By Agence QMI and Roby St-Gelais
Updated December 5, 2023
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If you’ve always dreamed of building an ice rink in your backyard for the whole family, here’s a complete guide to making it happen in seven easy steps, with a few tips along the way. Follow the leader!
What you need to know before you start building your ice rink
- Ideal size : 8 feet x 16 feet to introduce children to skating. 16ft x 40ft for playing hockey
- Necessary material : wood, polyethylene, screws, support legs
- Tools : hammer, drill, saw, square, tape measure, clamps
- budget : about $1000
- The site : We look for a shady place (in the sun the ice softens and melts faster) and near the water outlet. If you plan to skate in the evening, you should also think about choosing a lighted area. The backyard or side of the property is usually a good choice.
- The surface : Our option is grass using polyethylene. This should not be damaged if removed early in the spring.
How to build the ice rink in 7 steps
1. Level the terrain
A. The rink must be installed on a relatively flat surface, although it is possible to do this with a slope.
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B. After the first snowfalls, the snow must be removed from the area that has become icy.
C. Make this area as smooth as possible.
2. Install the strips
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A. Provide strips at least 60 cm high to protect the icy surface from sunlight. A snow strip is not recommended. For hockey it is better to provide a wooden board.
B. Before assembling your strips or in the summer in preparation for the next season, give the strips some paint to keep them in good condition.
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C. To form our water pool (mini pool), the installation of strips supported by strip supports is required.
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3. Install the polyethylene (canvas)
A. Clear or white polyethylene protects the lawn from freezing and thawing ice by creating a waterproof basin to hold the water. It must be large enough to cover the entire surface and height of the strips. At the same time, we prevent water from flowing into the lawn during light thaws or stronger weather.
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B. Before placing our polyethylene, we wait until the ground is frozen and the mercury temperature is between -10°C and -15°C for three consecutive nights (usually between late December and early January, depending on the region). ).
C. To prevent our polyethylene from swelling and flying away, we install it on a nice, windless evening.
D. The polyethylene is distributed on the smooth surface without leaving any residue.
E. Once the polyethylene is installed, do not walk on it.
4. Make the ice cream
A. Connect the garden hose and allow the water to pool on the polyethylene, creating a thin layer of water (1/4 inch).
B. While the water accumulates on the polyethylene, position the tarp as best as possible and temporarily attach it to the top of the rink boards with several removable clips.
C. To continue the initial flooding, you can proceed in two ways:
- Either we flood the rink all at once until the water reaches 10 cm; It may take up to 3 or 4 days for the ice cream to solidify. Make sure no one (children, animals) can get to the surface before it is completely frozen.
- Either water an inch at a time so that the ice solidifies between waterings; The ice will then harden more quickly, but more intervention will be required as the garden hose will have to be reinstalled each time.
5. Maintain the rink
A. We clean it after every skating or snowfall. A steel snow plow shovel is used to clear snow. If you have a snow blower, that’s ideal.
B. We complete the work by passing a large broom over the entire glass surface.
6. Reapply the ice
A. Even well-maintained ice needs to be replaced in the winter to keep it looking good. Using a homemade resurfacing agent will be very helpful.
B. Here too we have two options, either cold water or hot water:
- The cold water technique is quick and easy to implement. We start by connecting the garden hose to an outdoor tap and spraying it with 3 to 4 mm of cold water.
- Hot water requires a connection in the house. But it is the best way to get very hard ice: in fact, the Zamboni works in an arena with hot water. We start by connecting the garden hose to an indoor tap and spraying 2 to 3 mm of water.
7. Be careful when defrosting
In the spring, when the water thaws and the water remains trapped in the polyethylene, there is a risk that the penetrating sun’s rays will act like a magnifying glass and burn the grass. To facilitate the flow of water, armed with scissors, we cut the polyethylene while the ice melts.
Thanks to the special collaboration of Stéphane Kirouac, the site’s founder, building an outdoor ice rink is child’s play.