Hey what's up this is Tim with Tactics,
and today I'm gonna teach you how to grip a skateboard.
Before you get started you'll need to gather some tools.
First you'll need is something to cut the grip with.
I'm using an industrial razor blade but you can use an exacto knife, a box cutter,
a pocket knife, your friend's butterfly knife.
Really any kind of blade as long as it's sharp.
Second, something to score the grip with, you can use a file a screwdriver,
or if you've got nothing else just use your truck.
And third some kind of thin sharp tool for poking the hardware holes.
This could be a thin screwdriver, a nail your Allen wrench, or a sharpened chopstick, whatever you got.
If you have grip tape that has a graphic on it,
make sure you have the board oriented the way you want it before putting on the grip.
The nose is generally slightly larger than the tail
and the graphic will usually give you an indication as to which kick is the nose and the tail.
Before you peel the grip if you have any rings that you don't want to get scratched up,
take them off before starting.
Peel the backing off the grip and hold the ends of the sheet with your thumb and your index finger.
Use your middle and ring fingers to help line up the grip on the nose and tail
and look straight down from above so the entire deck is covered by the grip tape.
Take your time lining it up so you don't have to peel it up and try again.
Once you're lined up, lightly stick the grip to the tips of the nose and tail.
Then using the sides of your palms, press the grip down the center of the deck lengthwise.
Press the grip down on the nose and tail with your palms then, angle your hand.
Press the grip down along each side of the deck using a rolling motion
to push the air pockets towards the outside of the deck.
Using this method there shouldn't be any air bubbles but just in case,
here's a couple tips to get rid of any air pockets.
You can use the bottom sheet by laying on top of the grip and sliding your hands to the sides of the deck
to push out any bubbles. This keeps you from shredding your hands.
You can also use a roller wheel to push out the air bubbles if you got one.
But if you don't have one of those you can just use your wheel on your truck.
If there are still air pockets you can't force out
you can quickly poke them with your razor blade and squeeze the air out.
Next, score the edges of the deck using your file or screwdriver
to create a guide for you to cut along, and to make it easier for the blade to cut through.
Hold the file at a slight angle so you don't scrape the top of the grip and leave a big scratch mark.
If the grip is sticking to the sides of the deck just lift it up before you start to cut it.
Grab your razor blade and hold it with the blade facing you.
Tilt the board off the edge of your work space so you can get your razor blade underneath the grip.
Put the blade flush against the deck and poke it through the underside of the grip.
Once the blade is visible from the top keep your wrist and rigid
and cut along the score mark by pulling the blade towards yourself.
Use long smooth motions to get clean straight cuts.
Use your other hand to hold the edges of the grip tight
so it cuts smoother and doesn't drop down and stick to the underside of your deck.
It helps to angle the blade slightly inward towards the deck and to put a slight bit of pressure on the deck
with the side of the blade so it follows the contour of the board.
Once the excess grip is cut off use a corner of the scrap to sand down the edges of the grip.
This makes the edges more flush with the deck and makes it less likely to peel up.
The last step is to poke out the hardware holes.
I'm using this handy broken screwdriver shiv-thingy
but you can use a nail or a screw or whatever you can find to poke the hardware holes.
You can use your hardware to punch through the grip, but I don't recommend this because
Since the hardware isn't sharp it sometimes tears the grip when it punches through.
An optional step is to remove the excess grip from the top sides of the hardware holes.
Just to make it look cleaner.
Simply use the end of your file or screwdriver and grind off the extra bits.
Then you're done, your board is ready to go!
Once you've mastered gripping boards try doing some custom patterns to make your board look unique.
Now what if you're on the road and you don't have all the tools you need to grip a board?
Well, just apply it like normal, then use your truck hanger to score the grip really hard.
And keep scoring it till it rips, then just tearoff the excess.
It's going to look haggard! But you got to do what you got to do when it's time to skate!
Now that you got your skateboard gripped, all you got to do is put the rest of it together and you can go skate.
If you need any help putting the rest of it together
make sure to check out our how to assemble a skateboard video.
If you got any questions comments tips of your own leave them in the box below
or just give us a call and we'll help you out.