Well, with 1 boy in Mites now and the other in Intro to Hockey, and a "nice flat yard" to work with, I figured why not do a backyard rink this year? Staked out the yard in August & measured slope (thanks to this website). I figured I had about 6" of slope and could get away with 1...

First year backyard-rinker. Boards are up and waiting for cold to flood, but have been growing more and more concerned about the spaces under the boards where the lawn wasn't level, as much as 1.5" in places. When I flood the liner, are these spots vulnerable to "hernias", or will the...

Nice job with the 20x40. Are those 1x6 pine boards running down at the base of the OSB? That seems like a great way to get more stiffness without springing for thicker/better boards. Looks like it's working!

almost exactly like my first rink and is essentially the "Build a Rink for $250" plans on the site. Yeah, you guessed the source of my inspiration! I sprung for 3/4" PT plywood and went with 18" high so this comes in more like "build a rink for $350" The kids don't kno...

Okay. I have an extra yard of compost from the garden which should fit the bill - my lawn could use all the compost it can get! Thanks for the advice.

Well, while waiting for ice (looking good for late this week - Christmas ice perhaps?), I tacked together a home-boni of sorts to pass the time. First, put a deck chair on "skis" since all I could picture was it snapping off a leg in the cold and spilling precious warm water everywhere. Th...

Wow, if you have ice down in Windsor Locks, what the heck have I been waiting for???

Same here. I've been dividing my attention between the forecast and the bare rink boards in my yard. Soon enough though - I guess we'll all save on heating costs in the meantime.

Well, I used this setup for the first time tonight & it worked like a charm! The "hose saver" piece had the unexpected advantage of flexing the setup as I took corners and made U-turns. Used one bucket of water for my 20x40 - could have done a second pass, but I was satisfied with givi...

Ok, rink went up around Turkey Day. Filled on December 29. Skating on 1/1.This is my first year doing this. Here's what I've learned/pro-tips: - Shoveling powdery snow is much better than shoveling wet snow - Skating does a great job of helping uneven ice - Hot/warm water is heaven! - Your slope is...