After riding the same board for months (or sometimes even years), the grip tape tends to get dirty and worn down.
By the time you need new grip tape, it’s likely that you could also use a new board. However, if you’d rather save some money and keep your current board, you can actually remove your old grip tape and put on a fresh sheet for just a few dollars.
In this post, we’re going to go over how to remove skateboard grip tape the easy way.
Keep in mind this method applies to skateboards, longboards, and even scooters.
How To Remove Grip Tape
Learning how to remove skateboard grip tape is easy, cheap, and only takes a few minutes to do.
How To Remove Grip Tape in 5 Easy Steps:
- Remove your trucks from your skate board
- Heat up your grip tape either with a blow dryer, or by leaving it out in direct sunlight.
- Use a blade or flathead screwdriver to peel up the edge of the grip tape
- Slowly peel off the sheet of grip tape using your hands. Reapply heat as needed.
- Remove gripe tape residue with lighter liquid, or by using sand paper
Step 1: Prepare to remove grip tape
Before removing grip tape, there’s a few things that you might need:
- Flathead screwdriver or blade
- A blowdryer
- Skate tool (or a philips head screwdriver and socket wrench)
- WD-40 or sand paper
To remove grip tape, it’s best to take your trucks off of your board first.
This will make it much easier to maneuver throughout the process, and it’ll also prevent bits of grip tape getting stuck underneath the screws. Aside from that, you’ll need to remove your trucks before putting on a fresh sheet of grip tape anyway.
Always make sure you remove your trucks before putting a fresh sheet on. This may seem self evident to some people, but it’s a common beginner mistake.
Step 2: Heat up grip tape
Grip tape is bound to the top of a deck by a strong adhesive. Although it’s possible to peel it off without heating it up first, it’s much more difficult.
To make the process easier, apply heat directly to the grip tap either with a blow dryer, or by leaving it outside in direct sunlight.
Using a blow dryer is the easiest and fastest route, but both methods can work.
You may start to see dark spots appear on the grip tape. This is normal and happens when the adhesive starts to melt. These are typically referred to as sunspots. If you’ve ever left your board in the sun or in a car, you may have seen this before.
Step 3: Peel up the edge of the grip tape
After spending a few minutes applying heat to the top of the grip tape, use a blade or flathead screwdriver to peel up the edge of the grip tape.
Avoid cutting or gouging into the top of the deck, as this can cause grooves or wrinkles when you put on new grip tape.
Usually it’s best to start either from the nose or the tail rather than the middle. If you have any trouble, try applying more heat directly to the nose or tail to help loosen the adhesive more.
Be careful while trying to peel up the edge, especially when using any type of sharp object. Peeling up the edge should be relatively easy and you shouldn’t have to force it.
The goal is to peel up a large enough section of the grip tape to allow you to firmly grip it with your hand.
Once you peel up a large enough section to firmly grip it with your hand, it’s time to start pulling the grip tape off.
Step 4: Pull the grip tape off
Once you peel the grip tape up far enough to grab a hold of it, slowly begin pulling it back with your hand. If needed, place one foot on the deck to help provide more leverage.
With a portion of the grip tape peeled up, apply more heat directly to the bottom of the grip tape while slowly pulling it back. Try to avoid ripping it too much, as this will leave several smaller pieces stuck to the board and will take more time to remove.
Sometimes it can help to pull the grip tape at a slight angle, alternating between the angle you’re pulling it. Be especially careful when pulling the grip tape off of the bolt holes, as it’s common for grip tape to get caught there and rip.
If at any point it becomes too difficult to continue pulling off the grip tape, continue to apply more heat.
After getting close to the halfway mark, you can either continue pulling in the same direction, or start peeling up the grip tape from the other side.
Step 5: Remove Grip Tape Residue
After peeling off the grip tape, there’s just a few final things to do before you’re done.
Sometimes small bits of grip tape get left behind. If this happens, apply more heat and use a blade or flathead screwdriver to help peel them off. Be careful not to cut or gauge the board, as this can cause indentions when you apply the new grip tape.
Once all of the bits are removed, there may be some residue left over on the board.
To clean it off, simply spray some WD-40 on the top of the deck, and use a rag to wipe off the residue. Make sure to dry the top of the deck afterwords.
Alternatively, you can also use sand paper to scrap off any residue and clean the surface of the deck.
Applying New Grip Tape
Once your old grip tape is completely removed, now it’s time to apply your new grip tape.
There’s debate around what the best grip tape for skateboards is, but there’s plenty of good options out there.
Some of the better grip tape choices are:
- Jessup
- Mob
- Grizzly
- Mr Pen
- Black Diamond (For Long Boards)
Be on the lookout for a full post on how to apply skateboard grip tape.
Skateboard Grip Tape FAQs
Below are a set of frequently asked questions regarding skateboard grip tape. If you have any further questions, feel free to leave them in the comments.
Can you take grip tape off?
Yes, taking grip tape off is a very easy process and can be done in just a few minutes.
Can you put Griptape over griptape?
No, you can not put grip tape over grip tape. The rough surface of grip tape will not stick properly to the old grip tape.
Also, putting new grip tape over old grip tape will cover up the screws on your deck and make it difficult to take off your trucks in the future.
Can grip tape get wet?
No, grip tape can not get wet. Most grip tape is perforated, meaning it has tiny holes in it that prevents it from getting air bubbles when applying it.
If the grip tape gets wet, this means the skateboard underneath it is wet as well, which will cause it to lose its pop and break much faster.
Is grip tape sandpaper?
No, grip tape is not sand paper. Although they have similar qualities, they have two different purposes.
How do you clean grip tape?
The easiest way for you to clean grip tape is with grip gum.
Is grip tape necessary?
Yes, grip tape is necessary for every style of skateboarding. Without grip tape, it’s much harder to control a skateboard.