There
are two types of plastic
pond liners available: rigid and flexible. There are advantages
and disadvantages to both. The rigid plastic pond liner or “preformed”
plastic pond liner has been in use for many years. One advantage to
a preformed plastic pond liner is the ease of installation. You dig
a hole, lay the liner in, fill in the spaces around it and you are
done.
The disadvantage to a preformed plastic pond liner is that they generally
only come in a small size, so they are not recommended for medium
to larger sized ponds. The other disadvantage with a preformed plastic
pond liner is that they only come in square or rectangular shapes.
So, you can’t use a more natural shape similar to that of a
streambed or forest pond.
A flexible plastic pond liner has several advantages. If you are
looking for a larger and more naturally shaped pond, then a flexible
plastic pond liner is perfect. The best type of flexible plastic liner
to use is the EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer). These plastic
pond liners have the longest lifespan (20 years), are the most resistant
to UV rays and weathering, and are also very thick so that they resist
punctures and tears. The disadvantage with flexible plastic pond liners
is that they are difficult to lay flat when installing them. Otherwise,
flexible plastic pond liners are probably your best choice.