ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

So, over on Twitter the other day, @messymagazine* asked me if we had any ideas about how to reuse old skate decks. I tossed the question out to our followers, and the wonderful stream of ideas that came back was enough to inspire me to put together a post. Consider this the first of what I hope will be many “How To Reuse…” columns.

*(That’d be Messy Magazine, an independent art/literary/DIY/music/photography/etc zine outta Cleveland, OH)

How To Reuse Skate Decks

A skate deck is the “board” part of a skateboard. According to Wikipedia,

“Most decks are constructed with a seven to nine-ply cross-laminated layup of Canadian maple. Other materials used in deck construction, such as fiberglass, bamboo, resin, Kevlar, carbon fiber, aluminum, and plastic, lighten the board or increase its strength or rigidity. Some decks made from maple ply are dyed to create various different coloured ply. Modern decks vary in size, but most are 7 to 10.5 inches wide. Wider decks can be used for greater stability when transition or ramp skating. Skateboard decks are usually between 28 and 33 inches long.”

Decks are flattish but not completely flat, and most have a kicktail that turns up at each end of the board.

So how do you reuse these often lovingly decorated objects? Here’s one idea. Read past the fold for many more.

1. A glass-topped coffee table provides a clear view to the decorated skateboards that make up its base. From the “Skate Furniture” gallery at Skateboardpark.com.

2. Etsy user boardgames‘ baby seat, made from an old skateboard, gives new meaning to the term “deck chair.”

3. Meg Grogan of Skate Dog Studios makes elevated dog food and water bowls from skate decks:

4. Hard to see in this image, but the tabletop is skate decks covered in glass, and the bench seat is made of skateboards, too. (Thanks, @Domirillo!)

5. Personal adornments. @Melvis74 says she’s made jewelry, belt buckles, and ornaments from used decks. Here’s one example of a skate deck pendant:

And here’s a skateboard ring from sevenply on Etsy. Try an Etsy search for “recycled skateboard jewelry.”

6. Mary & Matt used to make a skate deck chalkboard:

7. Also from skateboardpark.com, a set of skate deck bookshelves:

8. Hairpin legs provide an easy way to turn a used deck into a bench. (Tutorial available here.)

9. Becky New York City makes a range of handbags and other accessories integrating reclaimed skateboard parts:

10. A single skateboard, halved, makes a handy wall-mounted shelf:

Other ideas:

* A staircase
* Hang them on the walls as art
* Exterior shingles, if you have enough
* And last but not least, @shopdomestica suggests: “Pass it on. Spark the love in a kid who might not otherwise afford one.”

Is there another material you’d like to see a ‘How To Reuse…’ round-up on? Drop me a line and let me know.