5 DIY Backyard Ice Rink Plans You Can Make This Winter (With Pictures)
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Codee Chessher
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When the winter months roll around and you start feeling cabin fever set in, ice skating sounds like a really great idea to get outside. But how do you ice skate without a rink? Well, you make your own!
We’ve scoured the web for some of the best DIY backyard ice rinks you can make at home yourself. Read on below and pick your favorite plan to get started today.
The 5 DIY Backyard Ice Rink Plans
1. Easy DIY Outdoor Skating Rink
| Difficulty: | Intermediate |
| Supplies: | Tarp, specified lumber, stakes, screws, drill |
This DIY ice rink is a straightforward plan that uses a tarp as a floor as well as some 2x4s and 2x6s to enclose the perimeter. Keeping the boards’ shape can be a challenge, which is why the plan recommends using wooden stakes every few feet to help the rink keep its shape.
For an optional but nice addition, install a wooden bench and some decorative lighting as a sitting area. The plan is designed for a 24’ x 22’ rink but can be adapted for smaller spaces.
2. Cheap DIY Backyard Ice Skating Rink
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Supplies: | Ice skating rink tarp, a lot of tires, rake |
If you have access to a ton of old tires, you can make an ice skating rink for practically nothing. All you’ll need to buy is an ice skating rink tarp, which is available online. We’d hazard a guess that a regular old tarp would do the trick as well, but your mileage may vary.
As noted in the plan, the most important step is to make sure the land is perfectly level and free of weeds or debris before beginning construction.
3. Small Backyard Rink
| Difficulty: | Intermediate |
| Supplies: | 2x10s, screws, drill, tarp/rink liner, stapler (optional) |
Using just a couple of 2x10s and a tarp or rink liner, you can make a mini ice rink for the kids to play on this winter. The plan uses screws to secure the wood together and pure weight to support the tarp around the perimeter but notes you can use a stapler to provide extra support. Use less water rather than more with this plan because it takes longer for higher volumes of water to freeze thick enough for skating.
4. Easy DIY Backyard Ice Rink with Boards
| Difficulty: | Easy |
| Supplies: | 6mm plastic sheeting, fence slats, metal stakes, mallet, binder clips |
With a focus on affordable construction, this DIY backyard ice rink plan can be easily disassembled and moved at any time. If you find that your chosen rink area isn’t level enough, you can simply move it.
Rather than filling the whole thing up, try putting just a little water in and seeing if it flows to any corner of the plastic sheeting. For best results and minimal leakage, the plan suggests adding a layer of 3mm sheeting underneath the 6mm sheeting.
5. Yet Another DIY Ice Rink
| Difficulty: | Intermediate |
| Supplies: | Ice rink liner, 4x4s/plywood, railroad ties, bricks |
This flexible ice rink plan notes that you can use boards, plywood, or even bales of hay to form a rink border—whichever is more convenient for you. Railroad ties are an unusual but undoubtedly effective way to secure the rink liner (or tarp), but they’re really, really heavy. Bricks add an additional layer of redundancy to maintain the rink’s shape, and the plan also offers tips for smoothing out uneven ground beforehand.
Conclusion
Whether you’re playing hockey or want to dabble with figure skating, the easiest way to get started at home is to construct your own ice rink during the winter. Ideally, you want to set things up during the summer or fall before the ground freezes. Pretty soon, you’ll be skating around your backyard in no time.
Featured Image Credit: makalex69, Shutterstock
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