How to Build a Synthetic Ice Rink in Your Garage

Building a synthetic ice rink in your home has never been easier. Whether you are still stuck at home because of the pandemic, or you just want to have a great ice skating rink in your own domain all you need is a large enough space to install it, and the willingness to do a little work and you can have your own ice skating rink and skate whenever you want. Although you can build a rink just about anywhere that you have a solid, level, flat surface we will focus on the garage in this article. If you want to build one on your back patio, or driveway, or even in your living room just use the steps we put into place here, and you should have the perfect skating rink in no time.

Scope Out Your Area

Although we are trying to make these instructions generic enough for anybody to install ice panels wherever they can fit them, it is important to understand that not all garages are created the same. Some are much larger than others. Some garages have carpet in them. Some garages have no flooring at all. In this demonstration, we will assume that you have a standard-sized two-car garage with a level concrete floor.

If your garage is smaller or larger you can still build an ice skating rink in it, but you have to measure out the size to get a good idea of how many panels you will need and where you want to start building your panels.

If the flooring is carpet, or it is dirt, or anything other than a solid slab of concrete you may want to lay down some subflooring boards to build off of. All you have to do is lay down some sturdy plywood that is level and void of cracks to be your foundation.

Ready to Go

Once you have your area measured out and you have the proper amount of panels that you will need to build the floor, you will be ready to start. The first thing you want to do is find the center of the area that you will create your rink on. You must start building your panels from the center of the area outward, or you will not be able to have the ideal flooring space that you wanted. Most likely you will end up with a huge hole in the middle of your floor unless you perfectly measure out every step in the process to the smallest increment. The best way to ensure that you will have a great flooring without holes is to start assembling it in the middle.

Lay the first panel down flat on the ground, then attach the next panel to it using the edges. Link them together and lay them down flat on the surface. This will be your starting point. Make sure that each time you lay down the panels, that they are flat and that there4 are no gaps in between. The interlocking tabs of the panels are designed so that the tabs will fit snugly together without gaps or raised edges. Lay the first couple down, then build outward in a circular motion so that you evenly distribute the panels in a way that creates a nice, flat flooring without holes or gaps.

Tap Them Down

Once you have all of the panels connected together on the floor go over the flooring once again with a rubber mallet and tamp down the edges of the panels if there are any irregularities. You don’t want raised edges or large gaps because they will be tripping hazards for skaters.

Conclusion

Once you have the panels installed and you have gone through and made sure that it is a nice flat surface without any edges to trip over, go ahead and put on your ice skates. You can practice shots with a hockey shooting tarp, or even play a game. Go for it.  It is time to give it a whirl. Congratulations on your new ice skating rink!

***Sniper’s Edge Hockey loves Canada! We proudly ship all of our products to Canada and offer the same return policies as we do for everybody else. We realize the exchange rates for the Canadian dollar are not the best right now, so we’re trying to help by giving you free shipping and no customs/duty.***