How to Assemble a Skateboard: DIY Building Guide

By Ryan Barnes

When you are just starting out, making a skateboard from scratch can seem like a daunting task. You may not know how to assemble a skateboard or have the right tools for the job. But don’t worry!

This is an easy DIY project that will take less than an hour and cost way less than buying one at the store. We’ll walk through all of the steps in this article so you can make your very own skateboard!

Skate Gear You'll Need

Before we start assembling our skateboard, it’s important to grab all the required skate gear that we’ll need to build our skateboard.[1] Let’s check them out and put together a skateboard.

Skateboard deck
Skateboard grip tape
2 Trucks
4 Wheels
8 Bearings
4 Spacers
8 Bolts for assembling the truck

All these skate gears can be bought individually. By buying all the skateboard kit individually, you can estimate the budget that you’ll need to make your skateboard.

Tools You'll Need

Screwdriver
7/32″ & 1/8″ Allen Wrenches or Skate tool
Phillips Screwdriver

Assembling the Skateboard

Once you have all the pre-requisites ready, it’s time to assemble the skateboard.

1. Attach Grip Tape to Deck

The first step is to take out the grip tape and place it on the deck. The smooth side of the tape should go down, with one end sticking off by about an inch or so.

Grab a strip of grip tape at each edge and use your thumb to press firmly against both sides as you wrap them around until they overlap in the middle. Then, use your fingers to press the grip tape down into the curvature of the board.

If you’re working on a table or an edge in your house that’s not flat, get some wax paper and place it underneath so that some is cushioning for the grip tape.

Remember to remove the paper you used so that it doesn’t stick and leave any residue on your board when you’re done applying grip tape!

After removing all excess grip tape, use a cloth or towel with some rubbing alcohol or soap water mixed in to wipe down all sides of the deck and give it a good drying off before you start.

2. Mount the Trucks

Fit the bolts through the holes in both the deck and riser. If you’re installing risers, start by placing them onto the bolts. Gently press the top part of each truck onto the corresponding mounting holes.

You should hear a click sound if they are mounted correctly, and there is no wobbling. Attach both the skateboard trucks and fasten the bolts to ensure the trucks are ideally placed with the deck.

3. Insert the Bearings into the Wheels

Inserting bearings into the wheels is one of the most challenging parts of this assembly process. To do this, first, remove the nuts and washers from the wheels. Now place the skateboard bearings inside the wheels. Pressing the wheel onto a bearing typically makes an audible pop.

This sound indicates that the bearing is fully seated in its location. Put a washer on each side of the bearings and then tighten up the bolts to seal them in place inside the wheel hub.

Now flip up the wheel and continue the same process to make sure both the bearings are at their right place inside the wheel. Repeat the same process with all four wheels.

4. Attach the Wheels to the Trucks

Once you’re done with all the four wheels putting their bearings, it’s time to install the wheels to the skateboard trucks. To do that, you just need to remove the wingnuts from both ends of your skateboard.

Then put a washer on each side and place it against the board’s metal plate. Take one end of the truck axle and fit it into its hole in the wheel hub. The other end will sit inside an opening at this exact location.

Then take the other truck axle and fit it into its hole in the wheel hub. The other end will sit inside an opening at this exact location.

Now place a washer on both ends of these axles, then tighten up your wingnuts to lock them down tight against the board’s metal plate. (tighten just enough to keep the wheel from coming off but not so tight that you damage anything)

Now slide your bearings in and out inside each of their metal plates to make sure they’re sitting all nice. (If you find any parts are broken, or if one bearing doesn’t want to move smoothly with another, contact a skateboard repair company for more help.

5. Attach the Trucks to the Deck

Now attach the trucks to the deck. To do so, first, take one truck axle and place it into its hole in the skateboard’s metal plate. The other end will go inside a similar opening found on the board’s opposite side. Now tighten up your wingnuts to secure both ends of these axles against this metal plate as well.

Finally, with the truck tightly secured to your board’s deck, spin each wheel and make sure it moves nicely. If you find that one or more wheels are harder to turn than others, tighten up those nuts until they move smoothly as well.

If all goes well here, then congratulations! You’ve just built a skateboard from scratch!

Wrapping Up

In this way, you can build and assemble a skateboard and save some bucks there, instead of buying a new skateboard.

I hope this guide helped you in making your own skateboard. Share your experience with us in the comment section down below.

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