Introduction: How to Customize Your Snowboard

Tired of your old snowboard but don't have the cash to replace it? With under $20, you can breath new life into the look of your board with a custom paint job! Follow these easy steps and you'll have a new board (or at least look like it) in just a couple days.

Step 1: Setup

Plan your design. You could go as simple or as creative as you want. I went with two parallel pinstripes that run from the front of the board to the back - very easy and it looks cool.

Place your board on a surface that you can get paint on. This could be a work table, a basement floor with rosin paper, etc. This job can get messy as you want to get a heavy coat of color on the board.

Buy the following products:
Plasti Dip Rubber Coating (1 can, black)
Acrylic Lacquer (1 can, new board color)
Masking Tape (1 roll) (optional)
Stomp pad (1)

Step 2: Remove the Bindings

Remove your bindings. You will likely need a screwdriver for this.

It is very important that you write down or mark the location and rotation of your bindings as you remove them. These are often set in place by professionals and you don't want to mess with your snowboarding comfort level for new paint job - no matter how sick it looks. I usually use a few pieces of masking tape under the areas where the bindings are.

Step 3: Apply Rubber Coating

Apply 2-3 even coats of rubber coating with drying time in between coats. I used Plasti Dip's black rubber coating and it covered well.

Step 4: Apply Laquer

Once the final layer of the rubber coating has adequately dried, now it is time to get ready for the final paint color. If you want to add black stripes as I did, you'll want to mask out those spots with the masking tape.

Now, apply 3 coats of Acrylic Lacquer. I used Dupli Color's Acrylic Lacquer in silver. It has a nice metallic finish and covers well.

Step 5: Remove Tape

Once the coats of lacquer have been applied and the final coat is dry, remove the masking tape.

Step 6: Re-install Bindings

Put your bindings back on with the screwdriver. Make sure they are aligned in the identical configuration as you previously had them.

Step 7: Install Stomp Pad

If you prefer to have a stomp pad on your board, install it at this point.

Step 8: Bask the Glory

Place your board on a well-lit shelf and bask in the glory of its sick new paint job.