Steps for painting a surfboard

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How To Give Your Surfboard A Custom Paint Job

Here are five easy steps to turn your surfboard into a piece of art. Make a new cool looking stick from your old brown board. This is the same way the pros do their boards.

• Equipment
• Design Planning
• Spray Paint or Pens?
• Preparing the Surfboard
• Cutting the Design
• Painting Your Surfboard
• The Clear Coat
• Spray Painted Surfboard Pics
• Comments-Q&A

What You Need to Spray Paint Surfboards

Make sure you get the right equipment and materials for the job.

What Paint to Use on Your Surfboard

Some colorful quick dry spray paint, (the link is to some high quality fast drying acrylic spray paint with revolutionary nozzles to get different effects-see more info below)

The colors are light fast and guaranteed for 10 years. The colors are extremely opaque and the colors are brilliant and intense. In addition Montana acrylic paint is 100% lead and CFC free. It is the cream of the crop in artist quality spray paint

**This is the paint that we recommend and is the best seller from Saltwater Dreaming Website**

Why Acrylic Paint?

The reason we use acrylic paint is that acrylic has excellent adhesion, colour and gloss retention, long-term flexibility, and toughness. Where enamel-based products can yellow and become brittle, causing cracks and peeling of your beautiful spray job.

You could also use paint markers which can give a bit of a streaky effect, which is actually quite good, paint pens let you pull and blend the colours, giving depth and character to your surfboard masterpiece, but you have more control over your artwork.

A combination of spray paint and paint pens gives great results. The best paint markers for painting a surfboard are Posca or Sharpie paint pens.

It is always best to do your art on a new surfboard with a sanded matt finish that is clean from wax and grease. But if it’s an old board just take your time cleaning it up. Once all the wax is removed use some wax remover or paint thinner (acetone) to get the board as clean as possible.

You will also need some masking tape, low tack masking tape works the best, it may cost a little more, but when you are peeling it off your board it won’t rip or tear.

A Stanley knife and a can of clear acrylic sealant coat quick dry types are best. The brand we recommend is Krylon.

Planning Your Design

Because a small design won’t show up, you need to make your spray job big. Try to be original and spend some time on your design. Remember this piece of art will be an extension of yourself on your surfboard.

Basically, if you can draw it and paint it, it can go on a surfboard. Look at boards that have been spray painted when being made for ideas and any piece of artwork that you like can be done with paint pens.

You could also get the kids to do a design for you. OK it has flowers, hearts, stars and sunburnt dolphins, but it was fun and she is proud her dad is now riding her very own piece of art!

Spray Paint or Paint Pens?

This needs to be decided during the design planning stage, unless you are a professional spray painter, spray designs are best for solid colours, straight lines and maybe over-spray effects around the solid colours.

Paint pens are probably the best way to get a real mural effect. Drew Brophy a famous surfboard artist uses these and the results are amazing.

As I said before, you can use a combination of the two. Spray the big solid colours (especially if your surfboard is going brown) and use paint pens for the detail and to blend colours together.

Have a look at some of the surfboard paint pics below and decide for yourself.

We’ve also put together a resource page on books and DVDs about painting your surfboard that will help you to decide and Drew Brophy’s DVD is a must have if you decide to go for paint pens.

Preparing Your Surfboard for Spray Painting

One thing we forgot to stress a lot is to clean your surfboard, I am not just talking about a quick wipe over with a cloth, I mean really clean your board well. It is vitally important that you clean every bit of surfboard wax, grease and anything else off the board, or that beautiful spray job will start peeling after just a few surfs.

Once you have taken all wax off, give your board a wipe down with some acetone.

Once you are totally sure your surfboard is clean give the entire area you are going to paint a good sand with a 300 grit sandpaper. This gives the paint something to stick to.

Spray Painting-Cutting Your Design

Tape the surfboard from rail to rail all the way across the board. Make sure to overlap the tape on top of itself about ¼” inch with each piece of tape. This will keep other areas of your surfboard clean from paint.

Once you design is decided upon, draw it on top of the tape in the area of the surfboard that you think will look the best.

Then you will cut the design out with the Stanley knife. But make sure not to press to hard because you do not want to cut into the glass on your surfboard.

Once you cut out the design peel off the excess tape from where you want the paint to go. Leaving the protective tape on to keep paint off the rest of your surfboard.

If you are doing simple lines and shapes you can tape off these areas and then cover the parts of the surfboard that are not going to be sprayed with paper.

Painting Your Surfboard

Cover up anything else with newspaper that you do not want over spray paint to get on, my mum keeps reminding me about this as now our kitchen cupboards have a really cool looking over-spray effect.

Using a light coat of paint, you can spray over the tape. Try to let the colors or layers dry before you move onto the next color. Allow this area to dry before you add any more colors. Remember heavy coats of paints will only run and make a mess.

Try to spray your board with about a foot of distance between the spray paint and the surfboard. The design will look great once you the extra tape is peeled off.

The Clear Coat

Once the extra tape is peeled off and the design is finished you will need to apply clear coat.

The clear coat as with the colorful quick dry spray paint should be a quick dry brand It will protect your design from being peeled or scratched off.

Its probably best to wait a few hours or better overnight before you apply the clear coat, to let your masterpiece completely dry.

It should take about 3 or more layers of clear coat

Apply the clear coat very thinly. You could use a whole can on a shortboard by applying many thin coats if the design covers the entire board.

When the clear coat is dried it is time to go surfing.

So be creative and remember if you mess up, all you have to do is re tape and spray a new design.

Got any questions?

Some Excellent Spray Paint Examples

Done by us with Posca Paint Pens

The boards below were painted by Adrian Wiseman from Kirra Hill in Australia, using paint pens. If you would like Adrian to paint your board you can contact him here Adrian

These boards were sprayed by Ash Devine from Mooloolah. If you would like Ash to spray your board you can contact him here Ash

The above pics were taken from global surf guides.com

A paddleboard paint job done with paint pens, by the famous Drew Brophy. Click the photo to see his book on painting surfboards

Not a clear pic above, but this spray paint job is very nice when you see it for real

If you have any feedback on this page please let us know

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28 thoughts on “ Paint Surfboards ”

Orion the wave hunter (USA) says:

Thanks bro for all of your help. out of all of the site i’v look at on the topic of ” painting your surfboard” your article by far THE BEST. i’m new to it and my rather paint my board myself. your step by step guide saved me time and money. You ROCK!

Jason says:

hi!
i am new to this whole surf scene, (east coast) anyway, i got a used longboard from a neighbor it has a ugly repairable ding, anyway, i was wondering if it was possible for me to paint the whole board! and start fresh… it is 7 feet 7 inches i think…. do i buy acrylic spray paint? do you sell something for whole board? i am a snowboarder, but i think i pick it up fast on longboard! thanks,

Rick says:

Hi Yes you can paint the whole surfboard. But first make sure the board is clean of all wax and grease and after that I would go over the areas that you will paint with a fine 300 grit wet and dry paper to make sure the paint will stick. Use the acrylic paints we recommend on the website and finish with a clear coat of acrylic.
https://www.saltwater-dreaming.com/shopping/surfboard-spray-repair.htm#spray The paint might chip easy on the rails, so if you can I would try not to paint the rails. If you have to paint the rails too, you can touch them up if you need to. Happy designing

Rachael says:

Hi, I was wondering if you could help me; I recently bought a Bic surfboard (MiniMal) and did my own art work on it with oil based opaque paint markers. I now need to seal it, but i dont know what to use, it would have to be quite durable, and not react with the paint or the board. I dont know what type of laquer or spray to use… I would greatly appreciate any suggestions, the shop I bought it off couldn’t help me. Thank you,

Rick says:

Hi Rachael
Sorry for the late reply. A lot of people use the clear acrylic sealant the link for it is here. https://www.saltwater-dreaming.com/shopping/surfboard-spray-repair.htm#spray

Jar says:

Hi, I was wondering if it was possible to spray paint a surfboard blank directly (straight onto the foam) then glass over it. If so, what is the best paint to use and what is the best tape to use that will stick to the foam. I want to paint the bottom a solid color and i dont have an air compressor or spray gun… please help! Thanks in advance.

Rick says:

Hi
Yes you can spray on the foam, water based acrylic paint is the best. You can see some here https://www.saltwater-dreaming.com/shopping/surfboard-spray-repair.htm#spray Also check the masking tape on that page too….This tape is a good one for the foam 3M Painter’s Tape, Multi-Use, .94-Inch by 60-Yard Happy painting!

Lohan says:

Hi,
I’m shaping the surfboard completely by myself. Would appreciate your valuable advise what is better – to do painting (I use acrylic paints) on sealant layer and the put fiberglass or firstly do fiberglassing, hot coat, sanding and paint over this sanded layer? And after that laminate. I consider the first option is the best for securing your painting from water

Rick says:

Hi…Both are OK, the first option is better for spray painting, 2nd option is better for using posca pens or similar. Cheers

Lohan says:
I chose the first option, bought acrylic spray paints, but the foam melted out (
Rick says:

Not sure why your foam would melt with acrylic paints, is it water based acrylic paint? Are you spraying PU foam or EPS foam? PU foam with water based acrylic paint, such as Montana Gold should not melt the foam.

Lohan says:

It’s my fault. That paint contained spirit or smth like that which is melting EPS. finally, I found perfect one suitable for me. thanks!

Lisa says:

Hi I have a Surf Betty board with dark purple and pink flowers which is a little too floral for me! Would I be able to pain over it in any colour or would I need to go with darker colours , will repainting it even work?
Thank you ☺️

Rick says:

Hi Lisa
Yes you can paint over a Surf Betty board. Make sure you follow the cleaning your surfboard section and remove all wax, grease etc.. and sand with a 120 grit for the paint to stick. Whether it will cover the original design is largely dependent on which paints you use. Posca pens are very good at covering old designs and Montana spray paint will cover it too, with a few coats.
Hope this helps!

Peter says:

Thanks for the info. How many 400ml cans would it take to cover both sides of a 7′ surfboard with two coats? Thanks!

Rick says:

2 cans should do it, but just depends on how heavy you spray, get ready to purchase a third can, just in case you need it.

bella says:

hi! I really wanna spray my board, but my friend says his always comes off in the water, does the sealant you’ve recommended prevent the spray paint from coming off?

Rick says:

Hi Bella
Yes the sealants will stop the paint from coming off. We have never found that just water alone will take off the paint, but scratches from sand etc. will. I have a few boards with painted decals that have been there for a few years now. Just make sure you prepare the board well before painting.
I hope this helps and happy painting!!

Ann says:
Can l use enamel paint to spray a surfboard?
I am using it as an outdoor shower.
Thankyou Ann
Rick says:
Yes you can, some enamel paints will yellow over time
R says:

hi! I’m thinking about painting some things on my brand new surfboard which is copolymer Foam. I’m wondering does acrylic paint and paint markers are working well on it? how to keep my painting longer ? Thanks
R

Rick says:

Hi R
Copolymer foam is pretty new, but I am sure acrylic paint will be fine. Whenever you paint on foam or flexible materials the paint will not last as long. This is definitely a time to do a test first on an inconspicuous part of the board. Clear coats will help it last longer, but it should be acrylic and once again do a test first.

Anais Pichardo says:

Hi! I am painting a surfboard for my first time and I am wondering if regular acrylic paints (the type artists would use for painting on a canvas) would work for the design? I plan to spray paint a base color with Krylon hand paint the design with the acrylic paint then seal with Krylon uv resistant clear. Thank you so much!

Rick says:

Hi Anais
That should work fine, it’s always best to do a test with the clear coat over your acrylic paint, just to make sure they are compatible.
Some acrylic paints don’t like clear spray on top and can dissolve or become soft, but 99% of acrylic paints work well with the clear coat. I hope this helps and happy painting!

Paula Cofoni says:

Hi, a friend of mine spray painted her tomo evo and also applied a clear coat on top
She is unhappy with the look and wants to remove
Is it possible to sand down the spray paint, or should we use a paint thinner? Or lightly sand and prep and just start again? Thank you!

Rick says:

Hi Paula
I definitely wouldn’t use paint thinner. If you are going to respray it, a light to medium sand should do it. Taking off the clear coat and creating a key for the new paint to stick to is the aim. I hope this helps Thank you

Liz says:

Hey! I have a soft-top surfboard and want to paint it (top and bottom). What type of paint would you recommend using on the top, since it’s more foamy than glassy? The bottom of my board has a bright pattern that I want to cover with white–do you think that’s achievable with spray paint or would you recommend keeping it darker? Thank you!!

Rick says:

Hi Liz
What ever you want to paint on a soft top, won’t last very long. On the deck you could try posca pens, but it won’t last long when you wax it. The bottom if you want to cover the dark colour you can spray paint it, but you would need a few coats to cover it. Whatever you do on it, it will wear off. We have really only used posca pens on the white bottom of soft tops, with a clear coat, but because the bottom is not hard, the slight flex of the bottom slick material does cause the paint to flake off over time.

HOW TO: PAINT YOUR SURFBOARD

Remove the wax from the surfboard with a wax comb. The easiest way is to lay the board in the sun for 3-5 minutes (depending on how hot it is) so that the wax can melt. Another chemical-free alternative would be to use a hair dryer to blow hot air on the wax until it starts to melt.

If you have a brand new surfboard you can skip this step and go straight to the next step.

Step 2: Clean the surfboard

Once you’ve removed most of the wax, it’s important to completely remove the remaining wax stains and visible dirt. There are several ways to perfect this – the most common being a dewax (a product spread all over the area to be dewaxed and then wiped off with paper towels) or a dewaxing ball (such as the ‘Cannon Ball’).

Even if you have a brand new surfboard the surface needs to be thoroughly cleaned and degreased as they usually contain fingerprints and dust from transport and storage.

Step 3: Sand lightly

Surfboards need to be lightly sanded before painting. Sanding creates a rough surface, which ensures better adhesion of the paint to the surfboard (if the surface is not sanded, the paint may flake off easily). Make circular movements while grinding until a white, powdery mixture comes off the surfboard. Then wipe off the dust with a paper towel or rag and you’re ready to paint your surfboard! 🙂

Step 4: Planning your artwork

The planning for your next surfboard project does not have to be extensive, you can also be inspired by Borweg and start drawing wildly. We recommend using a pencil to outline the outline of the drawing or graphic. A very popular option is to print something out and then trace it. Some surfers go wild without preamble, which is a great way of expressing themselves. Luckily, the Surfpaints are water-based acrylic markers, so if something doesn’t come out the way you like, it’s easy to remove.

Step 5: Paint your surfboard with the Surfpaints acrylic pens

Shake the colored pen to allow the ball in the pen body to mix with the color. Test the colored pencils by pressing the nib on a piece of test paper. Once the pen draws a clean line and flow on the test paper, it is ready to be applied to the surfboard. If the paint flows less freely during application , press the pen down on the test paper again and let some paint out. After use, be sure to put the cap on the pen to prevent the nib from drying out. The paint is permanent on porous surfaces like surf lines and erasable on non-porous surfaces like fiberglass.

Step 6: Apply a spray paint to seal the artwork

This step is very important. The most common mistakes are not applying enough coats, allowing the artwork to scratch off over time, or using an inappropriate clear coat. The clear coat must be an acrylic paint spray paint. Acrylic paint is a non-toxic, water-based paint that dries quickly and works best on surfboards. Other paints such as enamel are usually oil based and intended for indoor use (causing the surfboard to yellow over time). We recommend a clear acrylic “gloss” or “matte” spray paint.

What to do if error happens while removing color:

You don’t need any chemicals to remove Surfpaints pens! Please follow the steps below if you need to remove anything:

• If it’s a minor mistake, try painting over the area again once the paint has dried
• If the paint is wet, you can simply wipe it away with a rag or paper towel until it’s gone. Sometimes the paint can still leave smear marks that require a light rub with steel wool
• When the paint is dry, use steel wool
• If the artwork has already been covered with clear coat, it can easily be sanded back with 120-180 grit sandpaper

How To Paint a Surfboard: Fieldey Style

Painting surfboards is easy. Writing instructions about it is not as easy, which is why these instructions are a wee bit long. Follow them through and you should have the most amazing board. The video below will show you how it’s done, and there are step by step instructions to follow.

Fieldey says: Preparation is key!

Have a good idea. Draw it out and keep drawing it until you’re happy with the composition and the look. If you can’t get it to look awesome on paper, there’s no hope in hell of doing it on a 6-foot board! I personally think big is better, as you want people to spot you from a mile off on the beach so this board needs to look P-I-M-P(ed)!

Housework time: Preparation is the key to a long-lasting paint job. Since I use second-hand boards that have already been glassed, I have to prepare the surface well so that the paint will stick. If you miss a blob of wax, or do a shoddy sanding job, that will be where the paint will chip and crack off first.

Check out the clip below, which shows my preparation process from start to finish, or read through the instructions underneath.

Step 1: If it’s a second-hand or old board you’ll need to remove the wax. Either stick it out in the sun for 10 minutes until the wax softens, or if it’s an overcast or cold day, give it a run-over with a hairdryer then scrape the wax off with a wax-comb or an old bank card.

Step 2: To make sure that the wax is all gone, wipe both sides of the board down with mineral turpentine, this will soften any remaining wax and it should wipe straight off.

Step 3: Now, because you’re a perfectionist and you want that paint job to last for ages, you’ll grab some acetone and wipe the board down one last time to get rid of any wax or oily residue from the turps.

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Step 4: You now need to sand the side of the board you are painting. You want to give the paint a surface to stick to. Thus, you need to get rid of that glossy finish. Grab yourself some 240 grit sandpaper and do a couple of runs over the board with the sander. I do at least two for good measure, changing to a new piece of paper in between. It should look dull and not shiny any more. Don’t forget to sand the rails if you want to wrap your paint job further round the board. As per the picture, I use an old electric sander, but sanding by hand will work just as well.

Step 5: Last prep thing, I promise. You should mask out any areas you don’t want painted, because believe me, they will be the FIRST to get paint blobbed on them. Use a low-tack masking tape and cover the rails or reverse of the board.

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“Saint Calamari” 2012. Aerosol and acrylic paint on surfboard. Photo: Fieldey

Housework is done, prepare to get gnarly.

Step 6: Background time. I like to use spray paint for a quick and instant background. Much ink has been spilt debating the various types of spray paint to use, some like car paint, some like acrylic based, some like enamel based. I’m going to save you some time here, because I’ve experimented with most of that stuff, and the brand I like best is Molotow Premium aerosol paints. It dries fast, stays on like a motherbitch and it works for me.

So spray that background and wait for it to dry and you will be ready for…