How to hang a skateboard deck on the wall (without ruining the wall or the deck)

A skateboard deck is one of the easiest pieces of art to hang badly. It's tall, it's narrow, it curves at both ends, and the moment it's a few degrees off level the whole wall looks wrong. Here's how to do it properly, whether it's one of ours or a deck you've had in the garage for years.

Three ways to mount a deck

A hidden mount is the cleanest. It's a small bracket that screws to the wall and locates in the deck's truck holes, so from the front the deck appears to float a few millimetres off the wall with nothing visible around it. This is what we ship with every Ink on Deck board, and it's what you'll see in galleries and shops. It needs a drill, two screws and about ten minutes.

Deck hooks are a pair of rubber-coated arms that the deck rests in horizontally, like a surfboard rack. Quick to fit, easy to swap decks in and out, but the hooks are visible and they're really meant for horizontal display.

A rail or picture ledge works if you want several decks in a row and don't mind them leaning rather than hanging. It's the least secure option and the deck can slide, so it's better for a shelf display than a hallway.

Fitting a hidden mount

Decide on height first. For a single deck, the middle of the deck at eye level — about 150 to 160 cm from the floor to the centre — is the usual gallery rule and it works for decks too. Beside a door or in a hallway you can go a touch higher.

Use the paper template. Ours is a full-size outline of the deck with the two screw holes marked, so you tape it to the wall, step back, check it's where you want it, then drill through the marks. If you're mounting a deck that didn't come with a template, measure the truck holes on the deck (the standard “new school” pattern is 2.125" by 1.625") and mark them on the wall.

Check level before you drill the second hole. A tall deck exaggerates any error: 2 mm out over the width of the mount becomes a visible lean over 80 cm of deck. Use a small spirit level on the template, or a phone level app.

Plasterboard is fine. A deck weighs around a kilo, so standard plasterboard plugs hold it comfortably — you don't need to find a stud. On solid brick or block, use a masonry bit and wall plugs.

Hanging a set of three

With a triptych the gap matters as much as the level. Ours are designed for a 25 mm gap so the image runs through, and the template supplied positions all three mounts in one go. If you're doing it without a template, hang the centre deck first, then measure out from its edges and use the level across the tops of all three.

Where decks work best

The tall shape suits places a frame won't: the wall beside a door, a landing, the gap between two windows, a narrow chimney breast, above a radiator (decks don't mind the warmth the way canvas can). Above a sofa or bed, hang a deck sideways or go for a set of three. Avoid direct, all-day sunlight on any printed art; our decks are UV-laminated, but a north-facing wall will keep the colours punchier for longer.

Ready to hang one? Every deck in the Ink on Deck range ships with the hidden mount, fixings and template in the box.