It has been seen many times that the grip tape becomes thin, peeling, or ripped off after being used for a long time. So it is the best time to replace it, as it has been part of the long boards since the mid-1970s, known as grip tape. That is why standardized decks, including wheels, trucks, and bearings.
So if you own a longboard, you should know how to remove the grip tape effectively. To solve your problem, we are here to guide you in the best possible way.
Contents
Why remove grip tape from a longboard
You need to remove grip tape from your longboard for many good reasons. In most cases, on the traditional or regular longboard, the amount of grip tape wears down and peels off from the board. Generally, it happens six months or after the use of one and a half years when the adhesive tape is applied to the deck.
The first and most important reason to remove the existing grip tape from a longboard is when it gets wet and from the foot. This is the most common issue with longboards because many times wetting and drying the edge of the grip can lead to wear out faster and damage.
Another reason to remove the grip tape might not be appropriately applied. For instance, if you have applied a new grip tape over the old one without removing it, you will need to replace both because the old one won’t stick to the deck’s surface, especially on the edge.
Making mistakes in applying the grip tape again and again over the old one can cause air bubbles. That needs to make holes to remove them. The adhesive tape will peel off the grip’s edge soon rather than later.
If you do not know the proper way to remove the tape and do it for the first time, you should equip yourself with the essential tools to unscrew the bolts and nuts.
How to remove the grip tape from the longboard
Following are the basic steps to remove the drip tape from the longboard. So let’s start the process.
Remove the trucks
Removing the trucks from the longboard is the most critical step and should be done carefully. With the support of a socket wrench and skate tool, remove the trucks from the longboard
What if you do not have the longboard?
In this case, you can do this step with the help of pliers and set aside the bolts, nuts, and screws in a small box in order not to lose them
Apply heat to the tape
You can remove the grip tape adhesive from the longboard grip edge in various ways, including using a blow dryer, hair dryer, torch, or heat gun. Apply the heat to the deck with the tool until the grip tape becomes warm.
It is essential because it will make it easy to remove in one big patch instead of small torn pieces. Use hand covers to keep your hands safe from the heated surface of the deck and tape.
It would help if you heated the tape at the nose of the deck and tail with the help of a hair dryer. Continue this process until you can easily fit up the razer blade, swiss knife or hobby knife, box cutter knife, or scraper between the board and tape.
Peel off the tape
You can use different tools to remove the grip tape from the edge of the longboard, but a regular wide and flat razor is an effective tool because it is thin enough to slide under the tape, so you should start from the edges or sides.
Here a question arises: how can you remove the grip tape without damaging the longboard. So make sure the blade is on a suitable angle to prevent the longboard from damaging. The function of the blade in removing the tape is to lift it, as the heat source is doing most of the work in this process.
Remove the old tape
When you peeled off the grip tape from the edges f the board, remove the remaining grip tape from the extended board deck. With your hands, this will quickly lose the adhesive; you can easily remove the grip tape from the edges or sides of the grip. Apply a reasonable amount of heat on the sides and edges.
Clean up the surface
To scrape off the small bits and pieces of the grip tape leftovers, you should do the step with the razor blade. Do this step very carefully without scraping the deck? If the sticky glue remains on the longboard, you can apply the tape over it.
The process of removing the clear grip tape
Removing the clear grip tape is rarer than the regular and standard variety. However, there are many ways to remove the clear grip tape from the long board edges.
The first way is to do the process using lacquer thinner, as this process is similar to the paint thinner being hotter than the latter. So lacquer thinner is easy to remove the residue from the plastics, old paint, and varnish on clothes. When you apply the thinner to the grip tape on the longboard, place a cloth over the liquid in order t make it more effective.
This will prevent the lacquer from evaporating quickly, then reseal the wood until the process removes the finish.
The second process uses a scraper with a rectangle blade like a flat edge screwdriver. This process is different from the first one as it does not remove the wood finish and color like a blade. After this process, there is no need for –the treatment of wood.
The third way to remove the clear grip tape from the longboard is with the rough surface of sandpaper. If your hand gets tired, the alternative method is to use the automatic sander. The grinding disk can also remove the clear grip tape from the longboard. It offers more power but increases the risk of damaging the longboard.
Read More:
- Drop-through vs Pintail
- Is longboarding hard
- Longboard vs Skateboard
- Best Sector 9 Longboards
- What are the best longboards for cruising?
- What Is Carving On A Longboard
Can you remove the grip tape from a longboard?
You can use the dryer or heat the tape adhesive to remove it. The heat will lower the tape on the tail and nose of your board.
Do you have to remove the old tape from the longboard?
Before applying the new tape on the longboard, it is essential to remove the old one and remove the residues of the tape.
How should you replace the grip tape?
Replacing the grip tape depends on using longboards, traction, and texture preferences.
