The Budget Ice Rink Materials List

This is a listing of the materials needed to build the budget backyard ice rink.  The ice rink measures about 18 feet by 36 feet when completed.  This is a small rink and best suited to small children (under say 8 years old,) or when making a rink for the first time.  If you need something bigger, check out how to elarge your rink.

All of these items are available from your local home center.  I got mine at Home Depot.  The picture to the right is of my Ice Rink boards all stacked up for the summer.

Image	Quantity	Item	Approximate Cost	Why
	14	5/4" x 6" x 8' Pressure Treated Decking Boards	$42	I chose these for my first rink because they are widely available, inexpensive and easy to work with.  If you KNOW you are going to move up in rink size next year, then skip these and move right up to 2x6, 2x8, etc, with longer board lengths, too.  If you get longer boards, realize that a 2x12x16 weighs quite a bit and you might need help moving them into place.
	8	Aluminum Mending Plates	$4	These are the square aluminum plates that measure about 6" x 4".  They're commonly used to connect the wood in roof trusses.  You're looking for the flat plates with a bunch of holes (for screws) in them.
	1	3 lb box of 1" coated deck screws	$6	Coated deck screws can be used over and over again every winter.  Be sure to get only 1 inch screws.  You don't want the points coming through the other side of the wood, or they will poke holes in your liner.
	1	1 lb box of 3" coated deck screws	$4	Coated deck screws can be used over and over again every winter.  Be sure to get only 1 inch screws.  You don't want the points coming through the other side of the wood, or they will poke holes in your liner.
	16	2' pieces of rebar	$4	Rebar is used to reinforce concrete and cement.  It's a steel bar (usually rusty.)  These are used to hold up the boards in case one of your joints isn't holding up.
	1	Boxed sheet of 20' x 100' 6 mil Clear Plastic Sheeting	$40	This will be your liner and will hold water until it freezes.  There are other liners available on the Internet, but this is cheap and does the job.  I'm always on the lookout for a wider inexpensive liner, so if you find one, let me know.

That's it for the materials.  Now on to the tools.