How to Customize Skateboard Decks
Skateboarders value their individuality, and the designs on their skateboards are meant to express personality. A generic-designed board is available at mass retailers for $30, while designer boards can cost three times as much. Choose instead to customize your deck, it’s inexpensive and totally, uniquely you.
You need
- Skateboard deck
- Sketch pad
- Stickers
- Duct tape
- Paint
- Polyurethane
- Sponge roller
- Changing the look of a well-worn board or individualizing a deck is quickest with stickers. Check with stickers from local skateboard stores or collect stickers at events. Cover the surface, top and bottom of the deck with them. Coat with polyurethane using the sponge rollers. Some software programs even allow printing stickers, so check online for thousands of choices.
- Use a sketch pad to brainstorm custom artwork. The design can focus on something important to the skater, or a graphic design similar to graffiti. The design can then be free-handed onto the board using paint, or it can be sent to a company like Zazzle or BoardPusher. These sites put your design on a board of your choosing, then send you the finished work. If you paint the design yourself, seal it with polyurethane. Several thin coats work best, just be sure to let it dry completely between coats. A single, thick layer will not hold up well.
- Use duct tape. It comes in several colors and patterns including metallic and animal print. Cut the tape to form several different designs. Graphic stripes and shapes work well. Use a ruler to keep lines straight if working with a linear design. If trying to cut out intricate designs, have someone hold the edge of the tape to keep it from sticking to itself.
- Accent with trucks, bushings and wheels, the necessary hardware for a skateboard. Trucks come in different heights and weights and bushings are available in varying degrees of stiffness. Wheels come in assorted colors, sizes and hardness.