How to Paint a Surfboard with Paint Pens

Use paint pens to customize your board.

So you just got a brand-new surfboard and you want it to be the coolest thing out on the water. Or maybe you have an old, plain white board that is boring and just aching for a crazy design. Why not use your creativity to paint a board that stands out from all the others?

Things You'll Need

• Surfboard
• Water-based paint pens
• Acetone
• Naptha
• Sandpaper, 300 grit
• Rags
• Acrylic clear coat spray

Instructions

1. Use a wax comb to remove any wax from the surfboard and prepare it for painting. If you are having a new board shaped, make sure the shaper doesn't add a gloss finish over the final layer of glass. You want the surface to be matte so the paint will stick to it.

2. Pour some naptha (you can get at your local hardware store) onto an old rag and wipe it over the board to remove any residue from the wax.

3. Pour some acetone onto a rag and wipe it over the surface to get rid of the naptha and any excess residue. Acetone is like nail polish remover and it cleans off all the gunk and dries the surface.

4. Dip a sheet of 300-grit sandpaper in water and lightly sand your board. Wipe off the surface with a clean rag.

5. Sketch out your design with pencil on the surfboard. Erase parts you don't like using a rag soaked in acetone.

6. Start filling in your design with color using your water-based paint pens. If you plan on blending colors, make sure you work quickly, because the paint has to be wet for the blending to work. You will probably have to keep shaking the pens and pressing them down (on another surface) to keep the paint flowing.

7. Get your basic shapes colored in first -- you can always go back later and add more detail and can easily put one color on top of another after the paint is dry. Try opposite colors next to each other for contrast, use white for highlights and black for adding depth and outlines. The more shading you add, the more 3-D your design will look.

8. Don't forget to step back from your design to see how it is going every now and then. Rest the board against a wall and step back about 15 feet to see how you like it.

9. Once you are satisfied with your design, spray over it with an acrylic clear coat. It is best to do several clear coats to ensure the paint is protected.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't be afraid to mess up. If worse comes to worse, you can sand the whole paint job off!

• You may want to consider placing your design more towards the nose of the board where it will be less covered in wax (unless you are a pro at "hanging ten").

References

• Saltwater Dreaming: How To Give Your Surfboard A Custom Paint Job