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See how to make a backyard ice rink with a few easy steps and our video tutorial! Making a backyard ice skating rink is easier to do than you think. Save this so you can follow all the steps when you’re ready!
Last winter, we decided to try to make a backyard ice rink and we failed miserably. But try, try, try again…right? Luckily, we only had to try one more time before getting it right!
This past winter, we tried a different location, did a little more homework ahead of time and it worked! In fact, it turned out really beautifully.
Here are all the steps we used to build a backyard ice rink!
BUT FIRST: Before I tell you all the steps involved in making a DIY backyard ice skating rink, I want to give you a heads up on the most important thing. You need to do this all before it freezes. You will need to run the hose and want to make sure it can continually run until the rink is full.
Also, here’s what our space looked like this summer!
Pick a place that’s level-ish
You want to pick a place that is somewhat level for your backyard ice skating rink. Now, I say somewhat loosely because our space wasn’t completely level. You can make it work without breaking out heavy equipment and raking your yard. Just know that if one side is lower, you might have to build that side up a bit more to hold in water and the ice will be thicker there.
For example, we decided to use our cut flower area for the backyard ice skating rink space. It already had a boarder (which I’ll get to in a minute) of railroad ties, but it isn’t a space utilized in the winter. As an extra bonus, it sits right in front of the greenhouse, which we used as a warming house with a portable space heater.
The area isn’t perfectly level. So, I spent a little bit of time building up one side with more compost (which I always add to help the soil each year anyways). But then we noticed one of our railroad ties on the end was sitting lower than the other end. As we filled up the rink, we added another 4×4 on top of that low sitting railroad tie to give the water more room and even things out a bit. When building a backyard ice skating rink you’ll have to account for some of these things. However, there’s almost always a solution even if the ground isn’t completely level.
Make a boarder
As I mentioned above, we picked a space in our yard that already had a boarder of railroad ties. If you don’t have a space like this – and I imagine most people don’t – you need to make a boarder for your backyard ice skating rink. You can do this with almost anything. You can use stacked 4×4’s, make walls with plywood or even use bales of hay to line the area.
The boarder is essentially there to hold in the water. If your space isn’t level, keep in mind you will need one side to be built up more to help hold the water and make the rink level. I discussed different ways we did this for our backyard ice rink.
If you want to use railroad ties you can find them at Tractor Supply. But, they are heavy. You need to pick them up and then you need to be able to move them into place. We had to drag them into place with the lawn mower last summer. They each weigh 200-ish pounds.
Add a liner
Once the boarder is up, you need to lay the rink liner. This can be a large, thick piece of plastic or you can buy a liner specifically made for backyard rinks. We used this liner {HERE} that was made for homemade backyard ice rinks. However, it does look like there are some good liners on Amazon too {HERE}. In fact, this one {HERE} is a similar size and less expensive than the one we purchased for our backyard ice skating rink. Note to self for the future.
We pulled the liner over the railroad ties and then secured it in place with bricks. You could also use those yard staples if you don’t mind holes in the edge of your liner.
Also, I’d recommend ordering a liner that’s a little larger than your space. Best to have too much and fold it over like we did versus having too little.
Fill the rink with water
Make sure your liner covers the entire space and there are no holes. Then let the hose run on a day where it is above freezing.
Start off just adding a few inches of water to the rink. If your ground is not level like our’s then you might find that one end will fill up faster and be thicker than the other. Let it fill until the whole thing is covered by a few inches.
Give the water time to freeze
So, you just put gallons and gallons of water into a small space and now you need it to freeze. It will take some time! You have to be somewhat of a weather hawk for this project because you need to do the whole project before it freezes. Then, you really need a few days where the temperature drops to get the rink to freezer. We completed this project in early December. Then our rink didn’t fully freeze until the end of December.
Make it smooth
Each time you want to use the rink, I recommend adding additional water and using a homemade or bought Zamboni to smooth the ice out. By the end of winter, expect the ice to be 5-8 inches thick depending on your weather and where you live. You can find various tutorials for homemade Zamboni, but we decided to buy one because this project felt big enough already. When I say, Zamboni, I don’t mean a machine you can ride on the ice. Homemade ice rink Zamboni’s are something similar to a piece of plastic or towel you run over the ice with water.
You can find the one we purchased {HERE}.
Ideally, each day you want to skate, someone can go outside and use the Zamboni to smooth it out. Then as temperatures get colder towards the evening, you have nice, smooth ice. Since we primarily skated on weekends, this worked well for us.
Add some lighting!
Lighting always adds ambiance, right? If you’re a big skater or your family plays hockey then skating at night is a real possibility. To add lights to our space we connected 4×4’s to the railroad ties with post bases. Then we used hooks at the top of the posts to string the lights between them.
The lights we used are {HERE} and the post bases we used are {HERE}. We have high winds here all the time and these held up really well for us. The posts themselves are from Home Depot. (If you need solar lights, we have used these ones {HERE} in the garden and on our farm stand and love them. Our strands have lasted 4 plus years.)
So, what do you think of our space, friends? Is this something you think you could do in your backyard?
Looking for more outdoor DIYs?
If you love a good outdoor DIY, check out these posts too.
- DIY outdoor coffee table {HERE}
- Backyard Fire Pit Space {HERE}
- DIY Stone Garden Bed {HERE}
- DIY Vintage Terracotta Pots {HERE}
- DIY Football Table Runner {HERE}
Thank you so much for joining me today! I hope we see you again here at the farmhouse! Make sure to follow along on Instagram @sugarmaplefarmhouse and on Pinterest {HERE} and Youtube {HERE}.
Any links for the post and lights? The one in here does not work.
Hi Max. I fixed the link for the lights. Just FYI they are corded lights. I added a link for solar too. The posts themselves are from Home Depot.
I have been dreaming if doing this! I know you used a garden bed, but if I were to do this just on my backyard grass, would I kill the grass (i.e. would it not come back in spring) since it would be smothered by the plastic liner?
I’m not sure. By our old house there was a guy with a big side yard and he would do this on his grass every year. He didn’t seem to have any issues with the grass dying though. You just have to make sure to pick it all up in like late February or March when the weather starts to turn.