Painting ice

[NuggyBuggy 0]

While setting up a backyard rink, I have accumulated a considerable amount of mud (tried to snowblow some snow and the auger sent a ton of dirt into the water, which I couldn't remove). I understand this can cause me problems with melting and other issues.

Is it possible to paint the rink ? I know there are commercial ice paints, but I'm not sure if a) they are suitable for consumer-level application, and B) whether they are septic-system and well-water safe.

If anybody has done this, I'd greatly appreciate some pointers or links.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I believe the white paint used on NHL rinks is just watered down Latex primer...the colors are put on a little thicker...then floaded over to seal them in the ice.

[sabby47 2]

At our rink we use Jet ice powder paint which is non-toxic. Once there's about 1/4" of ice built up we take a wide water mister and go back and forth until the rink is covered and let it freeze. Repeat 3x for a crisp white look and mist over with water to seal in the white, then flood. I know this example is in a controlled environment but hopefully it's somewhat helpful.

[Chadd 916]

You might want to PM UMWhockey, I know he used to work for a company that did a lot of rink painting.

[number21 3]

I read that on outdoor rinks anything painted becomes a problem with melting. Even those little lines will absorb that much more sun and melt different than the surrounding sheet.

[Chadd 916]

I read that on outdoor rinks anything painted becomes a problem with melting. Even those little lines will absorb that much more sun and melt different than the surrounding sheet.

It sounds like he's more interested in painting it white than painting lines. If you were to put lines on a home rink I would look into the mesh products that are available. No painting and you could probably roll it up and use it again next year.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Chadd's right, I was looking at painting at least parts of the surface white to cover up the dark spots which will certainly attract heat.

I contacted a company that sells ice paints, and they sent me a document saying that they do not recommend paints for outdoor application. Their paints are made with "food-grade" products, but they still said that there's a potential problem with the residue leeching into sewers/etc. I don't exactly understand why a food-grade product should be a problem, but assume that they know what they are talking about.

We happen to get our water from a well, so I'd avoid any product that even poses the possibility of contamination.

Their recommendation was to use cloth products under a minimum of 1" of ice.

[number21 3]

Hmmm.

Any snow?

Could you pack a layer of snow on the ice you have, let it freeze and then re-ice over the frozen snow?

I don't know the ins and outs of building ice at all!

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Unfortunately, I am only at my rink on the weekends, and I'm fighting a bigger pitch on my land then I estimated. So I have a limited amount of time to flood which means I always end up adding more water than I "should" - I just don't have the time for lots of small floods. This means that any snow ends up getting dissolved in a relatively large volume of water.

Last Sunday before I left I ended up having to add about eight inches of water in one end (which still leaves one corner dry). I'm hoping the next week or so is cold enough to get all that extra water frozen by the next time I get there.

However, I have never had much luck in incorporating snow into my rinks, and was actually told that snow in the water - if it did freeze over - is a bad thing. It would seem like frozen snow would be a lot weaker (as less dense) than water.

I've actually started thinking of maybe just laying down some toilet paper or paper towels over the affected areas. I'll still need enough ice that a big flood won't melt down to the paper, but unfortunately, the affected areas are at the higher point on my land (of course).

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Jet Ice

Thanks for the pointer. This is the company that told me their product is not recommended for outdoor application without proper cleanup procedures.

[LivHockey84 0]

I've actually started thinking of maybe just laying down some toilet paper or paper towels over the affected areas. I'll still need enough ice that a big flood won't melt down to the paper, but unfortunately, the affected areas are at the higher point on my land (of course).

Go and buy some cheap dollar store white towels, lay them down...that should work.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

I ended up putting some paper towels down on the worst sections, and it worked fairly decently. They looked like crap when I put them down, and I was skeptical they'd either survive the flood or work, since they were nearly invisible when wet. But once the ice froze they made a big difference.

Now I regret not having put more down.