# Natural looking Edges when using Pond Liner



## Jim in MO (Feb 28, 2010)

As a follow up to Tom Bray's' post I am also putting a pond into my new layout and using a liner. But I would love to create a "natural" edge to the "river" and "lake". It is 7 foot wide and 13 foot long with a 10 foot long river flowing into it. A friend who builds ponds professionally, uses either garden wall blocks or LARGE stones around the perimeter on a shelf cut in 6 to 10 inches down from the top edge. That's not the look I am after but he is having a hard time coming up with an alternative way to hold the liner in place. 

We're looking at modeling a swimming beach in one area, a fishing pier, boat launch ramp, fishing cabins, etc.

Has anyone tried something like this succesfully?


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## dieseldude (Apr 21, 2009)

You could use smaller stone materials like pea gravel (nothing sharp- no crusher fines) on the liner shelf. You can spread them thin to simulate a beach. Make sure to anchor the areas next to the beach with heavier stones to keep the liner stable. I would NOT recommend this for the entire perimeter of the pond, but it should be fine for a small area like a beach or boat launch.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Big rocks set around a pond liner look very artificial (if you are trying to recreate a realistic scene). 

Instead, I would use the rocks to anchor the rubber and then build up a credible landscape with hypertufa 

Dave


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## david bunn (Jan 4, 2008)

Heres an idea I have used on our small pond.I wanted a sloping 'beach' area mainly to make escape easier if either of our grandkids decided to take up garden scuba diving. 
I coated the liner with roofing mastic and pressed gravel into it,so far it has been in place for two years with no appreciable erosion,probably not good if you want fish though. 
Regards 
David


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Why not seal the edge with concrete and while the crete is wet pour on the dirt, sand and rocks. Extend it down where the beach goes. 
Never done it so....


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Another alternative is a product from Oly-Ola called pond edge - 
http://www.olyola.com/edgkeeper.shtml 

used on my pond - 










-Brian


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

I see its still broken 

link - 
http://www.olyola.com/edgkeeper.shtml 

pic - 
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n214/altterrain/alt terrain pix/bkydpondgaz.jpg


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

at least the links work now


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

I had success using a plywood sidewall around the inside of the excavation, folding the liner over it and backfilling with rocks and earth. Plants were able to grow to within an inch or two of the water. Long draping creepers worked best.


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## Jim in MO (Feb 28, 2010)

Both of these ideas look promising for what I am after. The edging seems to be a little pricey at $32 per 7 feet plus shipping. That would add up to more than I spent on my 45-mil liner for a 7 x 13 foot pond. The plywood or something like it has me thinking though.

Thanks for the ideas,
Jim


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

This weekend I finished installing a new pond using the edging technique illustrated above. Since the pond is peanut shaped rather than rectangular I used new method featuring rebar stakes and corrugated plastic sheet. Seems to have worked quite well. Got a real nice sharp lip with plants right at the water's edge. Time will tell whether unforeseen problems arise. I can post some photos of the process if anyone wants.


Cheers... 



Posted By Jim in MO on 22 Apr 2010 01:29 PM 
Both of these ideas look promising for what I am after. The edging seems to be a little pricey at $32 per 7 feet plus shipping. That would add up to more than I spent on my 45-mil liner for a 7 x 13 foot pond. The plywood or something like it has me thinking though.

Thanks for the ideas,
Jim


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## Jim in MO (Feb 28, 2010)

Pete, pictures would be great. My pond will also be a non-square shape and wasn't sure how well the plywood system would work. If it ever quits raining and dries out some it will be time to install the liner.


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

Here's some hastily uploaded shots. As I say, this method is experimental. I've already picked out a few modifications for next time. 









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## Jim in MO (Feb 28, 2010)

What is the plastic you are using (what is normally used for)? What would you do different next time and anything we should be careful of if I try this. This could be the solution I have been looking for.

Thanks, jim


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## Jim in MO (Feb 28, 2010)

Posted By Jim in MO on 17 May 2010 03:24 PM 
What is the plastic you are using (what is normally used for)? Is this in an area where frost heave is an issue (i'm in Missouri where it is)? What would you do different next time and anything we should be careful of if I try this. At what point did you fold the liner over the back of the plastic and how far down the back? 

This could be the solution I have been looking for.

Thanks, jim


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## pdk (Jan 2, 2008)

First, thanks Mr Ninja Moderator, or whoever fixed my post so you could see the photos. 

It goes by different names, but I know the plastic as choroplast. It's the stuff used for cheap signage, like election signs. It looks like corrugated cardboard except it's plastic. I wanted to use "puckboard" which is super tough polyethelene sheeting used to protect hockey rink boards, but it was not available retail, and plus it was pretty expensive. I don't know how long the choroplast will last, but it needn't last forever imho. Just a few seasons while the earth settles and the plants get established. 

Errors: Laziness as usual. I should have used more like fifteen or twenty rather than just ten rebar stakes so as to maintain those nice curves when backfilling -- some of which got a bit flat. And I should have used more than one zip tie per stake (more like three) since the weight of the water wanted to pull the choroplast down a bit in places. 

Good Calls: I bought 8 foot rebar, cut it into 4, 3 and 2 foot lengths using a cutoff disk and * ground smooth the top of each stake with my bench grinder to prevent accidentally ripping the liner at fill up time.*

Beware stuff: Call before you dig. One wouldn't want to drive a stick of rebar into a buried powerline. Ouch. 


What I would like to try: The plastic coping is 15 inches, but the pond is deeper than that. I wonder if coping of only 5 or 6 inches would work -- a rim rather than a side. This would allow one to use a variety of products, like bender board. 


Other: Soils vary by region. Would this work in sandy loam?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

I have always use natural sone by either lining the wall of the pond or by digging a shelf along the edge to stack rockfrom below the waterline to the top. 

I really only line the whole pond on my builds as you see the whole pond so long as the water is clear and I dont like seeing the liner.

To have a more scale look for a railway just scale the shelf and stone down. If ytou take an area where you want the beack and boat ramp and grade it from say 6" below the waterline to level about 2' or so from the pond edge you will have a natural ramp. Maybe put from larger rocks 2-3" at the end of the grade in the water and backfill with sand. Do the same for where you want a fishing peir but backfill with soild. So long as you dont put this in the main flow of a stream you woing have any erosion but if you plan to have fish you are inviting any prey into the wayer. Henct the reason you want sharp dropoffs normally. We have raccoons and birds and neither like the deep dropp offs.

Here is the pond I built at my parents. It is about 13x 21 and 40" in the middle. 




























Here are a copuple other ponds from ponds for customers. I cant seem to find the other photos though.


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## pie2mats (Mar 30, 2011)

howdy everyone!

great photo find for pond project here, even got a DIY tip for home projects. nice insight guys, works well in information resource option. have a great day ahead.



_____________________________________________________
http://www.caribcoat.net/services.html ---this site may be useful


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice ponds indeed! Mine is of the "outline the pond with big rocks" style but if I had to do it all over again, I's probably try for a more natural look!


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## Jim in MO (Feb 28, 2010)

I followed Brakeman's method to what I consider a great pond. We have been able to make it look more like a real body of water without the rocks piled all the way around it. When I have the chance I will try to post a few pictures. 

Thanks Brakeman for all your help.


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

This method might have already been discussed in this thread..but im not sure! 
I read this method in a book a few years ago..simple, effective, but not necessarily obvious!  
I couldnt find a good diagram on-line, so I just drew one up: 










the beauty of that method is that the liner is completely invisable! 
you could even use dirt, and not have rocks on the edges, for a more "natural" pond, if you dont mind muddy water.. 
(the dirt would probably eventually settle, probably use coarser dirt or sand) 











Scot


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## ddevoto (Jan 22, 2008)

Here's another edge look using a flat rock edge. 
http://www.youtube.com/user/danstrains?feature=mhum#p/u/4/6cTtZg6z_lo 

Dan


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## Toyman321 (Apr 11, 2011)

I've been a lurker here, planning out my yard (I'll actually be laying track soon) I've got a 1500 gallon Koi pond that I used Rock-on-a-Roll, I don't know if this is what you are looking for but I used it to cover the black plastic liner: http://www.rock-on-a-roll.com/?gcli...gwodmmJPCQ@import url(http://www.mylargescale.com/Provide...ad.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(/providers/htmleditorproviders/cehtmleditorprovider/dnngeneral.css);


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