Picture this! In order to paint a surfboard you needed to know

- What paint to use. Acrylic or Enamel?

- How to clean the surfboard before painting (and that doesn't mean just removing the wax)

- Sand the board using 240 grit sand paper to increase the bond and reduce the risk of paint flaking off.

- Somehow come up with a design for your board. Easily the hardest part. What about the people that can't draw to save their lives?... this is me! What do we do for a design? Any tips and tricks to help us?

- Apply a clear coat to protect the artwork from coming off. What is the best varnish/lacquer/clear coat? How do I apply it? 1,2,3 or 10 coats? What happens if I don't use a varnish?

The information to paint a surfboard was so inconsistent it drove me crazy!

I would ask friends, surfboard shapers, surf store workers, hardware store workers (who didn't even surf!), research outdated blogs online and more.

And to make matters worse.

Everyone had their own opinion on the matter.

"Or yeah, you can use enamel and it should be fine but acrylic is meant to be better. I heard that brand is good but you can also use this brand. Nah don't worry about sanding just paint straight on. Yeah some people varnish some people don't. Depends if you want it affecting the performance and weight of the board".

Are you kidding me?

Why can't someone just tell me how to paint a surfboard? Why do I need to go to hardware stores? Is this something I should have known as a surfer?

BANG!

and this is how SurfPaints evolved. 

Sampling prototypes with my surfboard shaper friend. FYI this prototype didn't pass the test.

I made it my mission to make it easier than ever before to paint a surfboard

After finding out there was confusion in the industry, I made it my mission to make it easier than ever before to paint a surfboard by providing premium products, education and inspiration. 

SurfPaints will be your one and only shop for painting a surfboard.

The days of running around and being confused are over. SurfPaints is here to help & support your creativity.

Something I wish I had available when I found myself scratching my head in Bunnings.

I truly believe there's something special about painting a surfboard.

Everyone has their own reasons for using art as a way to express themselves. For me, painting boards was a way to distract myself and switch off from the seriousness of life.

It was a way to seperate my board from the standard stock. I feel more connected to my board and really want to surf it when it has a bit of character. A plain board is just boring and doesn't have the same oomph about it.

Thank you for listening to my story. That's enough about me, I would love to hear from you and your journey. Please get in touch below to share your board design or maybe you have a community group that could use some SurfPaints. Don't be shy.

Happy Painting,

Danny Smyth 

Check out a sweet little interview I did with James from SuperFast Business about how I took SurfPaints from a side hussle whilst teaching to going all in.

I would love to hear from you. Drop us an email below :)