Plan your skatepark

Skatelite - super strong, fast and grippy - is trusted by pros, elite action sports camps and competitions from smaller community comps all the way up to the X-Games, Street League and Olympic training grounds. Smooth, resilient and durable, Skatelite ramp surfaces cover premium skate, bmx, inline and scooter parks, ramps and features, indoors and outdoors. We've put together a simple guide with everything you need to plan, build, buy and maintain your next project.

Choosing your ramp surface

Skatelite is often compared to tempered hardboard, plywood, composite laminates and concrete and can be installed on wooden or metal frames. A premium product, it comes with a lifetime warranty, low maintenance and great riding experience. Indoors it can be painted over to create a consistent look with concrete features, or stand out as a rideable art installation. Outdoors unlike conventional surfaces, Skatelite doesn't need to be replaced annually and stands the test of time with a lifetime limited warranty. You can learn more about some environmental considerations comparing Wood/Skatelite to Concrete skateparks. Skatelite Pro comes in three earthy colours - Natural, R50 and Slate. For indoors, Skatelite Traxion has a special honeycomb texture one side for better grip.

Park planning

Skatelite can clad pretty much any action sports feature. Using a reputable, experienced builder will deliver lasting quality, and they can consult with the local community to help create a park that works well for everyone. If you have a big project planned but are unsure of who to speak to, get in touch.

Surface Matter supply Skatelite and are not a skatepark manufacturer, ramp builder, installer or distributor of ramp plans. Skatelite is warranted by Richlite for Manufacturers defects. 

When it comes to smaller backyard minis and kicker ramps, you can buy sheets online. Use the ramp plan from Skatelite to build a kicker ramp with just one sheet of Skatelite. If you need larger sizes, sheets pre-drilled or cut down for easier shipping, get in touch.

Build your skate ramp

Skatelite should be pre-drilled with 6mm countersink holes for all of the screw holes. Fasten the sheets every 200mm in the sheet and along the perimeter with good quality exterior-grade wood screws. At least a 12mm substrate should be used, but 18mm (two layers of 9mm) will perform better. Using pressure treated or marine plywood is recommended as substrate, and you can add a weather resistant paint or tar paper to help protect the wood from the elements, preserving the life of your ramp structure. 

Positioning of the studs in the timber framing can help align to the fixings to the sheet, and allows the substrate to run perpendicular to Skatelite, alternating seams of the substrate and Skatelite to balance weight, traffic and better protection of the substrate against weather.

When fixing, you want to make sure all screws fasten to the frame of the ramp, not just into the substrate. Allow a 4mm gap between sheets to allow for expansion. Screws should be drilled in at a straight 90-degree angle into pre-drilled holes. Biting into the material can damage the sheet.

On transitions, fasten in a pattern running up three screw holes from the bottom 2 centre with perimeter holes filled to the centre height, going up the sheet. This helps protect the screws from breaking through the sheet from too much tension in one area.

Watch for tips and tricks to use when installing Skatelite on your skateramp from Danny Way. From framing and substrates, to drilling holes for countersink screws, cutting, edge protection and laying down the sheets.

Keep it looking better, for longer

If a chip happens you can use a 2-part epoxy to skim over the damaged area and prevent further flaking or chipping out. If a large chunk is taken out, you can remove and replace a section rather than the full sheet. Generally Skatelite can be maintained by sweeping away any dust, dirt or leaves, and mopping away any puddles, spills or pools of water with a squeegee. For unwanted grafitti, acetone is safe to use on Skatelite. Indoors Traxion offers better grip, some people also add cola to keep things from getting too slick. 

Steve Caballero shows how to clean Skatelite with a pressure washer when it's really grimy. 

For stubborn Graffiti, this video shows removing spray paint from Skatelite with Acetone and a random orbital sander. Be careful sanding Skatelite as you don't wan't to polish the surface or make an excessively rough patch.

Material Rescue

Old Skatelite sheets can be used to clad other parts, cut out to replace small patches rather than whole sheets. Once drilled, Skatelite can be moved to a new ramp again and again. If you're after rescued sheets or have worn out, rusty, or damaged Skatelite and want to keep it out of landfill, get in touch.