I want to paint the bottom of my longboard deck

[rodgon]

This is what I would do:

1. Plan - Do lots of sketches, get the ideas you have out and visible so you can truly judge them. Pick your favorite and go from there.
2. Sand - sand off the finish so you're down to the wood, or at least rough up the finish a bit so your paint will stick.
   
3. Prime - If you sand down to the wood you'll want to seal up the wood so your paint doesn't get absorbed by it. You want your paint on the surface not in the grain, unless that is the effect you want. There are tons of ways to do this, I like either using a primer paint like gesso or some other primer. PVA Size is also an option, you can find it at many art stores, I like Blick or Utrecht. PVA is nice because it is clear so the wood will show through.
4. Paint - Pick your paint of choice and go to town! Don't be afraid to experiment further while you paint. And always always take some time to stand about 6 feet from your board and look at it. Changing perspective is good for keeping the painting going the way you want it to.
5. Seal - Put some varnish or other sealer on your board. You want your work to last at least a little while, so protect it.

How's that for step by step? Now go paint, enjoy and take pictures!

its a good process, i like it except you do not need to prime it unless you plan on going in there with a base color.

trust me i do alot of custom boards. i do not ever prime them as the primer will limit the amount of materials you can use on the wood.

if you use something like a COL erase pencil to draw on the graphic it is easily removable with any eraser,

also make sure to remove all clear coating before you start drawing/painting, the clear coat makes the paint dry slower and smear easier.

acrylics work wonders, and if you want to use markers just make sure you taek into consideration that they should be alcohol based and non bleeding. ( ZIG caligraphy markers and non caligraphy markers give you an excellent color nice rich and long lasting).

you could also go in with colored pencil if you really wanted. just make sure to lay a layer of poly with a spraycan to seal it up ( as opposed to with a brush, since it will smear.)

colored sharpies will bleed if not let to dry for a couple days before you add poly. unless you leave the clear coat on the board then sharpies are your best friends.

if anyone needs anymore help pm me. ill be glad to help

your Local Silverfish friendly Artist
----RodGon----

[anotherartgeek]

RodGon,

I agree, that the prime will limit some applications. Do you have an opinion about the PVA size idea as an alternative? Seems a nice compromise.

[rodgon]

havent tried it.

but since its affected by water and it changes its density it might not work well with some markers. but if you mean it in the way of making the paint thicker, then it might add on some strength to it, but not needed really. i like to work straight on the wood then i put about 9 layers of poly with a brush on it then sand down to an even layer and then use spraycan poly to give teh final 3 coats. you get an even shiny and well protected piece of art thts not going to affect the flex of the board .

[st3v13]

poly does chip/peed off though

[DoDooButters]

will the paint stick to bamboo boards? I bought a cheap blank bamboo board from amazon and i was wondering if there was a special process. or is it the same as any other wood? >.<

[anotherartgeek]

will the paint stick to bamboo boards? I bought a cheap blank bamboo board from amazon and i was wondering if there was a special process. or is it the same as any other wood? >.<

You should ask his415, he specializes in custom bamboo decks. I'm not sure myself.

[zimmer266]

Seconding the spar urethane for the clear coat, as the final step.

Use multiple thin layers, allowing time to dry in between. I sanded very lightly between coats with 300, to smooth out any flaws that happened during the brushing and drying process. Patience is a virtue with the whole process, as rushing can screw something up.
______________

For sanding down to the wood, an orbital hand held sander is faster than doing it by hand, but must be done gently to avoid taking too much wood.

I did this with my Ebay-bought minicarve, and it's possible that it's slight more flexy than when I started, but that isn't a bad thing in this case.

[Drybones]

Yeah Im getting a KS m1 pretty soon, and Im thinking about stenciling on a graphic of my own design. The first thing that came to my mind was the protester standing against those tanks in Tienanmen Square... anyway

At first blush I figured Id probably use a spraycan, but I dont want it to chip or not set up correctly. Would it be ok as long as I sanded and then put a finish (maybe a spray finish) on? One of you mentioned acrylics, would you still recommend them for stenciling? It might be a pain in the ass to get it right if Im using a brush.

P.S. the apostrophe key on this computer is broken.

[ronaldope]

just to clear it up, primer doesn't limit the use of acrylic .. right?

[rodgon]

nope. it doesnt. go to town and post some pics ^_^

[BigBombingB]

When I custom paint my decks I first go 50 grit with a circular sander, then 120 grit by hand, 200 grit by hand and if your REALLY stuck up on how you do it, you can go do 400 grit. I then prime the deck with grey primer then sand LIGHTLY with a 400 grit (only use white primer if your base coat is white. I prefer Krylon). For the base coat I do a thin coat then sand LIGHTLY with a 400 grit, apply another coat repeat untill you get it to how you want it. After it dries, I lay down blue painters tape (green will work but blue is lower tact) and draw down the design i want. Cut it out with a exacto knife then spray over the cut out part with whatever color you want. After that dries, remove the tape and go over with a clear coat. Then you should be done after the clear coat dries

Hope that helps.

edit: I do this for the decks I make from scratch. I don't think you would want to do it this way for a deck you've purchased.

[BOMB SQUAD]

you will never need to sand with 50 grit, ever.

[virtualdude]

Given that boards are often laminated with Fiber Glass or Carbon Fiber, wouldn't that be on both top and bottom? And if so, sanding to the wood would effectively remove that layer of fiber glass/carbon fiber and screw up your flex, wouldn't it?

I'd say that if you have a board that has a lot of flex, be careful of removing the graphic. I think S9's have fiber glass on top and bottom and in order to remove the graphic, probably some turpentine would work. A light sanding to prep the surface should suffice, but certainly not down to the wood.

I have been known to be wrong about stuff, but that would seem like the best approach to me.

[BigBombingB]

you will never need to sand with 50 grit, ever.

My mistake. It would be a bad idea to use 50 grit

But for the past 2 boards i made (the only 2 boards I've made...) I've had to use 50 to get away the nasty top layer of the wood that's all yellowy.

[Tim1210]

crap so my friend already painted my board... i dont think she sanded it but it looks sick... now i need to know how i can make it last? since its already painted (for christmas ) would a few clear coats of something still do me good?

[mmwu16]

I really want to incorporate this image on my Kracked Skulls board. Do you think painting in watercolor would be okay?

[Tim1210]

I really want to incorporate this image on my Kracked Skulls board. Do you think painting in watercolor would be okay?

the little prince.... BALLA

[BigBombingB]

I don't think watercolor will work. It will run off and it wont stay on the board. If you're gonna paint the deck with a brush you should use Tempera paint. Acrylic paint will slowly chip off.

EDIT: Or was it use acrylic and not use tempera...?

[rodgon]

I don't think watercolor will work. It will run off and it wont stay on the board. If you're gonna paint the deck with a brush you should use Tempera paint. Acrylic paint will slowly chip off.

EDIT: Or was it use acrylic and not use tempera...?

YOUR WRONG!
watercolor is amazingly effective at coloring longboards. and it lasts!

thats the main thing i use on my boards and they come out very well.







all these with just watercolor and felt tip pen.

all types of woods too.

Birch
Maple
and even Bamboo. ( bamboo was the biggest pain in the ass to paint though... but the watercolors still held)

so please refrain from telling people false assumptions.

[nickonack]

Nice painting man. I wish i could do that.

YOUR WRONG!
watercolor is amazingly effective at coloring longboards. and it lasts!

thats the main thing i use on my boards and they come out very well.







all these with just watercolor and felt tip pen.

all types of woods too.

Birch
Maple
and even Bamboo. ( bamboo was the biggest pain in the ass to paint though... but the watercolors still held)

so please refrain from telling people false assumptions.