How to Fix Snowboard Scratches

While barreling down the mountain on a snowboard, it's inevitable that sooner or later you’ll run something over—tree roots, rocks or debris—that will gouge a nice chunk out of the bottom of your board. A season’s worth of hard riding can leave a board with all sorts of grooves and holes scooped out of the plastic base called p-tex. If not repaired, the damage contributes to increased drag and resistance that slows you down. Fortunately, patching those divots requires little more than a few basic tools and some time.

Things You'll Need

  • Dry cloth or clean rag
  • Razor blade
  • Sandpaper (medium and fine grit)
  • Sanding block
  • Brand new hot glue gun that uses glue sticks/candles.
  • P-tex repair candles
  • Piece of plastic or metal similar to a playing card
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Instructions

    • 1

      Create a clean divot to be filled with hot p-tex by cutting or carefully sanding away any burrs of damaged plastic with a sharp razor blade or fine sandpaper. Remove any frayed, studded, raised or jagged edges of plastic that may be balled up and lightly sand down rough areas. For shallow grooves too deep to be remedied with normal waxing, slice out a trough from the base and remove the damaged area to assure the new p-tex fills and adheres properly.

    • 2

      Remove all wax, dirt and debris from the area to be repaired. Be sure the groove, hole or scratches where the board base is damaged is wiped clean so that the application of new p-tex will form a strong bond with the existing p-tex.

    • 3

      Using the hot glue gun with a p-tex candle, slowly squeeze the melted plastic into the divot, filling it to a level a wee bit higher than that of the existing base. A flat piece of plastic or metal the size of a playing card can be used to lightly press down upon the fresh bead of hot p-tex to help fill the grooves and scratches.

    • 4

      Allow the freshly applied p-tex time to dry and thoroughly cool to room temperature.

    • 5

      Wrap a quarter-sheet square of medium grit sandpaper around a sanding block and sand the newly applied p-tex to the same level as the existing base.

    • 6

      Replace the medium grit sandpaper with a piece of fine grit and finish the job by sanding the patch to a smooth, polished level carefully blended with the surrounding base of the board. A professional patch will be hard to feel as you slide your fingertips over the repaired area.