Skateboards are attractive sports equipment, but what do you think if you custom paint your beloved skateboard? Isn’t it a great idea? Skateboard decks are certainly beautiful with their numerous styles. Additional skateboard paints make it even more attractive. But the main thing is that where should you get the paint? Well, the paint is majorly available in the skating equipment shops.
After getting the paint, the question arises of how to paint a skateboard deck. Although custom-painted skateboards can cost a significant amount of cost it makes skateboards durable. If you put in some effort with patience, exertion, and planning, you can come up with a unique design that belongs to you.
How to Paint a Skateboard Deck?
Instead of purchasing a new skateboard with new trucks and wheels, it might be easier to master the art of painting your skateboard. We concluded the process into simple steps you can do to finish painting your skateboard. Your skateboard will resemble brand new and showcase the unique image you want to display.
The Internet is filled with lengthy and useless tutorials and articles. However, wasting time in this furious world is the least recommended thing one can do. Keep things simple and taste the best aesthetics from the simplicity. So, let’s dive into the process with the first step.
Here are the 11 most important materials you will need:
- Skateboard deck
- Sandpaper (120-grit and 220-grit)
- Primer
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrushes of various sizes
- Masking tape
- Clear grip tape (optional)
- Varnish or clear coat
- Water and a container for cleaning brushes
- Paper towels or rags
- Workspace with good ventilation
Step 1: Design and Planning
Design and planning is the first step toward painting your skateboard deck. Make the design clear in your mind before anything happens. If you think so, make the design on paper and cut it with a paper cutter for later use. Similarly, you should decide on the design colors before anything happens and work out to create the best design for you.
Step 2: Collecting the Required Accessories
First, we recommend you collect all the required accessories because preparations are useless without proper tools. You should get accessories and supplies available before starting the process. You need the following things to get started with the painting process:
- Grit
- Sandpaper
- Sawdust
- Raw Paper
- Paints
However, we highly recommend you buy the quality stuff so that your design may prolong for a while.
Step 3: Proper Clothing
Preparation is a core part of starting a process; painting a skateboard deck means you must prepare for that. We recommend you begin the process by selecting the workspace for your project and ensuring that you are in proper clothing. The painting process will result in an abundance of tiny paint particles, and spray paint will likely get everywhere in the area. So, we recommend you not to ruin your clothes. We recommend you dress up properly for the paint spray project.
Step 4: Protecting the Stuff Around You & the Skateboard
Spreading a drop cloth on the working surface, you wish to shield against the paint becomes an essential step before starting the paint. Otherwise, you may ruin your clothes and stuff around you. Additionally, before beginning to prepare the skateboard, we recommend you take the trucks off the board. The step leads you to ease the project and start with full concentration on the deck.
Step 5: Wide & Ventilated Work Space
We recommend you choose a space in which you can work with ease. The painting process needs more space because sometimes you need to spray the paint from a little distance. If you work in a closed area, spray paint fumes could accumulate and turn toxic.
Similarly, make sure that you have enough airflow in the working space. Tiny paint particles spread everywhere in the working area and can create severe breathing problems. Sometimes it turns the environment toxic which creates health issues. In this regard, we recommend you choose a ventilated place for working.
Step 6: Taking Off the Stuff on the Skateboard
You have already removed trucks, but if you didn’t remove them now by taking off the four bolts on both trucks with the T-tool. We recommend you use the counterclockwise technique to open up the bolts. However, you may need to maintain the bolt’s head fixed using a screwdriver or key (depending on the bolt head).
After that, you should unlock the bolts and put the two wheels and trucks in a safe location. It may seem the least attentive step to you, but one of my old friends once ruined the skateboard’s settings by mistakenly losing the bolts. The thing behind it is that new bolts sometimes don’t fit properly, especially when you are doing it for the first time.
Step 7: Sanding the Board Deck
Sanding the skateboard’s deck is essential before starting the painting process. You can use sandpaper to do it with ease. Some people use the grinder machine for sanding, but we never recommend doing so. The skateboard deck is made with the proper dimensions at a proper gauge. Using the speedy grinder machine may ruin the dimensions of the skateboard.
We always use and recommend 400-grit sandpaper for sanding the board’s deck. It will not only clear the deck from chrome, previous paint, and stickers if applied but eventually make the surface area smooth enough so that your new paint perfectly sticks to the deck area.
Step 8: Applying the Primer
Applying the primer is also an art; doing it wrong may lead to less efficient deck paint. The primer is a paint coat that resides beneath the main paint. So, compromising on the primer’s quality may let your whole project down. Primer doesn’t mean a heavy coat. In fact, a heavy coat of primer may ruin your paint project.
We recommend you coat the light for 4 times. You should take your hand at a slight distance while coating the primer. If you live in hot weather conditions, you may wait for 15 odd minutes. However, if you are doing it in cold or humid weather, we recommend you let it dry for 30-40 minutes for each coat. If you want higher efficiency, lightly sand the deck with 800-grit sandpaper.
Step 9: Base Paint
This step is among the most tricky and confusing because it needs proper attention to find the perfect color match for your design. However, that is the main reason we recommend you to do so before the first step. Stick to your plan and paint the color according to your design.
Shake well the paint bottle for 1-2 minutes so the dead particles can be activated in it. Like Similar to the primer, spray the paint with a light effect 4-5 times and wait for the mentioned times between each coat. However, make sure that you spray the paint with a light hand. Otherwise, it will create a dripping situation and not provide a shiny look.
Step 10: Designing
Designing is the step where most painters get stuck, but we have already provided the solution in the very first step of the article. Bring up the saved design you have already made on paper and cut it down with the cutter. We recommend you start the process with the design paper that comes beneath every other object. Follow the steps until the last design.
However, there are some cautions for this step. Make sure to apply the painter’s tape on the area you aren’t supposed to make the design. Let the paint dry on the mentioned techniques. However, you don’t need to apply sandpaper for this painting step. Additionally, you need to paint with a lighter hand instead of thick layers at the start but make a medium layer at the end.
Step 11: Polishing
Polish spray or polishing gel is an optional substance to apply to the completely painted skateboard. However, we recommend you apply a clear coat or polish spray to the finished skateboard. The board will look completely new and shiny, just like brand new.
Additionally, it will not only make it attractive but protective of your paint as well. Make three coats of clear spray from lighter to thicker for enhanced results. Moreover, the clear layer of spray or polish will give the board an aesthetic look.
Step 12: Checking for Mistakes
After completing the painting, make sure you didn’t make a mistake. Similarly, check for the dripping paint spot or the cracked paint effect. It will make it easy for you to correct it at this stage. Otherwise, it may create issues and look bad in the end. Similarly, if you find any mistake, don’t panic and resolve it with that specific area, and don’t rush the process; you should have some patience.
Step 13: Finishing
After all the processes, it is time to put the accessories back on the board. Tie up the bolts of trucks and wheels properly with a T-tool and the key or screwdriver. Tight the bolts clockwise and secure the trucks at the right place for enhanced performance. Now, it is time to beep the road with a new look at your beloved skateboard.
Conclusion
New skateboarders always wonder about how to paint a skateboard deck. Painting your skateboard deck is a rewarding creative endeavor that allows you to make your board truly unique. With the right materials, preparation, and technique, you can turn your skateboard into a rolling work of art. So, go ahead and let your imagination run wild as you create your own one-of-a-kind skateboard deck that reflects your style and personality. Enjoy your newly customized skateboard and the attention it’s sure to attract at the skatepark!