How to Create a Rope Surfboard for your Home
When choosing artwork for the Sea Loft, we knew we wanted something that would make a statement. Something to bring in relaxed, coastal vibes and draw your eyes up to take in the high ceilings in the entrance. We couldn’t find anything that fit exactly what we were looking for so we decided to create our own statement piece for the space. Thus.. the Rope Surfboard was born!
The shape and scale of the surfboard immediately draws your eyes, and who doesn’t think beach when they see a surfboard? Wrapping it with rope brings in a natural, casual element, relaxing the space and making you feel right at home at the beach.
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Thinking of bringing beach vibes into your space? Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own rope surfboard:
Step 1: Prep the Board
First things first, you’ll need to clean and prep the surfboard for wrapping. This includes getting any wax residue off and removing the fins etc so you have a smooth surface to work with. In our case, the board we used was an old soft top that had lost its’ top layer, this made prep a breeze as we only needed to remove the fins. Once your board is prepped, it’s time to start wrapping!
Step 2: Wrapping the Rope Surfboard
Now, this part can get a bit tedious as it takes a good amount of time to cover the entire board. We recommend a good podcast or really great playlist to pass the time! Wrapping the board is really as simple as it sounds.. you just wrap the board. We did figure out a few tips & tricks along the way that should help you along in the process:
- To get the straightest line across the front, it is best to glue along the entire rope and not just place dots here and there, this will ensure that the entire rope stays affixed to the board and you don’t get any gaps between the ropes.
- You don’t need to be AS careful along the back, however, if your lines get wonky on the back or too spaced out, it starts to effect the front.
- Use your staple gun every few rows on the back to keep it secure.
- When you’re finished with a row of rope, glue and staple the end, then glue and staple the new rope right next to it. Make sure it is dry and secure before beginning to wrap again.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
When you are all finished wrapping your masterpiece, you will most likely have a few spaces between ropes that you do not like (if you don’t, bravo to you, please share your secrets!), at the end you can split your excess rope into 3 strands and use the thinner pieces to fill in. This will keep the color and texture the same on the board while ridding you of any unwanted gaps.
Step 4: Displaying your Rope Surfboard
Viola! You’ve finished and it’s now time to display your talents! No matter where you choose to display your board, it’s sure to draw attention. We opted to hang our board on the wall so it can be seen from every room of the house, it’s really a main focal point for our space and we LOVE it. To hang your board on the wall, we would suggest using surfboard mounts like these ones to show it off. Another option is to simply prop it up against the wall (just try to have it in a low trafficked area so it does not get knocked over).
And… that’s a wrap! Yes, pun intended. We hope you love your new Rope-Wrapped Surfboard and enjoy showing it off for years to come.
To see our Rope Surfboard in action take a look at our post Creating a Relaxed Beach Inspired Living Room
