How to Hang a Skateboard on the Wall

There are three ways to hang a skateboard on the wall: a skateboard wall mount, screws through the truck holes the deck already has, or an adhesive mount if you would rather not drill. The deck comes ready for two of the three, because those eight truck holes are perfectly good anchor points.

First: which side faces out

It sounds obvious and it isn't. The graphic is printed on the bottom face of the deck, the one you don't stand on. So when you hang it, the printed side faces the room and the griptape ends up against the wall.

That has one practical consequence: the truck holes show from the front. It isn't a flaw — it's a real deck and it looks like one — but if your design has something important sitting right on those two spots, it's going to have eight dots through it. Worth knowing before you design it rather than after.

The three ways, and when to use each

1. A skateboard wall mount

These are purpose-made and easy to find online. There are two kinds: the ones that grip the deck by its edges, where nothing gets drilled and the deck simply rests in them, and the ones that screw through the truck holes.

When: if you want to be able to take it down, move it, or eventually skate it. This is the reversible option.

2. Screws through the truck holes

The deck comes with eight holes from the factory, in two groups of four. But it won't sit flat against the wall: with the griptape facing in, the nose and the tail curve towards the wall and touch first, so the middle of the deck — where the holes are — stands off it. Put a spacer between the wall and the deck at each screw, as thick as that gap, so you aren't bending the wood as you tighten. Two screws and their plugs, one at the top and one at the bottom, hold it well. Use wide washers and don't crank them down: maple is hard, but it's thin wood.

When: if you want it fixed, with no visible hardware beyond two screw heads.

3. An adhesive mount, no drilling

Some mounts stick to the wall instead of screwing into it. What doesn't work is picture-hanging strips stuck to the back of the deck: because of that same nose and tail curve, the deck only touches the wall at its tips, and there's no flat surface there to stick anything to.

When: rented flats, walls you'd rather not touch, or if you expect to move it. Check the maximum weight the mount's manufacturer states, and don't stick it onto fresh paint or textured plaster, because taking it off will take the wall with it.

What not to do

• Don't drill new holes. The eight it has are the truck holes. A new hole in the middle of the deck weakens it and, if you ever want to skate it, you've ended that.
• Don't hang it from a single point. On one screw it pivots and goes crooked on its own. Always two, one high and one low.
• Mind direct sun. Like any print, constant direct light eventually dulls the colours. A wall facing a big window isn't the best spot for the long run.
• Keep it out of the bathroom. It's laminated wood: sustained humidity doesn't agree with it, even if it takes a while to show.

Where, and how high

A deck is about 31 in (80 cm) long, so it takes up real space and reads as a vertical piece.

• Vertical is the natural one: it uses the shape and fills narrow gaps where a frame won't go — beside a door, along a hallway, between two pieces of furniture.
• Horizontal works above a sofa or a bed, where a long piece balances the furniture below it.
• At eye level: the middle of the deck around 5 ft (150–160 cm) off the floor if it hangs on its own. Above furniture, leave 8–12 in (20–30 cm) of air over the back of it.
• Several together look good: two or three vertical, the same gap between them (4–6 in / 10–15 cm), so they read as a set rather than as loose boards.

If you're still deciding what goes on the wall in the first place, there are wall art ideas room by room. And it holds up because it's a real 7-ply deck, not a decorative panel shaped like one.

Frequently asked questions