Pond Liner

When you build a foil pond, you can put all your creativity into the design. There are different types and sizes of pond liner, but the most widely used and suitable are EPDM liner, 3D liner and PVC liner.

EPDM pond liner

EPDM film is made of rubber and is extremely strong and permanently elastic. This material contains no plasticizers and is highly resistant to UV radiation and acid rain. EPDM is used professionally in roofing and water basins. But nowadays it is also used in ponds. However, a different variant of this material is then used. It does not contain toxic substances for fish and pond plants. So make sure that you use special EPDM pond liner for your pond, so that your pond fish and pond plants remain healthy.

3D pond liner

In recent years, 3D pond liner has become increasingly popular. 3D liner is a bag of EPDM that is custom-made to the desired shape and size of the pond. As a result, you don’t have to eliminate any creases or cut and glue the pond liner yourself. All that is required is the dimensions of the pond. The supplier of the 3D liner will then make the bag to size for you.

PVC pond liner

Another common type of pond liner is PVC liner. This material is flexible, so it easily adapts to the shape of your pond. PVC liner is easy to weld (with heat), but can also be glued. For any repairs, you can use special pond liner glue. This liner will last for years, but must be protected from UV rays as much as possible. So preferably not in bright sunlight.

Pond liner calculation

To calculate the size of film needed, you can use the rules of thumb below:

This formula already takes into account the pond edge overlap of 25 cm on both sides. Use the same dimensions for the amount of protective cloth and any root cloth.

Laying the pond liner

Dig out the pond with as straight walls and flat bottoms as possible. Reinforce vertical walls with plastic shoring against collapse, or build from the depth with concrete blocks. Make the deepest part the largest.
Lay the liner in the deepest part of the pond, roll it out and work up along the walls. Try to lay the liner as smooth n crease-free as possible on the bottom and along the walls. To prevent water siphoning through the folds folded flat over the edge of the pond: seal the overlapping folds on top of each other at the corner from vertical to horizontal. Follow any applied plating as smoothly and well as possible. However, do not lay the pond liner too tightly as it will be pushed out later by the water. When applying the liner, make sure that you walk on the excavated plant platforms as little as possible and damage them. The overlap of the pond liner over the edge of the pond should be reinforced, but not yet cut. Do this a few weeks after the pond is filled with water.