It’s time to talk about lining your pond. There are many benefits to doing so, and some of them you might not even be aware of.
No matter how much knowledge you do or don’t have, you’ve come to the right place with regards to lining your pond.
Why Line?
Lining your pond can be one of the most important things you do when it comes to working on your pond.
The lining of a pond acts as a sealant or a foundation: any issues that might arise within the lining can have widespread effects on the rest of your water feature.
Pond liners help to keep the water within the pond, help to keep the water clean, and also can even help reduce the cost of the initial building/maintenance of the pond.
When it comes to choosing the type of pond liner you’re going to use for your pond, you should make sure you have a goal or end desire in mind.
It is worth noting that your pond does not require a liner, but the benefits tend to far outweigh the risks when it comes to this particular aspect.
It’s not easy to know if you do or do not need a liner for your pond, but if you continue reading and see what sorts of liners exist, it might help to make your decision for you.
Weigh Your Options
Before you begin looking in-depth into liners, you should first decide how much work and effort you’d like to put into the whole process.
When it comes to lining your pond, there are two main types of liners to choose between: a preformed pond and a flexible pond liner.
As you may guess from their names, one is easier for beginner pond-ers to use (the preformed version), but if you’re looking to challenge yourself, perhaps try your hand at a flexible liner.
Preformed ponds tend to come in a fixed shape and can be made from recycled plastic or even polyethylene.
The pros of this are that these materials are nontoxic for fish and aquatic plants, which can be a huge draw depending on the type of pond you’re attempting to make.
Alternatively, flexible liners can be made from a number of different materials such as synthetic rubber.
Because of the breadth of potential materials, you can customize your liner to be more durable and resistant to UV rays and other negative weather consequences.
Additionally, they are more agreeable to patching if they end up with a hole.
Types of Flexible Liners
Synthetic Liners
This is the most common form of lining in modern times. Because they’ve become so popular in recent years, they’ve been used in a wide variety of projects by inexperienced and experienced builders around the world.
There are many pros to using this kind of liner and not very many cons.
Using synthetic or rubber liners is one of the easiest methods for lining your pond and it’s also much more cost-effective than some alternatives.
Regarding cost, however, the bigger the pond, the more expensive it’ll cost to line, no matter what material you decide to use.
Make sure to keep that in mind when it comes to budgeting and figuring out the best way to achieve your lining goals.
One of the downsides of these liners, however, is that, if you’re planning to have lots of fish or aquatic life in your pond, these liners may require extensive and frequent cleaning in order to battle the residue left by the nutrients for your aquatic creatures.
Another downside is that it’s hard to make these liners look natural when it comes to using these materials.
Rubber Pond Liners
These liners are more expensive than synthetic pond liners, but they look a lot better when it comes to water gardens and garden ponds. They also tend to be more flexible and malleable, which is useful if the shape of your pond is particularly unique.
Having said all of this, the rubber pond liners tend to be weaker than some of the other flexible options, but that also means that they’re easier to handle in tight/more rigid spaces.
Plastic Pond Liners
Although plastic liners tend to be less expensive than others on this list, what you gain in finances, you lose in durability and longevity; plastic liners tend to need to be replaced more frequently.
Because plastic is naturally stiffer than rubber or other synthetic materials, working with plastic liners can be a bit of a pain, and they also require more work to install because of their finicky nature.
Also, plastic will tend to break down over years and years of weathering the elements and will require replacement within a few decades.
Enhanced Soil Pond Liners
Soil additives are much cheaper than synthetic liners. However, the flipside of that is that this particular type of liner requires experienced installation.
This is not the type of liner that a newbie to pond-making should attempt.
The need for an expert is to make sure that you have good seal quality for the pond or lake, and if this particular liner type is installed correctly, you can see many long-term benefits in your pond.
Soil sealants and natural clays can absorb excess nutrients in your pond and are also likely to be firmer when it comes to wildlife that might frequent your backyard water feature.
Potential Issues With Liners
Unfortunately, as with all things, it’s possible that you’ll run into some issues when it comes to your pond liner.
Pond Liners Don’t Have Much/Any Give
Because pond liners don’t stretch very well, you must make sure that you’ve correctly measured the amount of liner you need.
If you’re even the slightest bit off, it’s highly possible that the liner just won’t fit your pool.
If this happens, you’ll have to start your measurements all over and you might have to even double up on the cost of materials.
Liners Can Crack
The combination of PVC and the sun is, unfortunately, a bad one. When PVC comes in contact with the sun, the heat and light can cause it to become brittle and, if the liner isn’t properly maintained, the PVC lining can even crack.
The opposite extreme of cold weather can also cause PVC to crack. If the PVC cracks, you’ll have to repair—or, even potentially, completely replace—the liner.
Next Steps
Whatever you choose for your pond lining needs, make sure you do your research regarding the pros and cons of your chosen material.
In the end, you’re going to want to get the bang for your buck for durability and longevity.