HOW TO MAKE A REALLY EVEN BIGGER ICE RINK IN YOuR OWN BACKYARD, 2010

Yes, there are LOTS of ways to build an ice rink in your own backyard, but they depend mostly on where you live, and how big your yard is, and if it's flat. You have to find the best fit for your yard. I really like Howards Rink Pages (http://backyardrinks.ca/ )Our yard is irregularly shaped and on a big slant. If you remember our rink last year, it was tons of fun and it lasted past Spring, but we're trying a few things differently this year. Were still going for the same idea: a big flat block of ice that just sits out on the lawn, in a shady area, and you keep refinishing/adding to the top as you use it or it melts. The boards are just to help shape it more easily, not to hold up several tons of water.
The back yard dirt took forever to thaw, and the grass took even longer to come back, so we're trying lining it with plastic (cheap 4X100 ft rolls taped together with package tape: NOT waterproof). Also, we couldnt resist trying to make it bigger, so we built it around our raised garden bed and higher up the hill.
It is probably a good idea to weight your plastic down with rocks or bricks while you wait for freezing weather: I dont think you need nails or staples, just leave a lot of overhang and put weights on the plastic outside the rink.
A piece of ice left out on the grass lasted all day in the shade. We wanted to spray the rink at night when it was freezing, and maybe build up a few inches that way. But we had to be out of town for much of December, and we got a big snowfall before we could do this. Also the weather was crazy, going up to 60 for a while in December. After the first big snow, there was no way to shovel out the snow, so I tromped it down (but not very well, unfortunately). So it took some days with the sprinkler to get it mostly flat. Then we finally got back home just in time for the New Years Blizzard (about 2 feet of warm wet snow!) and had a big clearing-off-the-ice party. (It was so warm and wet that the igloo and the snowmen all melted by the next day!) Then we shoveled and Zambonied (http://www.myfamilylovesit.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/14/how-to-build-a-backyar­d-zamboni/ )
Finally, on Jan 4th, the kids laced up the skates and had at it! Wahoooo!!
The city parks only had 2 or 3 good days of useable skateable ice all year last year, and our neighbors with the waterproof liner had trouble with warm spells. We think this will work out well for us, and maybe for other people too (but yes, there may be an easier way for your yard!)
The songs are "My United States of Wipeout" (by Liam Lynch and the Surfaris) performed buy molly and JOjo, and "House of the Rising Freebird" (by Skynard and Traditional) performed by Molly, Jojo, and me on fiddle.
Yay for Winter!!!!! Wahooo!!!!!
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[Rychay]

how did you fix the bumpy ice?

[unclejohnthezef]

@Rychay i think it all depends on how cold it is, and if it's a downhill or not: if it's between 20 and 10 degrees, you can zamboni or use the sprinkler for a short while (about 30 minutes) especially at night. if ti freezes up fast, you can do several coats in one day and it smoothes out pretty quick (a little rain will make it smooth out too). if it's 10 degrees or under, you can run the water for hours if necessary

[DANGLExSAUCE]

I use a tarp for the bottom and One corner is higher than the rest. What should I do??

[unclejohnthezef]

@DANGLExSAUCE if the bottom gets a good seal, the rest will fill in and smooth out: sometimes we build up around the edges and corners with snow packed against the boards, then freeze the snow with the zamboni: this helps it hold a good seal and cover up uneven areas (if you don't get a seal, the water runs out down the hill, down the grass: also you can't use the water too long if it's not REAL cold (if it's in the high teens, we only go a half-hour with the hose

[18wheeler76]

my rink turns to slush when its 40 prob cause its in direc sunlight i have no shade.

[unclejohnthezef]

@18wheeler76 shade rocks! we're lucky: the sun is off our back yard by 10 am in the winter

[Casman011]

Weird music

[BigUpToNJ]

that igloo looked like it was going to be bad ass. good job on the rink!!

[bigdotof]

I have been meaning to do this for years.

[jacobrousse111]

Who was ruining the song Free Bird?

[thehorseshoecurve]

He kids remind me of the peanut gang

[Kingkarabu]

It gets quite cold in England probably not as cold as where u live. Do youtjink this would be possible. And instead of using boards could I use snow as walls?

[Edawg649]

YEAH WHATEVA@!!!!!!

[THE1playmaker94]

FREEBIRD!

[TheWizz82]

My son and I keep coming back to your rink vids. The thought put into your videos is truly amazing. Keep them coming!!

[TheWaZOO123]

snow is an insolator thats y it eats holes in the ice