Spray painting a surfboard is simple and lets you create infinitely customisable designs – no more plain white board! Here’s my guide to cleaning and preparing your surfboard, spray painting it and protecting it so it can withstand the elements.
Video: How to spray paint a surfboard
You will need:
Stiff piece of plastic
White spirit
Rag Duct
Tape
Acrylic spray paints – I used Montana Gold
Varnish – I used Montana UV Varnish
Posca pens (optional, for freehand illustrations)
Step by Step: How to spray paint a surfboard
1. Clean your surfboard
Leave your board outside in the sunshine for an hour or two to soften dried-on wax, then remove as much wax as you can with a wax comb or a stiff piece of plastic. When you’ve removed as much wax as you can, wipe the board with white spirit to clean it completely.
2. Sand your board down
When your board is clean and dry, lightly sand the areas you want to paint using a fine sandpaper – this helps paint stick to the surface.
3. Use tape to mark out your design
Use duct tape or masking tape to cover any areas of the board you don’t want to paint. If you want to keep a large area paint-free, tape a tarpaulin over it.
4. Get painting
Spray paint evenly over the board. Leave to dry for 5-10 minutes, then apply another coat. Leave to dry completely for 2-3 hours. If you want to add detailed illustrations as well as blocks of colour, paint by hand onto dried spray paint using Posca pens.
5, Varnish your board
When you’ve painted on your design, leave your board to dry overnight, and then spray evenly with a UV varnish to protect your design from the sun and the elements. When the varnish is dry, your board is ready to go in the sea.