How To Apply Grip Tape to a Skateboard Deck

Other Ideas & Styles

• Solid Sheet - Easy, simple, and it looks good. Just apply the sheet of grip tape in one solid piece. If you want help telling the nose from the tail at a glance, get a set of Luck Bolts, Shorty's Silverados, or Element Rations bolts. These sets come with some painted screws that you can put at the nose or tail of your skateboard, so you can tell which end is which. Another option is to spray paint on the top of your deck. You can use a template, or just freehand.
  
• Cut Shapes - Cutting shapes into your grip tape can look very cool, if you do it well. It can also be very hard, so make sure your gripping skills are up to it, or you may go through several sheets. Take a look at the picture for an example of an awesome grip job. Josh Williams cut a perfect circle in the grip tape, so show the circular Rasa Libre graphic below.
  
• Patterns - When lining up both ends of the grip tape in these instructions, we used the flat end of the grip tape. Why not cut that flat part into a shape? A wave, or a jagged edge - you can make this look like anything you want.
  
• Pre-Cut Grip Tape - Loads of companies out there make pre-cut grip tape, like Zero and Element.

• What You Will Need
• Decide on a Design
• Cutting the Grip Tape
• Applying the Grip Tape
• Apply Some More Grip Tape
• Edging the Grip Tape
• Cutting the Edges of the Grip Tape
• Finished Skate Deck
• Other Ideas & Styles