier to remove some of the grass on the high side or just make the low side deeper…last year i had my low side about 15 inches deep….what a pain that was….
John -
After seeing your pics, I thought of another question. It appears you’re getting several years from regular lumber. I was going to build with pressure treated. Is this necessary? I’d love to save the additional expense.
- Patrick
Patrick,
I used pressure treated lumber for everything. More expense up front but I got several years use out of them before I turned them into deck framing.
John,
Thanks for the blog. I would like to add my .02 worth.
This will be my 5th year with a backyard rink.. Mine is 34×72. If you are looking for a tarp. I have been using a sillage tarp. They can be found at farm supply stores. I buy a trap that is 40×100. It costs about $150.00 and can only be used for one season. You can purchase smaller or larger tarps. The nice thing about the tarp is it is white on one side which makes for a very nice looking sheet of ice. I also don’t have as much melting from the sun hitting darker colors of the boards.
My rink has some serious slope. I have 14 inches of ice in one corner and 2-3 inches in the opposite corner. I have to use wood stakes to brace up the sides.
I also have lights. I use temporary construction lights. I have an 80 foot cord with 10 lights that stretches across my rink. My kids and there friends are out until midnight some nights. It is a blast to have friends over for a late night skate.
Thanks again,
Tom
Well between your blog and my wife’s encouragement I’m underway for the first annual backyard rink. What do they say? The hen is involved, but the egg is committed. I’m feeling committed at this point as I framed my 20′ x 40′ rink this morning. (2″x10″x10′ with primeguard screws) Not so bad. Room for slight expansion next year to 25′ x 43′. Not ready to make that adjustment this year. On my way to look for a liner.
One word to the other not-so-handy guys like me. Plan on using a heavy-duty drill for the screws as my light-weight cordless (9.6V?) didn’t cut the mustard. Had to borrow the neighbors 18V. Much better.
Also recommend getting started on the frame before the temp drops below 20 degrees. Since I came to the decision to build late in the year I had no choice. Next year, I’m thinking it’ll be a little earlier.
Any ideas on attaching the liner to the frame? I’m thinking a clip of some sort, maybe the kind that helps hold a table cloth to a picnic table? I’ve seen some online for like 4 bucks a piece. Seems expensive. How many would you need for each 10′ section of wood? Is there a better way of securing? Seems like staples would do in the tarp after a year or so? Please advise.
Thanks.
Paul
Paul,
Welcome to the world of backyard rinks!
This isn’t my blog but I will throw in my ideas.
If you secure the liner, make sure you have plenty of liner. The water will pull the liner into the rink to the bottom edges. If it is secured tightly it can tear the liner. I have tried the picnic tablecloth clips. They work okay but when pulled they sring off, usuall into the rink. Also, make sure you do not have openings between the bottom of the boards and the ground. The weight of the water, while flooding, will pull the liner under the boards and you will have water escaping. I use boards and dirt, piled along the board edge to close the opening.
Don’t flood in wind or snow. Make sure you have a calm day or night with very cold temps. I drop my liner and start flooding immediately. I have to run my hose for 36 hours to flood my rink. The wind and snow make for alot of work after frozen to get a smooth surface.
Good luck,
Tom
Great blog. I attempted to build my first rink this year. I play hockey with a couple of other guys that do it each year and they’ve been a good resource, but I wish I found this blog sooner. I’m in Chicago and flooded my 20×40 rink this Sunday. Things seemed to be going okay, but we got snow last night and I couldn’t get it off before it turned to slush. When I came home from work tonight I attempted to scrape off the 1 inch slush layer and broke through the ice. The plastic didn’t puncture but now I have piles of slush chunks that I can’t remove. Any thoughts on what I can do. also I bought plastic from plasticsheetingsupply.com and it was an ok deal with good choice of dimension. thanks for any advice
Bill,
Praying for a couple of 40 degree sunny days in a row is the best thing to do!
I had the same problem this year. We got a terrible snowstorm and my rink was not frozen all the way down. The wind and low pressure actullay pulled the water up on to the surface and I had a mess. I still have a very bumpy suface.
I think your best bet is to wait until frozen solid and then attack with a metal ice scraper or chopper, like you would use on a sidewalk. Bust it up and scrape it as smooth as possible and then flood many times until you get ice over the bumps.
That is how I am trying to solve the problem.
Tom
John Have you looked in to greenhouse film. It is the plastic that they cover greehouses with and comes in withs of 16 upto 50 feet.and should last a few years . A good place to get it is Griffin’s greenhouse supply http://WWW.griffin‘s.com
Great site, so good that New Jersey is now famous for three things: toxic landfills, The Sopranos, and a backyard ice rink!
Built a 15 x 38 rink out of 2 x6 and 6 mil plastic from Lowes yesterday and we have about 1 ich of ice just overnight ontop of 3 inches of water! It’s going to be warm all this week with a few cold nights – so we’ll see what happens. I am hoping for a solid freeze by next weekend. I’ll keep everyone up to date and I am open for anyone in this climate region to help me with any tips they have!!!
Robert
IM A ROOKIE ICE BUILDER AND WENT WITH A 60X40 PRETTY BIG,THE PROBLEM IS FROM ONE FRONT CORNER TO ONE BACK CORNER IT IS ABOUT A 8 INCH DIFFERANCE AND STUPID ME DIDNT RELIZE IT TILL I STARTED TO FILL MY RINK,NOW I HAVE 8 INCHES OF ICE ON 1 SIDE AND NOT EVEN A HALF INCH ON OTHER SIDE.EVERYTIME I TRY TO FILL THE LOW SIDE THE WATER MAKES ITS WAY UNDER THE ICE AND JUST PUSHES IT UP AND THE WATER LEAKS OUT,I DONT HAVE MUCH TARP LEF ON THE HIGH SIDE TO BUILD IT UP.DO U THINK THE LOW SIDE WILL EVENTUALLY FILL UP ONCE IT IS FROZEN SOILID WILL IT FINALLY POOL UP ON TOP OF THE ICE.ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT THANKS.
Hey Frank (frank militello),
Still have a top section that is bare but we’ll skate around it… baybe build a bench over it! 
Same problem here… will definately be fixing the grade in the spring.
For now, I use the sprinkler to make several thin coats on top of the ice. on a cold day in Maine, I can get 3 or 4 good layers. My kids aren’t that heavy so it works for me!
dear john,
thanks so much for a great site, helping lots of people! let me just say a few words for the loyal opposition: please consider NOT using any water-proof liner system: consider the benefits of slowly building up a thick block of ice right on top of your lawn. when a big block of ice sits out on the grass, it gets a little smaller, but it stays flat and smooth. it never turns to slush: any melting water just runs off. i slowly built up my ice-block (20 X 50 ft) with a hose and sprinkler in a simple frame of 1X6′s and 1X8′s over a few days (about a half inch at a time, let it freeze), and it seems durable and it did not change much at all with that heat spell after Christmas: the ice got a little lower, but it’s back up again after a few sessions with your backyard Zamboni, and no slush! (also, I used a water-heater spigot for the Zamboni: it is brass and comes off at a 90 degree angle so no hose kinking). i’ll let you know how the ice holds up ! Thanks again,
john
Awesome video! I have to defend the plastic liner crowd. I live in central NY and we get a couple complete thaws each winter. The liner keeps my water so it will refreeze quickly. I filled mine on Saturday and Sunday and by Tuesday afternoon the boys were skating on it, no resurfacing. I just don’t think the ground freezing will work unless our winter’s were colder and a little more consistent.
BTW – This year I changed my design. I went with plywood cut in half lengthwise with a 2×4 frame behind it. My boards are now 2 feet tall. Great for handling the slope and plenty of board for keeping pucks in.
John,
Do you have a way that people can post pictures to your blog? I would enjoy seeing other backyard rinks for ideas on how to improve mine.
I like your idea of using the 24 inch plywood.
Tom
just found this site and am looking forward to trying to get this going before EO January. Live in Harrisburg Pa….very windy out here…will that effect my ice quality
Thanks ,
Gerry
How deep does the snow have to be?
How much water does there need to be?
How long does it take?
How well does a rink with just snow and water work?
Please answer!
Hi, This will be my first year building a rink and i have one question.
After i fill it with water, what happens if it snows alot before the water freezes.
Do i have to remove the snow from the frame.
Gary,
See if you can get the snow off, especially if you are not frozen solid. You need that insulation off there or you will never get it frozen. Try laying down a board to walk on to help spread out your weight. I used to have to build up 2 feet on my low side and there is a ton of water in there, literally.
My son’s last year in school and he said, lets build a rink for one last time, so I am working on my 50 x 96 foot rink, lots of water and have the sprinkler going as I type, moving it every 15 minutes.
Good Luck!
Mark
Um…I live in MD and have made one when it was a cold year but if it goes up to like 35-40 in the afternoon for a couple hours will it turn to slush???
Just a few hours should be ok. Remember that the ground is frozen underneath the ice which helps keep the bottom frozen. What typically happens is the top gets slushy and will freeze patchy and need resurfacing. If it melts more the slab of ice will float to the top and take another cold spell to freeze solid again.
The thing that would help you the most is to build in a location that is in a shadow from the sun most of the winter. A constant beating from the sun with temps just over 30 could make it a real pain to keep a decent ice surface.
John
Thank you so much for this! After spending $40 to take my family ice skating I started thinking about how I could build my own rink. What I had in my head was right on your post and it gave me alot to think about! I’m going to try a miniature version of this for this winter and maybe over the summer go for the full-fledged rink. Right now my husband thinks I’m crazy but once I show him it works he’ll change his mind!
Nice site.
A few questions.
-after you lay your tarp down over your boards and it freezes, how does the exposed tarp not get destroyed by skates, sticks and pucks?
-does stapling your tarp not ruin it for a second winter?
-has anyone ever set up over top of a septic field? (not the tank)
Thank you very much!
-the exposed tarp could get worn but I don’t think we had a lot of problems with that, you could make boards to cover it.
-well John has used a tarp 2 years in a row before its gotten too torn, don’t think we’ve had one last 3 years.
-we don’t have it over a septic but I don’t think that would be an issue since its not a year round structure, ours has never harmed the grass under either.
Heather
Any suggestions as to using larger boards? Where would the tarp go? You would not drape the tarp over 2-3 foot high boards would you?
Thanks again
Nobody?
Just built mine this weekend 18 by 32 was wondering do you need to stake boards to prevent bowing out? Also just a note i used a line level to check level and found my rink to be 6 inchs lower on one side great tool to use.Any help if i should stake it or just let boards stand advice would be appr. thanks. My frame is built out of 2x8s
Did you connect the 2×8′s with overlapping 2x8s? If so, you probably don’t need to stake. If you have some scrap wood around it certainly wouldn’t hurt to notch them and put in a stake on each side. The water won’t bow it out, but once it freezes and expands it could do it.
Do you recommend putting the tarp on top of the frame or putting the frame on top the tarp so it will not get cut by skates?
Thanks so much for your thorough directions. What advise can you give regarding filling the rink for the first time? Start out with 1-2″ of water and wait til that freezes? Thanks, Lisa & Crew
I have had a backyard rink for 6 years. Here are a few of my ideas, garnered over the past mistake filled years.
I do stake my boards. If you have any slope you will find the boards on the down slope will get some serious pressure. I buy 1×3 inch 2 foot wood stakes and pound them in until they are equal with the top of the boards. Along with staking, make sure there are no gaps under the boards. I have had the water push the tarp under the boards and had all the water escape, twice!!. No way to stop it if it starts to happen.
I have actually started to join my boards by using 6×6 3/4 inch plywood squares. One sheet of plywood gets me through 4-5 years and is much less expensive than the 2×8′s I used previously.
When filling, do not secure the tarp. Let the water pull it in to the boards. Atfer it is full I shovel snow around the outside to keep the remaining tarp from blowing(not that it is going anywhere). I fill my rink all at once. My hose runs for 36 hours due to slope and rink size(34×72). I have tried to have my local fire department come and dump water into the rink but they have refused. It would be worth a try if you have a nice volunteer FD and have a friend on the staff.
Best investment? I bought a string of temporary construction lights. 10 lights on an 80 foot cord. I stretch this across the rink and my boys skate well past midnight some nights.
I really enjoy reading all the posts from other BYR enthusiasts!
Best of luck,
TP
Hello everyone,
I just thought I would add my two cents. I tried all the liners and what not but the weather in Cleveland Ohio makes making ice hard. Building up thin layers then weathers in the 40′s, flood a tarp takes days if not weeks to freeze just to melt again. One day I was thinkingman I wish my backyard would ice over like my driveway! So I waited for a good snow got about 5-7″ in a day or so(temp range from 17-29 degrees, then went to home depot tool rental and rented a gas powered vibratory compactor ($25.00/4hrs). I found the snow a bit to deep at first so I went around with a 4′x4′ piece of plywood and packed the snowa bit then fired up the machine and went over the yard where I wanted the rink to be. This made the snow turn to a nearly smooth rock hard surface and the best part it was pretty much frozen solid. After compacting I went over snowice as I call it with a ice rake about every hour or so until I built it up about an inch or so. In total I had about 4″s of solid ice that was ready to skate just about the same day. It lasts a long time and packing the snow down formed a bumper around areas I compacted froze when I misted with water making a decent stop. (Wont take a slap shot well) But it only cracks and chunks off causing no harm to ice surface. I took the net from the trampoline the kids use in the summer and using poles from tramp secured it behind goal to save my neighbors windows. I did not stop with just a rink! Areas to small or not practical I made pathes and the best one was a figure 8 track in the front yard! Kids played what they called suicide tag! They would go around figure 8 as fast as they can while handeling the puck trying to get it away from who was IT. Best part is you can even do slopes and uneven surfaces. A friend has a nice slope in his back yard we made ice snow to. It was a bit harder to compact and abit tricky to ice rake but turned out to be great for building speed and power. We sprinted up hill and glided down over and over! What a work out. The kids even did this while skating backwards. Best part was when it all was time to disassemble it practically did it itself. Second best part it only costs the rental fee and some gas!
I will post a pic here soon just waiting for the snow to come supose to be getting hit hard sun. mon. tues.!
Quick question from a first timer… do you support your frame with metal stakes in the ground at all or have you found that your wooden braces are enough?
Thanks for the posts and the great site, rink looks great.
Jeremy — would you please post pictures of the rink and the equipment you used? I am anxious to learn from your experience — thanks,
L
Can you cover a rink or pond with a tarp so that you don’t have to shovel after a snow fall?
My kids are 3 and 5 – I can’t wait to get them on this rink in a few months. In hindsight, would you still have begun with 2×8 or would you have upgraded right away with 2×10 boards?
This is my first year making an ice rink…boards around the side….I used vapor barrier, over lapped…ran a bead of acoustic caulking…finished with tuck tape to seal it…Added some water to hold it down from wind…and we were 3/4 full…then we had a rain…and then no more well very little water left in it!! I was disappointed…Bought a heated hose…pricey but it won’t freeze! Found at the Co-Op stores (Ontario,Canada) So I’m thinking the liner has holes?? I’m wanted to know where I can find the white liner/tarp…25×40 plus…I was thinking of the large tarps farmers use to cover the straw round bails ??? Now try to find it that size..which is way smaller…Help what should I do? recover? or hope and a prayer lol
Pam
I am building my first rink this year. it is 16 ‘ by 32 ‘ built out of various 2×6, 2×8, and 2×10′s. We have a substantial slope on one corner. One side is a 2×6 and is ground level, the other is a frame of 2×10′s on top of each other. Its about a 2 foot difference in the lowest corner. Will that work out.
If it doesnt work I can fit a similar sized rink under my deck and on the patio where it is much more level. But not sure if the weight will ruin anything with deck or foundation of the house.
hi,
i’m desperately trying to get my backyard rink up. I went with 2x4s (bought them before seeing this great site).
my backyard slopes terribly. down and to the right. it slopes so much that all the water pools in one end and will go over the edge before it even starts to fill up the other sides.
for the record, the rink is 20×30.
i’ve emptied it out and have moved it, so that it sits half on my driveway, half on my grass. i did this thinking that i would eliminate some of the slope.
I even put bags of dirt on the end where it would pool the most water, in hopes it would run back down and fill up the rest of the rink, but that hasn’t worked as one side gave way and i lost over 2 hours worth of water.
does anyone have any tips or tricks on how to deal with a slope? i’d greatly appreciate it.
btw, it was 62 degrees where i live (long island), so i have a pool and not a rink right now. i’ve had maybe 2 nights of cold weather so far.