Sanding and Staining a Wood Project

Rainy days don't always have to be a bummer; they afford one the time to work on and finish lingering projects!

For this instructable, I'll be putting the finishing touches onto my GFs longboard skateboard.

-Stain (your choice of colors)
-Sanding block
-60 grit sand paper
-Rag and brush
-Masking tape

Sand your project; start with 60 grit and then a higher grit-count to smoothen out the surface. This can take a good hour or two. Then, inspect your work. If you're happy with the results, you're ready to stain!

Use your masking tape to set the borders for your project. In my case, I used the tape as a guide for the general area of where my stain would eventually end -since I'm going for a brushed, jagged edge look.

Apply your stain with your brush, let it sit for no longer than 3 min before you wipe it off with your rag. Continue in portions until you've finished all of the areas that need coloring.

Let it sit for about 3hrs (depending on the weather and humidity), and then remove your masking tape to assess your work. If you're happy, you're almost done!

If you want your project to last and endure the test of both time and the elements, you'll definitely benefit by finishing it off with a layer of polyurethane.

This stuff can be sprayed on, before letting it dry for 24hrs.

Here is the board prior to spraying it with Clear Satin Polyurethane :)

She's ready for griptape!

Note: I put a tiny Hatchet fin behind the rear truck just for fun. Shaped it onto scrap plywood, cut it out with a jigsaw, sanded to shape and smoothen it out, and screwed it in place with regular drywall screws. Looks cute :)

This board isn't meant to manual so it shouldn't* get damaged... But if it does, ill just make a plastic puck that's tall enough (with my final wheel combo) to clear the fin. The tail of the deck won't actually have any grip on it.