Should i paint my surfboard

Sand the entire surface of your surfboard, until the gloss is gone. This will not damage the integrity of your board, but it will give the paint a better surface to adhere to. I was painting my entire board, so I only needed to tape off my leash plug. The painting process is basically the same whether you are using paint pens, spray paint, or painting with a brush. The quickest way and the way I did it in the video is to paint one coat, let it dry for a few minutes, and paint the next coat, repeating until it looks good.

This method works, but it might not give you a perfect finish. In my case, it actually gave my surfboard a really rough finish, kind of like sandpaper. But this was because I used spray paint. I think regular paint or paint pens would be fine. The more professional method is to paint one coat, let it cure for a few hours, sand it, and repeat. Had I done that, my finish would have been a lot better.

I waited to sand until after I had sprayed 3 coats of paint, and it did make the finish smooth, but it took a lot of paint off in the process. The board could use a few more coats, but I kind of like how it looks now. Some people like to spray a few layers of an acrylic clear coat on top of their paint job to protect it. This is probably most important if you painted a detailed design on your board.

Since my paint job was nothing special, I did not bother with a clear coat finish. Every paint is going to be different, some might recommend only 8 hours for the paint to cure, but I would let it sit and cure for at least 24 hours just to be safe. Just squeegee it on the foam and let cure. Then you can do a clear glass job over it. Looks like paint but different application. It's always good practice to test the pigmented resin on a piece of scrap foam or white paper to see how it'll look on the board.

In the bucket the resin looks much darker because you're looking though a deep layer of color. The trick is to keep adding color and testing it on white until you achieve the tone you're looking for. Then mix in the hardener and laminate. Our rice paper is for printing images or logos on, however we suggest glassing over the logo. If you just paint epoxy over it when you sand the area you will most likely sand through the epoxy and hit the logo which is why were glass over our logos.

Yes, sand the hotcoat to grit and do your Posca artwork on it. Let it dry for a day before you gloss coat it. You should also VERY lightly sand the artwork with grit to help the gloss resin stick better and not delaminate over time.

The Posca pens will show streaks of paint since it comes out of a felt tip I recommend experimenting with it. You can always sand the paint off and try again. The spackle fills any bead tear outs and leaves you with a bright white "canvas" to paint on. It is especially important to spackle for a tint. If you don't have a smooth, even surface then the color gets spotty and looks like a bird's egg.

Another trick is to finish shape the board with sanding screen to close up the gaps between the beads then spackle. Turns out looking exactly like a PU blank. We use Red Devil "One Time" lightweight spackle and mix it with bottled or distilled water to a whipped cream consistency.

The minerals in regular tap water will turn the spackle yellowish and screw up your color. Fabric inlays are pretty simple actually.

It is best to use silk or cotton fabric. Tape off the inlay area as if you were doing a cut lap because you are doing a cut lap actually. Lightly spray 3M Super 77 spray adhesive on the blank and ROLL out the fabric, making sure to get rid of any wrinkles along the way. You can iron the fabric first if you want Laminate and let the resin soak through the fabric. When the resin is tacky but not fully cured run a razor blade along the tape line and pull the excess off.

Depending on the cloth it might be hard to see the tape so you can make a template first and scribe the line on the fabric before cut lapping. You can push the edges of the fabric slightly into the foam with a popsicle stick to get it flush so no air bubbles will happen at the seam as you laminate the fiberglass over it.

Not difficult at all. Once you have designed your logo, set your ink-jet printer to print on medium resolution. You need to tape the Logo Printer Paper to a regular sheet of paper, and manually feed this paper into your printer. Make sure the logo paper is facing the proper direction to receive the ink jet ink. You should print as many logos as you can on each piece of logo paper, since you can only send it through the printer once. To do this, carefully roll up all of your fiberglass layers to a point just beyond where you want to place your artwork.

Try not to shift the placement of the fiberglass as you roll it up, as you will eventually be rolling it back down, and you want it in the same place. If the artwork is closer to the tail, roll up the glass from the tail. Vice-versa if the artwork is closer to the nose. You will be basting the logo to the foam with a thin layer of epoxy once your resin is mixed and ready to be spread on the fiberglass. You can use the Posca pens directly on the foam and laminate over them.

Carbon fiber is black and is laminated to the bottom surface of the foam so it will interfere with artwork on the bottom. Unfortunately there is a good chance the resin won't bond to the oil paint.

If it's a wall hanger cool. But if meant to be surfed it'll delaminate pretty quickly. Glassing over it shouldn't be a problem though. I'd let it dry for a few days first to make sure it's set and will not smear with resin.

For the red "resin panel", simply laminate the bottom with green pigmented resin and after it cures tape off the square and brush on a pigmented red layer of resin in the tape square. When the resin is tacky pull the tape and let it cure.

We can cut you any length you'd like. Our rice paper is only 15" wide though. If that works for you let us know how long you want and we'll send it out to you. It is a good idea to test your color before putting it on the board as the color will look much darker in the mixing bucket than on the surfboard.

Start by mixing your colors into the resin and spreading it on some scrap foam or white paper to see how the color will look. When you are satisfied then add the catalyst polyester resin or hardener epoxy resin and laminate your board. If you are doing both the bottom and deck the same color, you should mix a "master batch" of colored resin and divide it into 2 mixing buckets.

Cover one bucket and put it aside for the deck lamination later. When you're ready to glass the deck just add the catalyst or hardener and you'll have the same exact color! It's much easier than trying to color match a new mix. There is no specific measurement of resin tint or pigment. It depends on the depth of color you want. Adding too much color will get the the way of the resin curing and make it softer.

Keep adding a little at a time. You can hotcoat, sand to grit, then paint the deck - do multiple layers of light coats of paint to keep it even. Then scratch up the paint with grit rail lightly to help the gloss coat resin bond. Sand the gloss starting at or grit to make sure you don't sand through to the paint.

Another option instead of paint is to do a "resin panel" on the deck. Tape off the area you want to color and mix opaque pigment into the resin, then brush on like a hotcoat. No need to add AdditiveF for this step. About an hour or so later pull the tape. When the resin is cured lightly sand the resin lip where the tape was to knock it down.

You can pinline the perimeter of the color if you wish. Proceed to hotcoat the board with clear resin and sand. Shapie will bleed on rice paper. Better to use Posca paint pens or print on an inkjet printer. No need to heat up the resin for a swirl, you certainly can if you want to though This product works excellent with a fiberglass surface. It can also retain its shine and colors for a longer time compared to other paints. The water-based acrylic paint also has outstanding toughness and flexibility in battering the waves.

Being a water-based paint, it will be easier for you to clean any spills and dirt from your surfboard. Do not use enamel-based paints on your surfboard. These products can turn yellow and brittle after long-time use. You should not also use latex house paints since it does not stick well on a fiberglass surface. You have to cover the areas that you need to maintain before splashing the colors on your rails. You can use old cardboard or newspaper to protect other areas.

You must also allow it to dry 24 hours before applying the clear coat. Plus, two to three coats of clear coat spray is recommended to bring the shine back. You have to decide on your preferred colors, design, and materials. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Contact Us. Privacy Policy. Table of Contents. Q: What paint products can I use on a pre-glassed surfboard?

Q: How can I paint the rails? Q: How long does it take to make a custom-made surfboard? Interestingly, it works well on fiberglass surfboards. Compared to oil-based paints, acrylic paints last longer and can withstand surfing. It dries faster than oil-based paints too. It is simple! You should prepare the rails dewaxing, cleaning, and sanding. Afterward, make use of newspapers to cover the other parts of the surfboard. It will keep you from splashing colors and ruining other parts.

A well-painted board is often a source of attraction and motivation. By now, you should be able to that effortlessly and flawlessly. Do you have any questions, suggestions, or comments? Please share them with other readers in the comments section. You can also share how to paint a surfboard with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, and any of the social media platforms listed below. Hi, I am Kevin Millington, the founder of Windsurfmag. With my energetic personality and enthusiasm for water sports, I have enjoyed and gained much experience in swimming and surfing.

It is with this drive I became an instructor and coach, as well as, creating this website. You can follow me on Twitter at windsurfingmag. Read more about me. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Get the Right Board 2. Acquire the Needed Materials 3. Remove Residual Wax 2. Clean the Board Thoroughly 3.

Transferring the Sketch to Your Surfboard 2. Making an Area Paint-Free 3. Applying the Paints 4. Applying Features of the Design 5. Drying 6.

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