Kracked Skulls

[apexzen]

Just completed finishing of my new Scimitar, and of course it happened to rain today, oh well it cleans the roads....right.

[Understanding In a Crash]

I don't mean to steal this guys thunder but I just got a pic of mine scimitar... I love the staining job above btw.

[jaytoo]

Quick tip, be patient with your painting and finishing. When I first got my board, I pretty much made all the mistakes. I was too impatient, and gripped and rode the board for a while without paint or finish, so the wood got irreversibly dirty. I then laid down some polyurethane on it when it was too cold, didn't wait for it to cure fully, and the poly pretty much all rubbed off. My board has been fugly ever since.

I did eventually put some spray paint stripes and a couple good sold coats of poly on. Currently, it looks fugly with a glossy coat of finish on it. The noses have also been shaved down to the wood riser. Meh.

[apexzen]

I don't mean to steal this guys thunder but I just got a pic of mine scimitar... I love the staining job above btw.

The red looks nice, which wheels did you go with?

[Understanding In a Crash]

The red looks nice, which wheels did you go with?

Same as yours

[Shorty1038]

Quick tip, be patient with your painting and finishing. When I first got my board, I pretty much made all the mistakes. I was too impatient, and gripped and rode the board for a while without paint or finish, so the wood got irreversibly dirty. I then laid down some polyurethane on it when it was too cold, didn't wait for it to cure fully, and the poly pretty much all rubbed off. My board has been fugly ever since.

I did eventually put some spray paint stripes and a couple good sold coats of poly on. Currently, it looks fugly with a glossy coat of finish on it. The noses have also been shaved down to the wood riser. Meh.

Wait, just so I dont screw up lol.
Walk me through the steps of painting a board, and gruipping it I guees.

[Understanding In a Crash]

Wait, just so I dont screw up lol.
Walk me through the steps of painting a board, and gruipping it I guees.

if you're talking about "painting" with polyurethrane you need quite a bit of time. This is longer than a weekend project and as the guy who had bad experiences tells- you really want to get it right.

First of all optimum temperatures are not Winter temperatures. I think they want the polyurethrane to dry at something above 65 degrees F. I feel like you can really get away as long as it doesn't dip below 50. What you need to do is apply a coat to everything since water and crap will get on probably... everything. Some people say that you don't have to do the side you're applying the grip tape on but why not? Grip tape really isn't a force field for water and that's basically saying if you have a paper towel on your desk and you spill water that your desktop won't be wet underneath. Read the directions on the polyurethrane you get and whatever it recommends for drying time- FOLLOW!!! No need to rush but I would wait 6 hours for each side and I applied 4 coats on each side. Needless to say it took almost a full week to even assemble my board.

What can I say about griptape? Of course make sure the surface is clear and then do as you must. Some people just do one full sheet, others do designs (see griptape fun thread)... It's really up to you.

[Shorty1038]

haha ok
but what im wondering, is that im doing a custom paint job on the bottom,
would I paint it and then do the poly?

[8ftbed]

Yes... the clear coat afterwards adds depth to your paint and an extra layer of protection.

[jaytoo]

Search a bit for "finishing" on the board building forum of this site, or go Google "finishing furniture", "wood finish", or something to that effect.

Graphics go down first. This part deserves (and has) its own thread.

Afterwards, you basically just pick your finish, and follow the instructions. Personally, I've switched from polyurethane to polycrylic for the shorter dry time. Minwax is a reliable brand (or so I hear, so that's what I use).

You apply a layer of your finish, and let it dry for however long it says on the bottle (polycrylic is 2 hours). Sand lightly with fine grit sandpaper (220 grit will do), lay down another coat. Repeat as needed. A minimum of 3 coats is a good guideline for general protection, more coats for more shinyness.

Your application method can have a lot to do with the quality of your finish, especially if you don't know what you're doing. I started with spray-on because it seemed convenient, but since I didn't know what I was doing, the coats I put on were too thick, and didn't cure. Thin layers, multiple coats is way way way better than tick layers, few coats. Foam brushes work well for me.

While you're at it, laying down finish is a good time to apply your own clear grip. Go search the board building forum.

Important note: dry time for finish is in no way shape or form the same as cure time. Poly will be dry to the touch within a few hours, but not cured. My bottle of poly says to wait 24 hours before use, but that's for furniture and stuff. I'd recommend a minimum of 72 hours after you've laid down your final coat to assemble and ride your board. Pretty much the longer the better, especially if it's a little cold.

[Shorty1038]

Graphics go down first. This part deserves (and has) its own thread.


You apply a layer of your finish, and let it dry for however long it says on the bottle (polycrylic is 2 hours). Sand lightly with fine grit sandpaper (220 grit will do), lay down another coat. Repeat as needed. A minimum of 3 coats is a good guideline for general protection, more coats for more shinyness.

Foam brushes work well for me.



Important note: dry time for finish is in no way shape or form the same as cure time. Poly will be dry to the touch within a few hours, but not cured. My bottle of poly says to wait 24 hours before use, but that's for furniture and stuff. I'd recommend a minimum of 72 hours after you've laid down your final coat to assemble and ride your board. Pretty much the longer the better, especially if it's a little cold.

Alright awesome thanks.
You have helped alot.
I think I understand what I must do: Be careful Be patient.
Ill post results when done on the forum

[Understanding In a Crash]

Yes... the clear coat afterwards adds depth to your paint and an extra layer of protection.

Exactly. Theres no point in painting over polyurethrane really and I don't even know how good it would come out of you did?

[jaytoo]

Exactly. Theres no point in painting over polyurethrane really and I don't even know how good it would come out of you did?

Well, personally, I did polyurethane over my bare deck because I wanted to ride ASAP. After the initial failure as previously noted, I did put a few coats on that cured completely. A few months later, I decided to add something with spray paint, so I did. I just sanded the clear coat a little bit, then sprayed on my stripes. I then finished with Polycrylic, with tread-tex on top. Works fine, got a hard, glossy, durable finish, grip holding up great.

Basically, you can paint and put even polycrylic over polyurethane as long as it's cure completely? The polycrylic on top is the best testament to this, as there's normally no way the water-based polycrylic would adhere to oil-based polyurethane.

[Shorty1038]

Haha ok so polyurethane is the best aslong as you let it cure.
I understand.

[Understanding In a Crash]

Haha ok so polyurethane is the best aslong as you let it cure.
I understand.

I only ride my board when it's just rained and wet on the ground and not actually raining unless I get caught in a storm. My decks holding up very well so far (almost 3 months?) to the element of water. I just wipe it down when I get home with a rag and hopefully over time it wont tarnish. I'm not exactly the best example because I've only been riding for a few months.

[zeed]

I'm gonna go ahead and get a scimitar, and I plan on staining it. Just to make sure I have these steps right, I'm gonna get my board without the KS logo, sand down with fine sandpaper, apply however many coats of stain I want (depending on how deep I want it...) and then coat with 3 or more coats of Polycrylic, sanding between coats and allowing a few hours to dry between each coat. Should I get liquid or spray on polycrylic, and am I skipping any steps?

I read through the whole thread and it seems like this info is in bits and pieces, but I want to make sure I get it right before the thing goes under the knife. Thanks.

[Understanding In a Crash]

I'm gonna go ahead and get a scimitar, and I plan on staining it. Just to make sure I have these steps right, I'm gonna get my board without the KS logo, sand down with fine sandpaper, apply however many coats of stain I want (depending on how deep I want it...) and then coat with 3 or more coats of Polycrylic, sanding between coats and allowing a few hours to dry between each coat. Should I get liquid or spray on polycrylic, and am I skipping any steps?

I read through the whole thread and it seems like this info is in bits and pieces, but I want to make sure I get it right before the thing goes under the knife. Thanks.

Just get the logo man. It doesn't cost more or less to do so and it's just a vinyl sticker that isn't even applied to the board. It's kinda shoddy quality or atleast the one I got had a hard time coming apart.

As for stripping and coating it I did much research in this because I didn't want to tarnish or ruin my $200 investment . When my Scimitar came it was extremely harsh to slide my hand across. I used at first 150 grit grade sandpaper right from the getgo to get the board not feeling so "sandy". I used polyurethrane with a brush and I feel like this IS/HAS to be the way to go for accurate perfection. I mean spraying it on could take less time but I was in no rush and really didn't want airbubbles or a "gritty tarnish". After I put the first coat on I'd use 220 grit grade sandpaper on the finish after I was SURE it dried. Honestly, make sure you follow the directions of whatever polyurethrane your getting because theres more then enough stories of people rushing and not being satisfied with their product. Theres a product you could get from homedepot I think it's called "wet wool" or something of that nature that picks up the sanding shavings that are left on your board. It helps alot... Other then that just rinse and repeat. I put 4-5 coats on each side of the board. Be prepared for this to be a 5-7 day process.

EDIT: And just to put even more emphasis on this.. don't play it by "a few hours" to dry. I mean I went by the cans directions and sometimes it still wouldn't be totally dry when I came out on the dot and I'd wait alittle longer. Most quick drying products for this are usually 4-5 hours. Some could even take 8-10 from what I've heard.

Any other questions... I'll be sure to add input on. I only did this about 3 months ago and it's very much fresh in my head.

[zeed]

Thanks for the help, good advice. As for the staining, I just brush that in and don't sand it, correct? I want this to look as smooth and seamless as possible.

[Understanding In a Crash]

Thanks for the help, good advice. As for the staining, I just brush that in and don't sand it, correct? I want this to look as smooth and seamless as possible.

If your talking about actually staining the wood for color I really can't help you since I didn't do that myself. I wish I did so bad though now but I'll live.

BUT. If your talking about coating it with polyurethrane well what you want to do is single brush strokes to the same direction. Not back and fourth because then you'll create "smears" which makes the finish look very unprofessional. I hope this helps... I mean I guess it's kind've like coloring with crayons you don't come from all different directions with the crayon.

[8ftbed]

Get the logo but "not applied". It'll be loose in the box and you can apply after staining then put your clear coats over the top. I did this with the 2nd one.

I did the polyurethane on two decks, with a paint brush. It does take more time. You do want to do it in the same direction. I did not sand between each coat. I've used polyurethane on many projects and only did a light sanding after a coat once on an aquarium stand because I dinked it up when applying it and had bubbles. Also, if you're going this route make sure you're in bright light. It's easy to miss spots and you'll see it later. It'll still be shiny but you'll see the smooth ruts where your brush had ran out of poly and didn't apply the same.

I won't use the brush/poly method anymore and have done a handful with just rattlecans.

I suggest you invest 5 or 6 bucks. Get a scrap piece of 2x4 or something and buy a can of Rustoleum Crystal Clear. In fact you should practice your staining on a piece of scrap too, if you've never done it before. Paint the stain on and then wiping off in one direction can distribute and control how dark you want it. Then put an even coat of Crystal Clear on it. You'll handle it and recoat in 15 minutes. It takes nothing to step outside, out of the wind, spray it then take it back inside if it's too cold. I've done a bunch of boards now with just spray paint (Krylon mostly) and Rustoleum Crystal clear. It settles quickly after spraying into a glassy smooth coat. Looks wet and I've never had a problem with the Rustoleum fogging.

Good luck but at some point I hope you take a test drive with a piece of scrap and discover the great results you can get with minimal effort.