Having the right kind of backyard pond liner is one of the most important decisions you will make about your pond.

Getting a good pond liner initially is one of the most important steps to having a great backyard pond, you have to have a liner that is strong and durable.  A regular plastic liner just won't cut it, it's just too easy to puncture, and there goes all of your hard work down the drain.  I highly recommend that you get what is called 45 mill EPDM rubber.  This stuff, which is made by Firestone, is tough and easy to work with.  It’s fish safe and comes in many different sizes.

Backyard pond liners are probably the most expensive component of a pond, but as I said, also the most important.  While it doesn’t hurt to look around for other alternatives, keep this EPDM rubber in mind.  We've had this stuff for a number of years now and haven't had a bit of trouble with it.

You want to make sure that you get the right size liner for the hole you dig.  Be sure to measure in two directions going down, across, and up the sides of your pond and allow about a foot all the way around the top edge.  To figure out how big of a pond liner you will need, do these quick calculations.  Length of liner: Length of your pond plus 2 feet by the depth of your pond plus 3 feet.  Width of your liner: Width of your pond plus 2 feet by the depth of your pond plus 3 feet.  This will give you the size of the liner you will need for your pond that you dig.

Let's Talk More Specific About Backyard Pond Liner

Firestone Pond Liner is the way to go for durability and peace of mind.  The last thing you want is a pond with a hole in it.  I've had this pond liner material for years and can tell you that it's well worth the investment.  Made of 45 mill EPDM rubber, this Firestone Pond liner will give you a lot of years of worry free use.  Below is a picture of some Firestone Pond Liner.

Firestone EPDM Pond Liner

Backyard Pond Liner

 

Below are some different size Firestone Pond Liners that you can order from Amazon.

Hover your mouse over the pictures for more details.

The first couple years that my wife and I had our pond we just used regular plastic sheets and even triple layered it.  Once we found out that we developed a hole and half of our pond drained out we knew we had to find something else.

We found that this Firestone Pond Liner was the way to go.  I would say at the time of this writing that we have had it as our pond liner for about 15 years now without one single problem.

I can't stress enough, if you're going to have a pond, make sure you have a good strong pond liner in it.  It will save you from a lot of frustration.  One more time, how to calculate the size of your backyard pond liner.  Length: Length of the dug out area plus two feet plus the depth plus three feet.  Width: Width of the dug out area plus two feet plus the depth plus three feet.

For Example: The hole is ten feet long by six feet wide and the depth is three feet. Therefore, the liner LENGTH is 10 + 2 +3 +3 = 18 feet. And the WIDTH is 6 + 2 +3 + 3 = 14 feet. So the needed liner size is 18 feet long and 14 feet wide.

Installation Of The Pond Liner

Make sure you have some help when you're positioning the pond liner over the hole.  Push the liner evenly into the hole and try to have the same amount of overlap all the way around the perimeter.  Be sure you have your liner in place and where you want it because once you start filling it up with water, you won't be able to move it.

Without a doubt, I highly recommend that you go with this Firestone EPDM material as your backyard pond liner. You won't regret it! Bob

Having a good pond liner will pay for itself over the long haul. If anything, you won't ever have to worry about it leaking.

The excess liner that you have around your pond after you install it can easily be covered with rocks, sandstone, or whatever you like.