Customize your Skateboard: techniques and tips

"A personalized skateboard, a lot of dreams! There are different reasons to customize your skateboard and above all different ways to go about it. We are therefore going to help you through this article to make your skateboard unique, by revealing to you the different techniques possible!”

Why customize your skateboard?

Whether you are a beginner, an amateur, or a skateboarding pro, customizing your skateboard is a mandatory step that you cannot miss. Indeed, having a personalized skateboard will allow you to walk the streets and skateparks in style, but above all to have a one-of-a-kind board!

For Fun and Pleasure!

And yes ! decorating your skateboard is an activity that requires taking your time in order to obtain a customization that meets your dreams. You can do it at a professional, but it's much more fun to do it yourself (and especially much cheaper).

If you choose to spruce up your skateboard in person, trust me, you'll have real fun doing the customization. Totally in the DIY spirit, you will then have to unbolt the wheels, clean your board or sand it if necessary, then decorate it in your own way.

Once finished, the joy of being able to say to his friends: “I succeeded, I did it alone!” will give you the wonderful feeling of having made something with your hands. In addition you will have your own skateboard! There won't be one like you in the world!

To mark your difference or your belonging!

Being the owner of a custom skateboard simply makes the difference.

You will display your own style by transforming your board so that it looks like you ! You can then match it with your style of dress or your shoes. But also with your own universe.

In other words, you will be the absolute master of your look!

To embellish a damaged board or for decoration!

Your board is completely dead due to sliders? Are you planning to part with it to buy a new one? Wait a second!

Before making it, have you thought about restoring its look, or recycling it as a decorative object?

Indeed, a damaged or scratched board does not mean trash! You can very easily restore it to its former fervor, giving it a boost thanks to the various customization techniques.

If you ever really want to change it, you can always modify it, in order to use it as a shelf or decorative object.

Highlight your personality

Personalizing your board means highlighting your identity.

Some prefer colorful, urban skates , while others favor a sober style, etc.

There are many styles of customization to have a one-of-a-kind skateboard, but before embarking on your own embellishment, it will be up to you to find the style that suits you!

All the most famous skateboarders have been there! Nyjah Huston, Tony Hawks, Dylan Bieder and all the others have custom skates in one way or another. Painting, engraving, stickers, colored wheels, the list goes on!

Moreover, you will have certainly noticed, during a competition, not all skaters have the same type of customization. It's a way to make yourself known and stand out, but above all to assert yourself as a unique skater.

Finally, by customizing your board, you can also show your membership in a crew by having all the same style of decoration on your board.

Stand out with your own style

If you're a bit lost and can't identify your own style, there's nothing better than getting inspired by the skateboard models of your favorite skaters on Youtube .

Of course you can also simply base yourself on your preferences or your own creativity.

Once you have an idea of ​​the colors or rendering you want, you can start thinking about the technique you are going to use to decorate your own skateboard.

There are different ways to go about it. We have selected 3 techniques that we will develop in this article:

• Replacement of accessories;
• The painting ;
• The use of stickers: Sticker Bombing

But before we start, let's first go over the preparation steps for customizing your skateboard.

How to properly prepare your board: the steps

No matter which customization technique you choose, be sure to check off important steps before you start decorating your board .

Here is the list:

1. Unbolt the wheels and trucks and all other parts.
2. Clean your board and the different parts. Be careful, all the elements that make up the skateboard generally do not like water. It is therefore necessary to avoid drowning them as much as possible. Use a slightly wet hard brush;
3. Remove your grip if necessary. use a hair dryer for this then remove the grip and scrape off the excess glue with the brush;
4. If you want to paint it, we strongly advise you to sand it so that the board is smooth and your customization is uniform.

Each customization technique that we will now develop will require more or less work than the other, but the result will be worth the effort!

Beautify your Skateboard: Replacement of accessories

Are your wheels or your grip damaged? Or do you just want to change them?

Revamping your skateboard can be done easily yourself. If you are a DIY enthusiast, it will be all the easier, that's for sure, but there is nothing insurmountable.

Before tackling the embellishment, don't forget to prepare your board as explained earlier in this article.

• First, remove the wheels;
• Remove the trucks by unscrewing the fixing bolts;
• Then, using a hair dryer, heat the glue of the existing grip to easily take off the latter.
• Clean your board.

Once the old grip has come off, clean the board with an abrasive paper. For painted boards, you can sand directly with a sander (or by hand if you don't have a sander).

The entire surface of the board must be thoroughly cleaned.

For the wheels, it is not enough to choose the color! Of course, you will need to have wheels adapted to your trucks and the style of riding you like.

So be sure to do a bit of research first.

This site has great wheels that are so cool if you ever want to take a look: https://www.hawaiisurf.com/fr/

Then you can switch to the new grip.

Arm yourself with a cutter to cut the grip and fit the board. You can create patterns if you want. After having glued your grip well, all you have to do is reinstall the trucks , the wheels and everything else, clean up one last time and go for a ride!

paint your board

Still in the renovation of skateboarding , painting is also a very interesting technique but which requires much more technique and creativity.

As for the replacement of the accessories of your board, the preparation box of your skateboard is essential. Especially the sanding part!

Then, to paint your board, you will have the choice between two types of paint.

• Spray paints which are very practical for graffiti or stencils;
• Acrylic paint for more detailed designs and patterns.

In either case, it's best to apply two coats of base paint before moving on to graffiti and drawings so that the patterns take on well.

For the stencils, it is necessary to take care to fix them well using a sticky band so that the reasons are clear.

As for acrylic painting, it is generally done with a brush. This technique therefore requires a certain meticulousness and above all a lot of patience, but the result can be surprising.

If you ever want to know more, we invite you to discover Lucas below. A 27-year-old young man from Lyon who renovates, manufactures and customizes skateboards like a chef.

Find out via his Instagram or in this article .

Skateboard Stickers: Sticker Bombing

The customization solution that is becoming more and more viral and fashionable is stickers!

With the explosion of Sticker Bombing and the possibilities this technique offers, it becomes easy and affordable to customize your skateboard! There is something for all tastes and all colors, of all kinds in terms of shapes, designs, themes and styles.

Stickers are also much easier to install, so anyone can do it. It's fast, efficient, and you can have fun replacing them endlessly, to change the style of your skateboard at will.

Moreover, the result is never final. If one day you want to remove them, all you have to do is take them off and clean the small surpluses of glue with a little acetone on a cloth, or, as stated earlier in the article.

Which Stickers to choose for my Skateboard?

Stickers, yes! But which ones?

The first thing to do is to make sure they are of good quality. Indeed, the stickers you choose must meet simple criteria, which will allow you to maximize the life of your customization.

• Water resistant for better longevity which will also protect the board from getting dirty;
• Ultraviolet (UV) resistant so decal will not fade;
• Peels off easily, so as not to leave pieces of stickers on the skate the day you want to remove them.

If they have a vinyl coating , it means that they will respect these properties. They will also allow quick and efficient maintenance if you want to clean them or one day take them off.

Next, check the lamination. Is it brilliant? matte? You can then choose the style that best suits your board.

Finally, the size of your skateboard and the type of decoration you want to apply will influence the quantity of stickers you will need.

In general, a pack of 100 stickers is more than enough for a standard skate, but I would rather recommend taking 150 for extra stickers to give to friends.

Where to buy Skateboard Stickers?

At Sticky-Stickers , you will discover quality stickers that meet the characteristics seen previously.

Specialized in the decoration of objects with stickers, including skateboard stickers since 2020, you will find everything you need to personalize and customize your skateboard like a boss!

sticky decals

Website: https://sticky-stickers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesstickystickers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesstickystickers
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lesstickystickers

Our Selection of Stickers

If you are looking for the best stickers for your skateboard, we invite you to discover below 3 packs of totally different skate stickers , so that everyone will find what they are looking for.

Skateboard Stickers | Pack of 100 Stickers

In this pack, find all the logos of skate brands gathered in one place. Thanks to our pack of 100 stickers , you can personalize your skateboard with stickers from your favorite brands such as Thrasher , Vans, Spitfire or DC Shoes and many others.

This is the ideal pack to customize your skateboard and decorate it like a real pro. The 100 stickers will allow you to completely cover your board for an original look that will make more than one jealous!

Dragon Ball Z Stickers

If you are a fan of anime and in particular of the famous and timeless Dragon Ball-Z manga, you cannot say no to the pack of 100 DBZ Stickers from the Stickers Manga collection.

No matter your favorite character, you will find it in this pack with stickers :

• Son Goku;
• Son Gohan;
• Vegeta;
• Booo;

Each character is drawn in fan art mode with designs that are too cool and colorful, in order to highlight each character. All you have to do is place each sticker on your board to create your own scenario!

VSCO Stickers

In a more girly spirit, VSCO stickers will bring originality and fun to your skate. They generally correspond more to girls but are made for everyone.

The VSCO Stickers pack with its Pastel colors and shiny coating is an interesting option to customize a Skateboard with logos and designs of fruits, polaroids, turtles and more.

Of course, our stickers are not only dedicated to skateboarding ! You can indeed decorate everything you want: motorcycle, bicycle, helmet, through high-tech products such as laptop, console or smartphone.

Do not hesitate to discover all our collections to find THE or THE packs of stickers that suit you!

Read also: How to decorate a car with stickers?