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Rediscovering Surfboard Treasures

June 22, 2024
surf board revival
surf board revival
Hidden deep in a backyard jungle of overgrown bamboo at #beachhouse61_project, we stumbled upon two forgotten old, beat-up surfboards. Their neglected state hinted at years of abandonment. Despite their worn-out appearance, these surfboards carried a story, and we wanted them to remain a part of our beloved beach house project.
surf board revival
At first, I thought about just tossing them. My restoration attempts had been epic fails each time, bringing a lot of unnecessary frustration into my life. But these surfboards had a certain charm, and I was determined to resurrect them. They deserved a second chance!
surf board repair by interior designer Patchi Cancado
surf board revival
surf board repair by interior designer Patchi Cancado
Restoring these surfboards was a journey filled with missteps. First, there were the resin woes: I started with the wrong type of resin, leading to a tacky mess. Paint problems followed as the paint I chose reacted badly with the resin, creating unsightly bubbles. Then came the sanding snafus, where my initial efforts left rough patches everywhere. I also made weather misjudgments, attempting to work outdoors in December, which wreaked havoc on the resin due to the cold temperatures. And finally, the morning dew disaster: leaving the boards to dry outside overnight, I woke to find dew had created even more bubbles that now needed a lot of sanding.
surf board repair by interior designer Patchi Cancado
surf board repair by interior designer Patchi Cancado
With lessons learned from my numerous blunders, I finally devised a successful plan to restore these surfboards. The preparation was key to this successful repair. I started by meticulously cleaning the damaged areas and roughening the surface with sandpaper to ensure better adhesion to the resin. For small repairs, I applied a small amount of the correct polyester resin directly to the damage, while larger areas required a piece of fiberglass cloth saturated with resin.
surf board revival
surf board revival
After allowing the resin to cure fully, I sanded the repaired areas. To ensure the sanding would work, I began with coarse sandpaper (80 grit) to remove excess resin, I gradually moved to finer grits (up to 400 grit) for a smooth finish. Then, once I was satisfied with the repaired dings, I applied Total Boat's polyurethane gloss paint, giving the surfboards a shiny, polished look. Restoring these surfboards was more than just a DIY project—it was a true test of my resilience. Now, these once-forgotten boards look stunning as décor in our beach house!

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