It can be tough to think about your healthy green lawn getting beat down by the cold and wet snow. It can be tough, too, to remember that, amidst the snow, wind and constant cold, there are actually quite a few fun winter activities, like snowball fights, tobogganing, skiing or snowboarding, and, of course, the winter essential: ice skating.

The best part about that last one: you can bring it right into your own backyard. In fact, most folks have a friend of family member who’s taken matters into their own hands and built their very own ice rink out back, and why not? It’s a fun project that can offer good times from the first snowfall to the initial signs of spring, so let’s take a look at how it’s done!

Building Your Skating Rink

Here the steps you’ll need to take.

• First, measure out the area where you’d like your rink to go, then plant a stake at each corner to create a perimeter. Then choose your preferred method of flattening snow (toboggans, teamwork with big boots, etc.), and make the area as level as possible.
• After the base is level, you’ll want to wait until it’s a very, very cold night, and start to water it – but only enough to make it good and crusty, because even cold water can melt snow. The “long” flooding process can begin after the rink base is crusty. Essentially, this consists of simply watering your soon-to-be ice rink – again, only at night. Continuously move the hose so that there are no holes in its surface – you want this to be nice and flat and even when it’s done.
• Keep doing this for a few more nights, ensuring that every pass is fully frozen before you start another (this means that you’ll likely water it only once a night unless it’s very, very cold). Eventually, this effort will pay off as the rink comes together and the ice thickens. Remember not to get too anxious to slap on your skates and hit the ice – you want a nice, thick surface before you’re ready to put your rink to use, so make sure you really flood it.

Maintaining Your Skating Rink

Now you’re ready to hit the ice – but, much like its summer counterpart, the swimming pool, a skating rink needs maintenance, so here are some tips for keeping it in good shape.

You’ll want to continuously flood your rink. How often you do this depends on how often you use it – every few days should be okay, but do it every day if you’re using daily. Use a steel scraper to shovel the rink after each use and snowfall.

Grab Those Tools and Get to Work!

Family having fun at the skating rinkSound pretty straightforward? Compared to several other DIY home projects, building an ice rink isn’t all that complicated. Like most of them, it just takes a dedication to seeing it through and maintaining it over the season – and the results are months of fun, from simple skates around the arena to a full-out hockey scrimmage with friends and family. So grab those tools and get to work!

When it’s time to revive your lawn and garden in the spring, contact Cedargate and put our experience to work.