When you are building your new pond, you should not only be focussed on the pond liner. The underlay and what goes under the underlay are equally as important. In fact, it is just as important that you use an underlay as the pond liner itself and many pond liner guarantees will be void if you do not use an underlay in your pond design.

When you have excavated the pond area, rake the ground and remove any potentially sharp objects such as stones, twigs and roots. After the surface is smooth you should add a layer of sand to the pond base and sides. Ideally this should be a couple of inches thick and will provide a suitable base to the underlay. There are many different types of underlay that you can buy including prolene, if you have stony ground the geotextile material will provide great protection for your liner from stones or other foreign bodies.

The last thing to decide upon is the liner material. While butyl has been the ‘king’ of pond liners for many years now Epalyn is hot on its heals as the new contender. In fact many people now regard this pond liner material as the number one choice.

If you put the effort into the pond build at the start, the longevity of the pond will be increased and hence the maintenance will be reduced.