Make a Cheap Backyard Ice-skating Rink

For 3 years now my family has been putting up a homemade ice rink in our backyard. The method was a very simple one only requiring a flat area, some PVC, a large plastic tarp, along with some extra tools, and of course water. This method is better then allot of the wooden ones for several reasons: wooden one are hard to put up and the wood will rot, aren't really portable, isn't really cheap for a vast area, and takes a bit more water (meaning more time it takes to freeze).
As far as I know, the Idea for the PVC ice rink came from my father, who was looking at building an ice rink. In his quest he found several professional ice rinks, that sold for allot of money (up to $600 dollars!), money that he didn't have. So then the Idea of the homemade PVC ice rink emerged!

Here are the instructions...

For materials you will need....

36 - 4" schedule 20 PVC sewer pipe = around $5-$8dollars* (we will be using 10ft pipes)
4 - 4" PVC corners = around $3*
1 - 40' x 100' 6 mil polyethylene plastic liner = around $100* **

Total cost = around $300
Total use = around 3-5 winters

These are the basic materials for building your average sized ice rink, but it all comes done to the tarp size and how much PVC you have. Also be prepared for strange looks at the home builder's store if you try this, we wiped out most of their supply of PVC and over heard many comments that we must be building a really big septic system!

*these prices were from about 4 years ago, and we bought are materials in Maine, so basically prices subject to change.

** All depends on what the size is, ours was actually double what we needed, but was worth it.

The Ground-

After a foot of snow, it was time to clear a spot. Clearing a spot could take you about 1-3 hours mattering on how much snow you have, this isn't the most time consuming part, but it is pretty tough, especially if your using a shovel! This is also when having a PVC ice rink comes in handy because the PVC can be assembled after the ground is already frozen and is free standing (no stakes required). This location (in our backyard) has a grade difference of only 3-4". Make sure the area is free from sharp rocks and ice (ironic isn't it!).

The Liner-

To prep the liner I cut it in half, leaving you with a 40ft/50ft tarp. I cut it because I had decided to make a 36' x 46' rink this year and the liner is 40' x 100'. Halving the liner will give you an extra year out of the liner, and its great if something goes wrong! : P

BRING ON THE POWER TOOLS!!!!

THAT'S RIGHT!, its time to start measuring, marking, cutting, sanding, and admiring! some of the pipes have to be cut because they are what holds the tarp down, even in some of the windiest weather. To do this half of the pipes have to be cut to create a 2 1/2 - 3 inch slot. This is enough to allow it to snap over another 4" pipe and not rip the plastic liner. To keep the cut some what straight, I clamped another PVC pipe to it so it would not spin. This operation took a while, 18 pipes meant 36 cuts on the table saw.

After making the cuts all the raw edges had to be filed and sanded to avoid sharp edges that could have ripped the plastic liner. This is a job where you could use some help, (kids, friends, pets, that guy trying to pond of candy to your kids.


P.S. If you are having trouble with this step just post a comment below I will try my best to get back to you : )

This is probably the easiest part. All you need to do is put together the PVC and hop it goes together right, you also got to remember the size of your tarp. The size of our ice rink is 36' x 46', more then enough room for our family of 5 to ice skate on!

Now after Its put all together, check your corners and make sure there all the same. If not just move the PVC around till they do. I recommend you have a couple cinder blocks near by to keep the PVC still once the measurements are done. And easier way to remember this is equal diagonals means a perfect rectangle.

Finally its starting to take shape!

Here we go again, another hard part...

To add the liner (tarp) first lay down the 6 mil plastic liner over top of the PVC frame and then snapped the PVC cap over the plastic liner. The cap provides a duel roll, holding the liner in place and providing protection against skate blades. From this picture you can see why the liner has to be larger than the frame. 4 foot extra on the sides is plenty to not lose any sides.

Make sure to keep the caps at least 2" away from the corners. Later I plan to make a triangular piece from wood to sit over the corner to protect it (if you make one please post a pic of it below). Notice the piece of wood under the corner. Use small blocks to shim the height of the frame so it is all at the same level.

I had some comments about the toughness of the PVC when playing hockey, or skating on it. The PVC its self is pretty sturdy and tough, and you could probably get a good 3-5 years out of it. It really all depends on what your using it for.

Once again, if you have any questions, just post a comment below and ill Try to get to them.

adding the water is a simple step, all you need to do is add some water by using a hose, or doing a rain dance. Remember not to over flow or go to high with the water!
Also remember to do this were its usually below freezing, so it will freeze sooner, and stay frozen!

Ive also had many people ask me about the grass underneath the ice rink. As far as I'm concerned the grass wont die, as long as you but it away before spring, or as soon as you can. This will prevent the grass from dieing, though there are no guarantees as every bodies house is different.

I honestly don't think you will need help for this step... :(

I'm going to go through this step quickly, because I'm planing on making another instructable to cover this.

The Scraper--
Pic 1-One way to maintain the Ice is making a scraper (cleans of bumbs, and small impurities). I made the scraper seen in the photo below scraper out of an old broom handle and an old screen door channel. Anything with a hard edge will do. This one is about 6 foot in length making it fast to clean the ice.

The Sprayer--
Pic 2-To fill in the holes made by skating on it you could make a sprayer
unit to make this job easier. It is made of a 10 ft piece of 3/4" PVC pipe cut to a 4 ft. section and two 3 ft. sections to form the shape of a "T".
Pic 3-Adding a valve and a quick disconnect make the job much easier. The valve is great for regulating the flow rate of the water.
Pic 4-I drilled 1/8" holes every 2" across the bottom and attached a board with a 2 1/2"wide rubber belting to act like a squeegee to smooth the water.

If gotten several recommendations on using hot water to smooth it out. It basically is supposed to melt down the imperfections, then lay a new sheet of ice on top keeping he ice smooth. This is a great idea, but the reason I didn't use it is because the mini, hand held, Zamboni we made runs from water from a hose. As far as I'm concerned I cant get hot water from a hose at my hose.
But I defiantly recommend trying that out, especially if you don't have the materials to make the hand held Zamboni shown in the pics.

If you have any questions or would recommend a technique you use for your ice rink please leave a comment below, PM me, or Em@il me at zktech at aol dot com

Also if you do end up making one please post an image below, even if its not PVC, as long as its a Homemade ice rink!

Please don't abuse my email, I'm putting it up there because I under sand that this is a hard project, and want to help if anyone's having any trouble.