How to Build a Backyard Rink with No Liner

This video provides step-by-step instructions for how to build a backyard rink without a plastic liner. Let me assure you… it can be done!
A Note About Temperature:
I started the process of building this rink on January 18th, 2022, and I took eleven days to complete the rink. According to Environment Canada, the temperature on January 18, 2022 in my area was -14.3°C. The next day it warmed up a bit to -11°C, but after that it stayed between -14.7°C and -22.1°C for the remainder of the build. It was good and cold!
You can find historic temperature data from Environment Canadian at this online portal: climate.weather.gc.ca/histori...

[@GapedCeiling]

if you want something that holds the water a little more uniform when towel dragging, go to a craft store and buy a piece of thick felt. It's the same material we use on zamboni's and other ice resurfaces.

[@GreenNeighbour]

You know what… that is a fantastic idea! The towel doesn’t make a very smooth surface, and it always leaves little bits and pieces of terry cloth frozen to the ice.

[@briansmith3191]

Built a hockey rink twice...alot of work ...alot of fun...the colder the better for building a rink...below -20 Celsius is best

[@GreenNeighbour]

Absolutely. That’s what I’ve found, too. Happy skating!

[@justinfendelet8675]

Was gonna use a liner but I see the stomp water method still best I worked at a indoor rink and used jet ice paint if you want you can use water based latex paint I've done that also...

[@GreenNeighbour]

Interesting! Keeping a white surface certainly does help to reflect the sun and keep the ice from melting. Cool idea. How environmental is that paint?

[@_THUMPR_]

Try a lawn roller or vibrating plate

[@GreenNeighbour]

Cool idea! Would that be to prepare the ground (and maybe even it out a bit), or to compress the snow?

[@_THUMPR_]

@Green Neighbour (Art Lightstone) compress the snow. I think I'd rent them if possible lol. You seem to have a lot more patients then me to foot stomp all that snow. Cool video. May just have to try this

[@GreenNeighbour]

@@_THUMPR_ For sure! Give it a try. I greatly prefer this method (called a “traditional” rink) to using a liner. The traditional approach uses a lot less water because you get to take advantage of the snow, and it basically can’t spring a leak.

[@H2OisLIFE]

I’ve been doing a 50’x30’ linerless rink for the last 5 years - I felt so bad sending a giant liner to the dump after a season or two. I’ve been using snowshoes for a quick compaction, and then a lawn roller to get as flat & compact as possible before spraying with water. Lots of work, but it’s a labour-of-love. My resurfacer is quite similar to yours, DIY. I see a comment from someone above suggesting thick felt in lieu of a towel… definitely going to try that this season! Good luck, man /Sean (Russell ON) 🇨🇦

[@GreenNeighbour]

Truth be told, I still haven’t thrown out that old plastic liner. In fact, I haven’t thrown out any plastic in years. I just keep storing it up in my garage in the hopes that I eventually find some company that recycles plastic. In fact, I did end up buying that felt from Fabricland, so I’ll see if I can use it to modify my resurfacer this year. I’ll let you know how it goes! All the best!

[@garyr4211]

We had an acre of land and just flood the yard by leaving the water on all day and night.

[@GreenNeighbour]

Epic!

[@craftzars]

Do you need to renew grass in spring?

[@GreenNeighbour]

In truth, I’ve got pretty bad grass in my backyard to begin with, but I haven’t actually noticed any impact on the grass under the ice itself… just under the boards if they’re put up early or left up too long. Placing something on top of grass while it’s growing will kill it, but placing something on top of grass while it’s dormant in the winter doesn’t seem to have any effect. You can actually see that quite clearly in another video of mine where we are reassembling our backyard rink right where it always goes. You can see that the grass within the rink is fine, but you can also see a dead patch of grass (at the lower right corner of the screen), where we had previously pitched a tent in the summer and left it up for too long. That grass has never bounced back! kzbin.info/www/bejne/maWsY2itj9Gnr5osi=vpI1yUvlw-V0LJjs

[@craftzars]

@@GreenNeighbour interesting, last winter i made huge snowman and it melted last, and after that in spring and summer there was no grass in that circle whre snowman was , just brown dead grass

[@GreenNeighbour]

@@craftzars I believe it depends on how much sun that area of grass receives. If it gets the signal to stop its hibernation earlier, but then finds that it is starved of sunlight as it is trying to grow, then it is more likely to die. a snowman is also quite tall, and so the snow might hang around for longer. Although, I must say, a big chunk of ice sticks around for a good long time as well.

[@jekabskalejs2544]

what is outside temperature during this process?

[@GreenNeighbour]

Such a good question! I should have made a note about that in the video. According to my video files, I started the process on January 18th of 2022, and I took 11 days to complete the rink. According to Environment Canada, the temperature on that day was -14.3°C. The next day it warmed up a bit to -11°C, but after that it stayed between -14.7°C and -22.1°C for the remainder of the build. It was good and cold!

[@GreenNeighbour]

This is such a good question that I added the temperature data to my video description. Thanks again for pointing this out.

[@heang0315]

say goodbye to your grass.

[@GreenNeighbour]

In truth, I’ve got pretty bad grass in my backyard to begin with, but I haven’t actually noticed any impact on the grass under the ice itself… just under the boards if they’re put up early or left up too long. Placing something on top of grass while it’s growing will kill it, but placing something on top of grass while it’s dormant in the winter doesn’t seem to have any effect. You can actually see that quite clearly in another video of mine where we are reassembling our backyard rink right where it always goes. You can see that the grass is fine within the rink, but you can also see a dead patch of grass (at the lower right corner of the screen), where we had previously pitched a tent in the summer and left it up for too long. That grass has never bounced back! kzbin.info/www/bejne/maWsY2itj9Gnr5osi=vpI1yUvlw-V0LJjs

[@hamstergraphics]

Grass will be just as good come Spring. I build outdoor community rinks at our school field each year and you can see by late Spring it's actually better than the other grass. You don't have to be as careful as you were with initial soak, just water it every day, 2-3 times a day. Takes me 7 days start to skateable. You don't need the snow lip either. Then it's just light flooding every night when possible to keep it going.

[@GreenNeighbour]

That’s terrific insight. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. Have a fun season of skating!

[@hamstergraphics]

@@GreenNeighbour late start here in Ottawa, but on a roll now!

[@GreenNeighbour]

@@hamstergraphics I hear you, brother. Good luck with it all!