Guide To Skate Accessories
Skateboarders, and their boards, are all unique. One way to make your board personalized is by adding accessories such as skateboard deck rails. These parts will not only give your board a customized look, they also help to protect your deck from wear and tear and help you to slide smoother whenever your board meets a rail or ledge.
SKATEBOARD DECK RAILS
Skateboard deck rails are thin, hard plastic strips that screw onto the bottom edges of the deck, providing a slick barrier that makes your skateboard slide even further on just about any surface. They also work as a shield to keep your deck's graphic safe. Deck rails have been around since the 80s. Although they went out of style for most of the 90s and 2000s, skateboard deck rails have made a trendy-yet useful-comeback with the resurgence of old school and wide skateboard deck shapes. Pick up a pair and start shredding like its 1989!
How to Install Deck Rails
We'll teach you to install skateboard deck rails in 3 easy steps. Follow along or jump to one of the steps below:
Gather Materials
Before you start, you'll need a few tools and materials. Once you have everything together, we'll teach you how to install deck rails at home.
- Drill or Screwdriver
- Skateboard Deck Rails (Pair)
- Screws (Included With Your Rails)
Step 1. Align Rails Vertically
Begin by aligning your skateboard deck rails evenly between your wheels. If they are too far foward or backward your skateboard's wheels might rub on them when you take a sharp turn. You can measure the space between your wheels to make sure that the rails will be centered, or just eyeball it if you're in a hurry.
Step 2. Align Rails Horizontally
Next, you need to align your skateboard rails on your deck so that they will be at highest point, without being too far to the middle. This way when you're doing a boardslide you'll be sliding on the rails instead of on your deck. This point is typically about 1-1.5" from the edge of your deck.
TIP: Wider decks will require you to install the rails slightly further in toward the middle of the deck.
Step 3. Screw Rails to Deck
Lastly, you will need to secure the skateboard rails to your deck with the screws that come with the rails. Some sets of rails come with adhesive strips that help to hold the rails in place. These help to keep the rails secured to your board before the screws are in and hold the rails on your board better overall.
Begin by screwing in the first screw with a screwdriver or drill, starting with either of the screws on the ends of the rails. If you use a drill, you will need to go slow and apply a good amount of downward pressure. If you use a screwdriver, you will need to apply an even greater amount of pressure to make the screw go into the deck. The screws should sink in deeper than the face of the rail so that it does not get caught on anything while you're skating. Make sure that you keep a hand on the other end of the rail so that it doesn't spin around while you tighten the first and second screws. Work your way down the rail, tightening each screw. Once all the screws are securely in place you are good to rip some lipslides!
TIP: After skating your rails, make sure to retighten them periodically.
SKATEBOARD NOSE AND TAIL GUARDS
Nose and tail guards are thin, plastic strips that snap onto the front or back of your deck, providing added protection from damage when you slip out and rocket your board into a curb and are installed similarly to the steps noted for deck rails above. Just like rails, they also provide a slippery surface that make nose and tail slides float like butter.
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