Hey all, and welcome back for the 14-15 season!!! I'm looking for some board suggestions based on my budget. Last year I found some really cheap OSB that I couldn't pass up for my 1st year rink. The rink turned out to be a success but the boards were trash after the year, as I had expected. My goals for this year were going to be big, however, our dog got attacked and in order to save his life, my rink fund was depleted. I've caught up with bills and I'm putting together plans for this years rink but it won't be what I wanted(double layer treated plywood). So after comparing costs of lumber, below are my options. I'm strictly looking for suggestions based on just the board aspect of my options below. I'm already aware of how much support I need, etc. Please let me know if you've had good, bad, neutral experiences with options below.

My slope on my yard is about 8" to my lowest corner and I'd like a little board in areas, so here we go.

Option 1: 2x12's all the way around. Treated or Untreated?

Option 2: Treated 2x4's as a base, with untreated 2x12's on top connected by 2x4's

I guess to look at it simpler, is I'm trying to figure out if I need treated or not. If I need treated, is it wise to use a shorter treated board as a base and stack a wider board on top to get the height I need while obviously attaching the 2 with 2x4? Thoughts?

Hey,

Sorry to hear about your pooch, hope he's doing ok. :-(

I build my boards out 1/2" plywood and untreated 2x4's. The wood typically lasts a couple of seasons. It's not really the winter that does them in but the dampness they get from my storage area, as well as the squirrels and chipmunks that think I put them there as their on personal condominiums.

I've never built a rink with the 2x12 or 2x4 as my boards either so I can't vouch for what would be better.

Glad to hear the dog's doing better. No fun.

I build my rink with untreated 2x12's. People usually think that pressure-treating protects wood from rot caused by water, but it's more for protection from insects and fungal decay. When I was building plywood rinks, I never used PT plywood, as it's more costly and heavier and PT ply still warped after a couple seasons. FWIW, 2x12's don't really warp because they're so thick.

I've never stacked 2x lumber on top of itself, but I imagine it can work. And I think you'd have to. 2x12's are only actually 11" tall, and an 8" slope means you'll have 12" of water in your deep end. You're going to need some extra board height.

Thanks Joe. I actually found an amazing deal at Menards. PT 10' 2x12 for 5.86 each! Bought those up and I have a bunch of scrap 2x10 that i'll stack. Not sure why they were so cheap, but they're quality and will work for this year.

I've stacked 2x12 - it worked well. I have about a 8" slope. The maximum I've stacked is a 2x12, 2x6 and 2x4 all together.

I put the 2x12 on the bottom, and put either a 2x6 or 2x4 on top. I put a couple of plates like or ) or slightly thinker on the back (non water/liner side). That holds the boards together.

I use rebar as the supports, and pound that in so the rebar top is over the upper board. Then use to attach the rebar to the boards. When stacking a lot (only in one place in my yard), I've doubled up the rebar. The strong ties grip the rebar pretty well.

No problems with this approach so far.