Painting your board

[caunyd]

Hi guys. I don't like the graphics on the top side of my board. What effect will spray painting a light coat of pain have? Only on the top side of course.

[walove]

sand the top sheet first if its really glossy, then go for it. done it to a handle full of boards

[freshy]

It will have the effect of painting the board. My brother painted his once and it dident flake off of anything like that.

[poutanen]

Originally Posted by caunyd

Hi guys. I don't like the graphics on the top side of my board. What effect will spray painting a light coat of pain have? Only on the top side of course.

If you spray right over the topsheet it'll quite possibly peel/flake off... Snowboards are painted very similar to cars in some cases. The following guide is if you want it to look really good. Reduce the steps if you really don't care.

1) Sand down the topsheet, I'd probably use 120 grit or so with a palm sander or random orbit sander. You don't have to go right through the clear, but make sure it's very well scuffed/sanded.

2) Spray on a couple THIN layers of BIN by Zinsser. I've used this primer on all kinds of surfaces with good luck. Depending on the topsheet material and paint you choose, you can get away with not priming.

3) Wet sand the cured primer with 400 grit wet/dry.

4) Spray on a few THIN layers of the paint of your choice.

5) Wet sand the cured paint with 400 grit wet/dry/

6) Spray on the clearcoat of your choice (usually sold as a system with the paint). I've used automotive paint/clear on snowboards and found the worked alright. Although they tend to be less hard than topsheet clear and may deform under the bindings.

7) After that has fully cured (sometimes a couple weeks, any heat you can get on it after the first few hours should help speed up the slow final cure time) you can cut/polish the surface with polishing compound and a buffer and then wax it! You're snowboard will look like a ferrari!!!

The alternative to all this is spraying on a paint that comes with a clear finish built in. Not sure if these are flexible enough to handle the abuse though.

If you really don't care, get a bottle of mineral spirits and a can of tremclad. Wipe down the hole topsheet with mineral spirits, then spray on light coats of tremclad until you're happy.

[BurtonAvenger]

Krylon Fusion is amazing.