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Custom skateboards are one of the most satisfying projects you can take on, whether you’re a skater who wants a board nobody else has, a parent looking for a rainy-day activity, or someone buying a gift with a bit more thought behind it. The good news is you don’t need to be an artist or a skateboarder to get a great result. You just need the right board for the job and a bit of patience.
This guide walks through the whole process, from choosing between a blank deck and a drawing board, to painting, grip tape design, sealing, and deciding whether your finished piece is meant to be ridden or displayed.
Before you start, gather the basics:
You don’t need specialist art supplies. Most of this is available from a craft shop, and the board itself is the only skate-specific item on the list.
This is the question most guides skip, and it’s the one that actually matters most before you spend any money.
A blank skateboard deck is a real, rideable skateboard deck with no factory graphics. It’s built the same way as any pro deck: pressed maple plies, proper concave, and a shape ready for trucks, wheels and grip tape. If you want to paint a design and then actually skate the board, start here. You can browse blank skateboard decks and pick a size that suits the rider.
A drawing board is designed specifically for artwork rather than riding. These are aimed at display pieces, school projects, and gifts where the finished result is going on a wall or a shelf rather than under someone’s feet. They’re often a more affordable way to get a skateboard shape to decorate, particularly for one-off art projects. shop drawing boards if riding isn’t the plan.
Neither option is wrong. It just depends on what happens once the paint is dry.
A smooth, clean surface makes a huge difference to how the paint sits and how long it lasts.
Skipping prep is the most common reason a paint job looks patchy or peels early.
There’s no need to rush this. A design built up in thin layers over a couple of sessions will always look sharper than one done in a single sitting with thick, wet paint.
Grip tape isn’t just functional, it’s part of the design. If you’re finishing a board to ride, you can cut your own pattern into the grip rather than using a plain sheet.
For anyone who wants a design without the cutting, browse skateboard grip tape in pre-printed patterns and colours, or check out skateboard art kits, which often include grip alongside paint pens and stencils.
If the board is going to be ridden, sealing matters. A skate deck takes knocks, damp ground and constant handling, so an unsealed paint job will chip and fade fast.
A board meant purely for display doesn’t need the same level of protection, though a light varnish still helps keep colours from fading over time.
Once your design is finished, decide how it’s going to live.
If you built it on a blank deck and sealed it properly, it’s ready to be built up with trucks, wheels, bearings and grip tape. Our guide on how to assemble a skateboard covers that step by step.
If it’s on a drawing board, or you’d simply rather keep the artwork intact, mounting it is a great option. It’s a popular way to display a first attempt, a school project, or a gift piece without worrying about wear. Our guide to skateboard deck wall mounting covers hardware and positioning.
Custom decks make genuinely good gifts, because they’re personal without being complicated to buy. A few ideas that work well:
If you’re buying for someone else, our gifts for skateboarders collection has more ideas alongside the art and blank deck options.
Can you skate a skateboard after painting it? Yes, as long as you started with a proper blank deck rather than a drawing board, and sealed the design before fitting grip tape and hardware. Drawing boards aren’t built for the stress of riding, so keep those as display pieces.
What paint works best on a skateboard deck? Acrylic paint is the easiest to work with for beginners, and paint pens are ideal for fine detail and outlines. Both dry quickly and hold colour well once sealed.
Do I need to seal a painted skateboard deck? If you plan to ride it, yes. Sealing protects the paint from chipping, damp and general wear. If the board is purely for display, sealing is still worth doing but less critical.
What’s the difference between a blank deck and a drawing board? A blank deck is a real, rideable skateboard shaped and pressed the same way as any complete board, just without graphics. A drawing board is made for artwork and display rather than riding.
Can I cut my own grip tape into a design? Yes. Apply the grip tape first, sketch your design onto it, then cut carefully with a sharp craft knife. Simple shapes and lettering tend to last best under normal riding wear.
Do I need any skateboarding experience to decorate a deck? None at all. This is a project anyone can take on, whether you skate or you’re decorating a board purely as an art piece or gift.
Ready to get started? Browse blank skateboard decks if you’re planning to ride the finished board, or shop drawing boards for a pure art or gift project. Add skateboard grip tape or a skateboard art kit to complete your setup.
