How to Paint Rink Lines

While rinks utilizing cooling systems under ice commonly paint the lines on a paper liner above the concrete floor, natural rinks, those that have thicker ice kept frozen by the normal air temperatures, paint the lines on the ice. Use a water-based paint applied directly to the ice. Repaint the lines, circles and other features as the winter progresses and the paint is more difficult to see.

Things You'll Need

  • 25-foot tape measure
  • Carpenter's string
  • Foam paint brush
  • Pointed metal rod
  • Water based red and blue paint
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Instructions

    • 1

      Mark out the postions of the lines on the boards or sidelines of the rink. The center line runs across the rink at the middle of the rink. The blue lines are 27 feet on either side of the center line with the goal line running across the rink at the mouth of the goal on each end of the rink.

    • 2

      Stretch two carpenter's strings, 12 inches apart, across the rink at each of the lines. Paint between the lines with the center line painted red, the next line on each side of the center line painted blue and the goal lines painted red.

    • 3

      Locate the center of the rink. The center circle is at the midpoint of the center line. Hold the end of a 21-foot-long string at the midpoint. Trace a circle around the center point using a pointed rod to score the ice. Repeat the process with the string at 20 feet long. Paint the area between the two score marks with red paint.

    • 4

      Locate the other four circles in the rink. The center of these circles is 20 feet from the goal line and 22 feet from the hypothetical line extending from the center of the goal to the center of the goal at the opposite end of the rink. Score the circles using the same methods described in step 4. Add 1-foot diameter center at the center of each circle.