How to Assemble & Build a Skateboard

You Need The Following Parts:

1. Skateboard Deck
2. Grip Tape (your deck may already have this applied)
3. Trucks
4. Truck Bolts
5. Wheels
6. Bearings
7. Skate tool or a selection of spanners

How To Build A Skateboard:

1. Apply the grip tape to the deck. You can watch our Grip Tape Guide here if your deck doesn't come ready gripped. Obviously, you can skip this step if your board is already gripped!
   
2. Pop the holes through the grip tape for the truck bolts. There are 8 holes drilled on a skateboard to accept the 8 truck bolts that fasten the Trucks to the board. You can use an Allen Key to carefully make the holes.
   
3. Insert the 8 truck bolts through the holes in the grip tape and deck. If you have directional bolts then normally you'd place the 2 coloured bolts in the 2 holes closest to the nose of your deck. This makes it easy to tell which way round your skateboard is when out riding.
   
4. Attach your trucks and tighten up the nuts on the truck bolts. Don't use power tools to tighten the bolts as this can over tighten causing stress cracks which weaken the deck. Make sure your trucks are the right way round, the big kingpin nuts should be both facing each other towards the middle of the board. Get this wrong and your skateboard will turn in the wrong direction and will perform really badly!
   
5. Fit the bearings into the wheels. You need 2 bearings per wheel, fitting them snuggly in each side. Any easy way to do this is to place 2 bearings on a truck axle that's facing upwards, now push the wheel over the axle and the bearings until you feel the bearing slide into place. Then simply flip the wheel over and push down again onto the next bearing, repeat for all 4 wheels. Some wheels can be harder to push onto bearings so you might need to push hard!  DO NOT use a hammer or 'bang' bearings into wheels. Skateboard bearings are not designed for side load and the force from a hammer will damage your new bearings.
   
6. Fit the wheels to the truck axles. Make sure you have a small Speed Ring Washer on each side of the wheel as this will keep the bearings spinning freely. Tighten the axle nuts gradually, constantly check the wheel spins freely but not able to move up and down the axle too much.
   
7. Congratulations, your Skateboard is now ready to ride!
   
   

Watch: How to Assemble a Skateboard

Next Steps

Skateboard Kits