Does a custom skateboard deck hold up like a normal one?

A custom skateboard deck is the same deck as always with your design printed on the bottom. The wood does not change, the graphic wears like any other deck's if you ride it, and the legal guarantee does not go away because the deck is personalised. What does go away is the right to send it back for no reason. Here is what changes and what does not, so you can decide on facts before you order.

The wood does not change

Customising a deck does not make it weaker, because nothing that holds it together is touched. A printed deck is a 7-ply maple deck, pressed in a mould with its concave, nose and tail, exactly like a shop deck with a brand's graphic. The design is printed on a film and transferred cold onto the bottom face: the wood is not sanded, cut or heated, and the weight added does not matter.

What you do need to check is something else: that it is a real deck. There are decorative "skateboards" cut from a board that have the shape but not the construction, and nobody rides those. If the seller says 7-ply maple and sells the deck in the usual skateboard widths, it is a deck. The process is in how a custom deck is made.

The graphic, when you ride

This is what really changes with use, and it is better said plainly: a skateboard's graphic is on the face that rubs against the rail, the curb and the ground. On any deck, from any brand, a boardslide leaves a mark. Pro decks have their graphics scratched up within two weeks and nobody calls it a defect: it is the sign they have been ridden.

A printed deck is no different. The areas that mark first are the middle of the deck, where it slides on a rail, and the edge of the tail, which hits the ground on every ollie. The areas under the trucks and the top of the nose last much longer. If the part of your design that matters is in the middle (a face, a name), know that it is the part that works hardest.

We will not give you a number for how long it lasts, because it depends on how you ride: cruising around town is not the same as grinding every evening. The honest version is this: if you want to ride it, the graphic will mark like any other deck's; if you want to look at it, hang it up and it stays as it is.

How to look after the graphic

• Decide what it is for. Many custom decks end up on the wall: a photo from a trip, a gift, a memory. The graphic does not suffer there. If you are going to ride it, take it for what it is: a skateboard that will get used.
• Wax on the curb, not on the deck. Wax on the obstacle makes it slide and reduces the friction on the graphic. Every skater does this anyway.
• Dry it if it gets wet and do not leave it in the sun in the car: what punishes a maple deck is moisture and heat, printed or not.
• No varnish or vinyl on top. The graphic is already bonded to the wood. We have not tested varnishes on our finish, so we cannot tell you how they behave, and we do not recommend it.
• If you hang it, hang it properly. In how to hang a skateboard on the wall we explain the options, with and without drilling.

What the legal guarantee covers (and what it does not)

There is a widespread misunderstanding: "it is custom, so there is no guarantee". That is not how it works. In the European Union, the legal guarantee of conformity covers every good a consumer buys, personalised or not. The minimum is two years from delivery; in Spain, where we are, it is three. The law makes no distinction between a catalogue product and a made-to-order one.

What it covers is a lack of conformity: a deck that arrives damaged, a print with an obvious fault, a defect in the wood. What it does not cover, on any product, is wear from use: a graphic scratched from riding is not a defect, any more than worn wheels are.

What does change with a personalised product is the right of withdrawal: the fourteen days to return an online purchase without giving a reason do not apply to goods made to the customer's specifications, and a deck with your photo is one. That is why it pays to look at the design carefully before paying. Our terms are on the returns page.

Before you order: four checks

1. That it is a skateboard deck, 7-ply maple, not a decorative panel.
2. The size. The width decides how it rides; it is explained in what size to choose.
3. Look at the preview calmly. In our editor you see the deck in 3D before you order; that is the moment to check the photo is framed right and nothing important sits under the trucks.
4. What the price includes. The deck costs 89 €; grip tape, trucks and wheels are separate, and we tell you before you pay. Shipping is free within Spain and costs from 15 € per order to the rest of the EU.

Frequently asked questions