How to Sand a Surfboard the Professional Way

A proper sand job is essential to the ride, feel and aesthetic of a surfboard. There are a ton of ways to sand a board and just as many finishes which really gives each brand or glass shop their own personal stamp. With so many ways to sand a board it’s still very easy to spot an amateur sand job because the only way to get good at sanding is to sand hundreds, even thousands of surfboards. It’s all about coming up with your own process that works and staying consistent throughout it.
We often get asked the question, “how do I sand a surfboard?” We thought it would be a good idea to show you how the guys over at the Hawaii Surf Factory like to finish out their “sand only” short boards since they do so many of them. John Gentile of John G Surfboards is a true master at surfboard sanding and the star of this tutorial. Not a professional sander? Don’t let that discourage you. Once your shape and hot coat are done, get in on the action yourself!
Here is the list of tools used in the video. You can click on each product and find it on our website for further pricing and information.
220 grit wet/dry sandpaper
400 grit wet/dry sandpaper
600 grit wet/dry sandpaper
50 grit grinding disc
surfboard polish
8” hard Flexpad sanding pad
8” medium Flexpad sanding pad
8” foam polishing pad
Tacky adhesive
Variable Speed Sander/Polisher 0-5000 rpm (we do not currently stock this item)
Optional sanding schedule:
150 grit
180 grit
220 grit
320 grit
Be sure to check out our other how-to videos here for more great instruction from the pros on template making, shaping, glassing and much more!

[@thomasryan5681]

Great vid. You've got a great voice for surf movie narration. I was all ready for you to say " ..and here's Mike enjoying some leg burning Bruce's Beauties...".

[@colin_ign]

best tutorial ever of how to sand a board!!!! Cheers guys

[@clintjones9848]

4:45 Absolutely. You can only really start with 220 on production poly boards. Because not only are the lam and hot coat perfectly level, but so is the shape. Don't expect to start with 220 on a home made or epoxy board. Gonna have to start with 80, 100, or 120. Also, don't just machine sand the rails... gotta hand sand. Otherwise you'll end up with a polygonal rail instead of round lol!

[@bi0008]

Depends how clean your hot coat is, but probably never 80 grit

[@clintjones9848]

I would use 80 grit on my pos home made poly boards, and pro epoxy boards. It's fine as long as you don't put wheel marks in the board. Just a light rough sand then you can finish rough sanding with 120 and it's pretty smooth and ready for lil spot repairs and fine sand. For pro poly boards, I would start with 180 and it would come out epicly smooth.

[@anon8730]

@@clintjones9848 what are pro poly boards? I'm dutch. Professional polyurethane?

[@clintjones9848]

Yes, that's what I mean. A professionally made polyurethane board with polyester resin.

[@jimmiranda]

I learned a ton of tribal knowledge with this video. Keep em coming!

[@aidenpaul3784]

This is a sick video

[@Neumatikos]

Excellent

[@CarScratchRemover]

great video. my world for 25+ years I can't tell you how many videos guys have the pad tipped way too much...but mostly "pro" ding repair guys with zero board building experience. I loved sanding...soooo easy and same piece pay as polishing gloss ... but my real ninja expertise was polishing back in gloss coat days....polishing with a custom built 5000rpm Milwaukee for 5 -6 hours is brutal work.... but I was one of the best in san diego sooooo that's what every factory wanted from me. two of of my signature finishes both polished HC which came out looking just like a polished gloss. OR sanded/polished gloss coat...sand gloss coat starting with 120 then down to 600 an polish.... sealed finish longer lasting with slight reduction in weight over standard polished gloss...i made my own witches brew polish and my own process ...trade secrets.... and job security.

[@paulcombes3782]

A good sander is as important as a good shaper because the he/she does the last bit of the 'shaping' . Unsung heroes of surfboard production .

[@texsurfer]

would be good to see a vid of sanding a board with channels or a bonzer setup...

[@donotbelieve90percent]

respect, you guys don't get enough..too bad surfboards don't last longer

[@chrispalmer1255]

Great video! I learned some tips to use on my next build. A light dusting of 3M Super 77 spray adhesive on the sand paper works great on sanding pads with less mess. I have stopped using the Stick-E or Tack-E and won't be going back.

[@crowdcontrolinc]

Nice work!

[@miguelvillacres3240]

Do you need to apply resin / glossing after polishing ?

[@toddrinaldi8447]

Can you tell me where I can buy the surfboard polish and the glue that you use for the sanding pads. Also, what polishing pad do you use?

[@carlosruiz8081]

amazing talent!! thanks for share it brother God bless you!!! thanks for your works!!¡

[@jessemartin8512]

Curious about RPMs. What is considered high and low?

[@tarekel-sherif1003]

What would be the equivalent finish polish for epoxy sand only finish?

[@xwhite2020]

Masterful !

[@johnniehouston1816]

Great music

[@dominicguay-gosselin3224]

Hey what polish do you use? thanks :)

[@elvispestana1051]

What makita model are you using in this video? Is it a polisher or an angle sander? Thanks!

[@vaughnsigal4560]

Was this board finished with a Hot Coat --> Sanding --> Polish. That is such a nice finish with no gloss coat.

[@clintjones9848]

Yep it looks sweet. I also like just leaving the board at 220 or 180. Because it still feels soft but you can grip it without wax and be able to hold onto the board when you're duck diving or whatever.

[@backyardshaper6435]

Thanks, learnt a lot. Consistency is key. Dropping the RPM at the tail too.

[@chillimiles3710]

yes feather the trigger around the nose and tail. for pro sanding make sure to keep the speed at 2.5 on flats and 1 on rail

[@krustysurfer]

What RPMs is he using in the sanded finish run?

[@gettinthingsdonemusic9876]

20,000 RPM MINIMUM

[@rodrigo9015]

I'm wanna be an sander apprentice. So if someone in Australia need one I could be your buddy!

[@wbay96]

What's keeping the board on the racks, besides gravity?

[@MrNick-]

wbay96 a lot of guys will use tape and you wrap the surfboard rack once, then spin the tape and wrap it more so that the sticky side of the tape faces up for the board to grip to. Obviously use a tape that doesn't leave sticky crap on the board, like blue painters tape.

[@chillimiles3710]

no! the video didnt show but before you start sanding get whatever pad your starting with put a 80grit paper on. and quickly skuff up the underside(which is the top of the board) so it sticks to the rack. it doesnt need much just a skim over. if you want to put a gloss coat over the sand dont use tape just in case you leave sticky on it cause problems for yourself. happy sanding

[@oschpr]

That rack has piab fc 75 suction cups connected to a foot pedal connected to a gast rotary vane vacuum pump

[@scottshapiro5268]

@@oschpr aaaahhhh waht?

[@koro287]

@@oschpr As a bare minimum...

[@alexcorrea1854]

Thanks for the video!! What RPM is the machine set for each grid?

[@chillimiles3710]

yes good question feather the trigger around the nose and tail. for pro sanding make sure to keep the speed at 2.5 on flats and 1 on rail

[@elvispestana1051]

What is the model of the Makita sander?

[@rpb1961]

why not use an orbital sander for finnish sanding?

[@310inc5]

Thanks so much to video so sick

[@TerrySunnyVision]

Hows the surfboard fixed to the jig like that to make sure it doesnt move when sanding

[@tradefat]

It isnt

[@bphillips06]

Where would one find "surfboard polish" .

[@hazwaz6385]

is the sander rondom orbital or orbital

[@harryzanini]

they're called "rotary" polisher/sander. you want a "variable speed" version so you can slow down the speed. also the sanding pads are "flexpad" , a good all around choice is the 8 inch red clothface medium with 5/8 in threads.

[@gnrtgamingnewsreviewsandti1286]

any advice on what I am doing wrong- I have sanded to 600 (wet) and can still see some of the sanding marks. I have hand sanded the whole board.

[@pearsonmarine5565]

Sometimes the first sanding is key to cutting down scratches. If you didn’t knock down the peaks of the scratch marks with a heavy enough paper to start, you’ll never get those fine scratches to disappear. My advice, stop the 600, and drop back one or two levels of grit to something heavier. Sand thoroughly then work your way back up to 600. If you sit there working your 600 forever, you’ll just start making ash trays in the deck of the board.

[@charleseec35]

What kind of product do you use for the polish? I mean, could you be more precise than "surfboard polish"? Thank you

[@krusher74]

+charleseec35 probably an automotive paint cutting compound.

[@fiberglasshawaiiTV]

@charleseec35 The product is actually "Fiberglass Hawaii Surfboard Polish" you can find it on our website under "Chemicals & Compunds" shop.fiberglasshawaii.com/shop/chemicals-compounds/polishes-compounds/wcsl-surfboard-polish

[@dmac5678]

@@fiberglasshawaiiTV No need for rubbing compound before the polish?

[@tonyjaii]

what type of sander are those? Model name and number would be great thanks

[@olafhenke5654]

it looks like the DeWALT DWP849, it´s an old model. There is a new version that has some nices upgrades. I really like this sander.

[@olafhenke5654]

Olaf Henke ... then he grabs a makita and I see a hitachi too. I prefer the dewalt anyways.

[@mattholland31]

epoxy or polyester resin on the board??

[@clintjones9848]

Polyester. You can't start with a grit as fine as 220 to sand an epoxy hot coat.

[@jargarcia9162]

What kind of surfboard polish is that?

[@chillimiles3710]

its this hi tech stuff called your mums lube

[@bodasafahaualii5264]

3/8" Concave Concave Concave Fish!!

[@HighFlyer61488]

Don't mind the edges

[@oldchannelasesurfschool]

how much Its pay for a sand/polish job?!

[@elinasmith8258]

If your doing the whole board process your self and its a one off. I suggest you hand sand the rails unless you are not worried about thru. Oh what a lot of crap I hear a with a sharp intakes of breath. Every one has an opinion . Trust me unless you trip off to ibiza every second month on a cafe del mar sunrise. I have all beit at least a thousand boards and work exclusively on exceptional high end racing craft. Just have fun.

[@olabashanda]

don’t you get itchy fiberglass all over your arms?!?!

[@alfovebraseth]

Excellent but music is extremely annoying

[@joelsi96]

amateur bigvkev