If you ever wanted to have your own ice skating rink in the comfort of your own home, it is a very realistic dream. Synthetic ice tiles are lightweight, durable, long-lasting, and very easy to install. As long as you have a solid, flat surface that is level you can make an ice skating rink just about anywhere that you have the room to do so. Want to know how to make it all happen? Just keep reading.
Choose Your Site
You may or may not already have the perfect spot in mind to install your hockey flooring. Look for a place that is already flat and leveled out. If you want to install your flooring outside, or in a place where there is carpet, you may have to lay down a layer of subflooring. Depending on how soft the ground beneath is, and whether or not the area is level will determine the need for subflooring. Some people like to lay their flooring in the garage, or on a back patio that is already concrete, flat and sturdy. Others prefer to do the additional work it takes to put subflooring down. Either way, make sure that the place that you will install your flooring is going to be a safe and effective area.
Subflooring
As we mentioned above, there may be a need to install some subflooring in order for the skating area to be worthwhile and safe. The best subflooring is to get some heavy-duty plywood panels that you can cut to fit where you want them to go. Depending on the size of your skating area, you might not even need to cut the boards. In the event that you need to use them, simply make sure that the area is flat and level, then lay the boards down next to each other, flat on the ground. You can use deck tape, or even duct tape to hold the plywood together and smooth out the seam.
Measuring Out the Area
To get a good idea of how many synthetic ice panels you will need in order to cover your skating area you can find the square feet of the place that you want to build on by measuring the length and width of the area, then multiplying the two numbers together. Synthetic ice panels are easy to work with and can be built on over time. For example, if you can only afford a 32 square foot area to build on, you can go ahead and build it, but add more later when needed.
Placing Your Tiles
The best way to lay your panels out for your flooring is to start in the middle and work your way outward. Lay a panel down flat, then get the next panel and attach it to it with the connecting tabs. They should fit tight and snug. Keep the panels flat on the floor so that you can inspect them for bulging or raised corners. It is important that you attach them together correctly so that you can avoid creating a skating rink that is full of cracks and bulges. High-quality synthetic ice tiles will be manufactured so that the tabs will tightly interlock with each other to create seamless flooring without flaws or dangerous cracks. If you have problem areas with bulging edges, you can use a rubber mallet to gently tamp the edges into place.
Enjoy Your Rink
Once the flooring is down and you are finished laying out the tiles, give the area a once more look over. Scan the edges and the seams where they come together. Make sure that the skating area is safe and smooth. Once you make sure that everything is good to go, get your ice skates on and give the new rink a test drive. You have now successfully installed your very own ice skating rink. Congratulations!
***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.***