Building a backyard rink (when you have two children)

We built a backyard rink again this year. Sort of. As I type, a December thaw (?) has rendered most of our ice slushy. More worrisome, the rain that the thaw brought has lowered the level of water in the rink, not raised it. I hope we don't have a leak in the liner.

We have had a few friends ask how to build one themselves. Here's what we did. Note: there are many great resources for building rinks, so don't take our method as gospel. Experiment, improvise, and find a way that works for you. Any time spent building a rink is better than time spent grousing about the cold of winter.

Steps to building your own backyard rink:

• Find a flat, level footprint for your rink. This could be your yard, this could be a basketball court. Flat does not equal level, and vice versa. If you're feeling fancy, you might use some string and a level to get the stakes at the right height, but this year we just laid the boards flat on the ground. Our 32'x30' rink is flatish and (sort of) level, with unexpected and unexplained rises and depressions. The SW corner of the rink fills first, taking 3-4" water (higher than my boot) before the NE corner floods. 
• Buy materials (prices)

• Plywood - for holding the water for your rink. we used untreated 1/2", 4'x8', cut lengthwise into thirds (8' x 1 1/3'). Five sheets will give you enough. Our rink was 24'x32' last year and 30'x32' this year. You could use 2"x8" boards for this, we just went with a taller board to be safe. (5 boards, $15/board = $75)

• Rebar - as stakes to support the boards and the water. We used 1/2" diameter, cut in 2' lengths, 2 per board. (28 stakes, ~$2/stake = $56)

• Zip ties - to bind the boards to the rebar. We use 4 per board (2 per stake). 

• Plastic sheeting - to hold the water, like a bathtub or crockpot liner. We use 6 mil thick, clear sheeting. We bought a 40'x100' roll last year which gave us enough for this year. ($200 for two years)

• Hose - to fill your rink. Get a hose long enough to reach the back of the rink and durable enough to handle the cold. We have a 100', 500psi-rated hose that has survived single-digit temps so far without cracking. ($65)

• Sprinkler - to distribute the water evenly. An oscillating lawn sprinkler will suffice. ($10)

•  Staple gun and staples - to attach the liner to the boards. ($25)

• Drill your holes for the zip ties. Eight holes per board, in pairs, two pairs about 12-18" from each end. One set 3" from the edge, the other in the middle. The two holes should be 1-2" apart. If you have clamps and a sawhorse, you can drill multiple holes at once. Make sure the holes are large enough (1/4" for us) to thread the zip ties.  
• Start building the rink. 
• Pound stakes to a depth of 1', half the stake. If the ground is frozen, use a hammer or sledge. We laid the stakes while the ground was soft, so they went in by hand.
• Bind the boards to the stakes, leaving the zip tie tails on the outside of the rink.
• Line the rink and be sure to avoid snagging or tearing the plastic. Leave enough to drape excess over the sides.
• Start filling. We prefer to use a sprinkler to even the distribution. Getting droplets air cooled also helps to freeze faster and may help to avoid air pockets.
• How deep? Backyard-hockey.com has a great rink calculator. Ours takes about 3,000 gallons of water to fill to an even depth of 2".
• Stay off the ice until the ice is at least 2" thick. You do not want to gouge your liner with a skate blade.
• To keep the boards from herniating the liner, put some fabric scraps (old socks, t-shirts, etc.) between the ends of each board.

That's what we do. Slane and I were on the frozen half of the rink last week in boots. If we can sustain a cold spell this week, maybe I'll be able to lace up the skates and enjoy the first skate of the season!