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DIY: Skateboard Decks

Hilary

I love a project and I love a challenge, so with a house full of skaters it makes sense that once again this summer’s DIY project centers around skateboarding. Last year we made our own longboards, which were a huge success and have seen a ton of use, this year we decided to paint the decks!

The desire to recreate a skate shop display wall is what led to this summer’s project idea. We all admire the amazing artwork we see on the decks hanging on skate shop walls, however purchasing multiple brand name skateboard decks is cost prohibitive, so why not find a way to do it ourselves!

While we will be using these skateboard decks as objet d’art in the boy’s rooms, these boards would also be perfect for riding! Keep reading for a list of supplies, hints, techniques, and inspiration!

Supply list:

Blank Skateboard deck(s) –

First you’ll need to gather some decks! They can be used or new. We ordered our decks new from an online wholesale website, which meant a minimum order of 10 boards. Our cost per board was $15 including tax and shipping. We chose to sell some of the boards, at cost, to friends who were also interested in this fun project, however this could also make a great birthday party activitiy, or maybe you want to hang 10 boards!

Pre-Project Prep

This may seem obvious, but I feel I should mention: Prepare your work surfaces before you get started, especially if you’re using spray paint or varnish to decorate/finish your decks. You’ll want to create an enclosed area to prevent overspray, and its important to wear a mask, and gloves.

Don’t use your living room rug as a work space!

Chosing to decorate only the bottom of the decks, we used blue painter tape to cover the sides and top.

Techniques

Each of us designed our own decks and interestingly each of us had a different technique in mind. That’s the great thing about art, anything goes!

Painting

This is a great project for all ages! My younger son was able to design and paint his board with minimal help from me.

He used acrylic paints for the background, which dry quite quickly, and a cardstock stencil to create the smiley face!

I helped him finish the board off with a UV protective varnish.

Stencils

My older son has fully embraced the SoCal culture, and regularly enjoys both skateboarding and surfing, which is what inpsired my design. In order to get the clean crisp look I was after I would need to use stencils.

Use an exacto blade to relase any stencils that won’t let go.

Using frisket, a low tack material often used by grafitti artists, I created my own stencils. The great thing about Frisket is that it creates a tight seal keeping paint out of unwanted places, but it can also be easily removed! It can be purchased online or at your local art supply store.

I used the negative image to help me place the letters.

I used the Silhouette Cameo machine to cut my stencils, however one can easily cut these materials freehand with a razor blade or scissors.

Remember to use an enclosed area before spraying.

After you apply the stencils, use paper and painter tape to protect any areas where you don’t want to apply color. You’re now ready to paint! I chose shades of blue to represent the water meeting the sky. To achieve this graduated look I used Montana Gold spray paint a quick drying paint with a low flow spray.

Give the paint ample time to dry, especially if you’ve applied a heavy coating. Once the paint has dried, carefully removes the stencils using an exacto knife. Don’t rush when you pull of the tape and stencils as you don’t want to pull off any of your design.

I finished the board off with a UV protectant varnish.

I enjoyed this process so much I made another deck, this one featuring one of our family’s favorite snacks, popcorn!

Tape off the areas you don’t want to paint.
Once the paint is dry apply the next stencil.
Remember to wear gloves.
Tape off the areas you don’t want to paint.
The paint must dry completely before applying the next stencil.
Unless you want to repaint… don’t apply the next stencil too early.
The popcorn was a multiple step process.

Simon got in on the stencil action with his Miami Sunset design!

Image Transfer

Our final technique was image transfer. Simon wanted to transfer an image he created previously, but didn’t want to recreate it, so we used acrylic gel medium to transfer the image to the deck.

Gem Medium can be found in the acrylic paint aisle. Use a laser jet printer.
Prep your deck.

You do this by printing your image out using a laser printer. Paint your image with a generous amount of gel medium. Saturate everything, but don’t make it so wet you tear the paper.

If your image contains text make sure to create a mirror image.

Lay the image down and smooth it out. Let it dry overnight before you complete the process.

Saturate your image with gel medium an apply it to the board.

When you’re ready to remove the image use a damp sponge or smooth cloth to help you remove the paper. Don’t rub too hard! Give it a minimum of 8 hours but overnight is best!

I also wanted to try this technique, so I created a deck using an image I took at the tamago stand in Tsukiji fish market during our Tokyo trip. To create this distressed look I rubbed the image with a rough cloth and then sanded off excess bits of paper.

Remember to create a mirror image so your text won’t be backwards!
Finish up with a coating of UV protective varnish.

We still need to practice this technique but came out with two Decks we were really happy with! We all really enjoyed this project and let coming up with more and more ideas! My son’s birthday is coming up… I feel a party theme coming on!

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