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Recreational Sports - Ice Arena
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RENTALS AND SERVICES - BUILDING THE ICE
Did you know, the ice in most arena facilities is only 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches thick? In this small space, many processes and
a great deal of patience goes into producing a beautiful sheet of ice.
The first step is to thoroughly clean the cement base before beginning. It must be completely free of dirt and debris in order
that the ice layers adhere to the concrete. Next, several fine layers of water are sprayed onto the surface of the floor once
it has been chilled to a temperature of between 22 and 28 degrees. Each layer is allowed time to separately dry, or freeze,
and adhere to the floor and the subsequent layers.
Once the concrete is sealed, the temperature is brought down to 12 - 18 degrees, based on outdoor weather conditions. The
third process in the base coat involves flooding the entire surface several times to bring the ice level up to approximately
1/4 of an inch. Flooding is shown in the photo above. Special paint, a powder formula, is mixed with water and then sprayed on in a fine layer with a special air gun. Painting is done
in one continuous process that usually takes three or more hours to complete. Approximately 50 bags of paint mix are required
to finish the 200 x 85 foot, regulation sized sheet.
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Probably, one of the most rewarding steps in the ice making process is the placement of the lines. The stripes that you see
on the ice, for most facilities, are made of a ribbon fabric. Next, the lines are laid onto the ice and adjusted. Once the
fabric is perfectly straight and centered, a small spray of water is applied to set the line and it is allowed to freeze to
the layer immediately below.
Lastly, the final designs, official markings, and logos are painted with a specially formulated ice paint that is water based
so that it does not insulate the ice surface. "Regular" paint from a local paint store would not allow the water layers above
it to freeze properly.
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