Laying the pond liner without wrinkles is ideal for the pond in the garden. If creases are avoided, plants can be placed without any problems, gravel can be spread on the bottom and pond care can be carried out without great effort. Not only detailed instructions are important for this, but also the necessary utensils and even the time for the implementation of the project. Wrinkle-free laying is not complicated.
time
In order to be able to lay the pond liner without creases, a certain time of the year is recommended in order to use the properties of the material. Pond liner is easiest to lay when it is warm. It doesn't matter what type of film it is, sufficient heat helps immensely when it is laid without wrinkles. For this reason, you should choose a tag that has the following characteristics:
- Minimum temperature: 15°C
- Amount of light unimportant
- no precipitation
As you can see, you could even do the laying at night if it's warm enough. Sunshine is not necessary and can even be a nuisance, as the film can heat up so much in direct sunlight that it can be painful to touch. You should also consider laying the foils promptly after delivery or purchase, as this makes them easier to lay. The reason is the actual compression of the films, which can be lost again if they are stored for too long. So don't take too much time.
notice: You can easily lay out pond liner before the ice saints in May. Since the material does not change shape after laying, you do not have to wait until the middle or end of May to implement the project.
materials and tools
In itself, laying pond liners without folds is not complicated. The greatest expense is in terms of time, as the final size of the pond will determine how long the installation will take. The following list gives you an overview of the utensils required for the installation:
- foil
- Ruler or tape measure
- garden fleece
- Materials for the capillary barrier and bank area
- Materials for pond filling
- optional: sharp knife
The knife is only required if you have accidentally ordered too much material and the bank area would be too long or high. When selecting the pond liner, you can choose between three materials:
- PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
- PE (polyethylene)
- EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer)
Of all these, PVC sheeting is the easiest to install as it is softer and can be stretched with little effort. In addition, PVC liners are cheaper than the other materials, but together with the PE liners are mainly suitable for simple pond shapes in small or medium-sized designs. If you want to implement complicated shapes or larger ponds, you have to use EPDM sheets. Make sure you have enough material for the bank area. Stones, plants, substrate and decoration keep the liner edges in place and ensure that the pond does not lose its shape. You can never have enough of this.
tip: If you are creating a large pond in the garden, it is imperative that you seek a helping hand as it is almost impossible to install the liner alone. From a size of more than 50 square meters, it is advisable to implement the project with three people.
preparations
Before you can lay the pond liner without folding, you need to make some preparations. These will help you to lay the material wrinkle-free without much effort. These would be:
- Create a sand foundation
- Lay out garden fleece
- Set up a capillary barrier
Sand is used in a liner pond because it allows for a smooth foundation, which also adapts to the water pressure. At the same time, damage from stones, roots and living beings is prevented if you combine the sand foundation with a garden fleece.
Laying a pond liner: instructions
Once the foundation is ready and the final shape of the pond is complete, you can begin laying the liner. It is important that you take enough time to adapt the material to the planned shape so that you do not leave any wrinkles. Busy work creates wrinkles in the pond, which will have a negative impact on future cleaning measures. Follow these instructions to implement the installation without creases:
1. Begin by transporting the liners folded to the pond. Don't fold or unroll these just yet, or you'll have a bunch of unnecessary work ahead of you. Place the roll or pallet, if liners are supplied on it, on one of the corners of the pond pit and lower into the pit.
2. Now unroll the pond liner along one side, preferably the longest, of the pit from one corner to the other. Now fold out the rest of the roll. Then check the fit and, if necessary, the height of the protruding foil with a folding rule or tape measure.
3. Be careful not to pull the pond liner as this may cause unnecessary tension. These lead to a heavy load, which is the cause of holes or cracks. Adjust the shape of the liner to the elevations inside the pond, which you will later use to set down the aquatic plants.
4. Now press the plastic foil as well as possible. This will cause numerous folds to form on the walls and floor.
5. Folds always brush to the edge towards a corner. Once this reaches the corner, you can simply fold the fold back.
6 . Having thoroughly smoothed out all the folds from the material, fix the film to the shore area. For this you use stones, substrate and decorations. Press out any creases at the bottom with your feet before filling the pond with water.
7. As soon as you fill the pond with water, the last tiny wrinkles are smoothed out by the weight. Double check these before proceeding with the entire filling.
5 tips for laying foil
You can find more tips for laying the liners and implementing the pond here:
1. Be sure to wear footwear with non-treaded rubber soles when laying the sheeting. Stones can get stuck in shoes with a pronounced profile, which in turn leads to damage to the film when you walk on it. If you don't have the right shoes, even sneakers would do, you can of course tackle the project barefoot.
2. If the location of your pond is very sunny, you should think about using PE and EPDM foils. These are significantly more UV-resistant than classic PVC films, hardly need any shading and are at the same time less prone to subsequent wrinkling, which reduces the amount of maintenance required in the future.
3. When choosing the film, also pay attention to whether it contains residues from the recycling industry. In this case, you should refrain from purchasing it, as toxic residues can be released from it over a long period of time, which can permanently damage pond inhabitants, plants and guests such as birds. If you do not receive information about such residues from the manufacturer, you should look for another product.
4. If you want to create a stream course, it is advisable to use products made of polyethylene. The reason? PE foils are significantly stiffer and therefore ideal for long, thin gradients.
5. If using a pond liner is too expensive for you, you can move a pond without it. In this case, you have to rely on a closed pool that is made of either concrete, plastic or natural stone and therefore does not allow water to seep into the ground. Although the implementation is significantly more expensive, you don't have to worry about tears or folds in the laid foils.