Used skateboards are getting to be quite a commodity. It used to be you were a poser if you just carried your skateboard instead of riding it. Now I feel like poser because I’m not making stuff out of old skateboards. Art of Board recycles skateboards for furniture and a bunch of other vague things that they don’t really explain, other than to say that they provide commercial/residential interiors, retail environments, display and design, furniture and artwork. They are launching a program called I Ride. I Recycle. to collect boards for recycling at skateshops across the country. UPDATE: Art of Board answers some of your questions:
– Thanks to Rick MacDonald for the tip.
I got an email from Bruce Boul at ART OF BOARD/I RIDE I RECYCLE. He responded to some of the questions and concerns from our comments.
First, we are all skaters ourselves and have been skating since the late 1980s. We’re not just some trendy company cashing in on skateboard culture because we think it’s cool.
Second, we only use BROKEN decks. We would never cut something up that could still be skated. We saw a lot of skaters and shop owners just throwing the broken decks away and figured we could make things out of them. The cool thing is that we leave every scratch in tact, so every piece we create is a tribute to the many skaters who used the decks.
Thirdly, we create wall tile surfaces, kitchen backsplashes, display design for retail stores and skate shops and furniture.
Lastly, we give back to every skateshop and skater that donates a broken deck. Skaters receive gift certificates to their local shops and we give product to the shop owners. We also donate a portion of our proceeds to the Tony Hawk Foundation, Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark, Skatepark of Tampa and many others, as well as other charities.
I hope this clears things up. If you’re interested in getting involved, please hit us up!
10 comments
Michel
Dude, I always have 2-3 old decks in my trunk ready to be given away, yet, I still have enough for my art…It seems a lot of guys get rid of boards that are still very ridable. when i told my skate buddies about my art thing, some of then had stacks of decks in the closet…there seem to be enough for all…
mezmer
I saw a kid ripping at the park yesterday. He was riding a board that the nose & tail were pretty much ground down to nothing. Went to the trunk & gave him a slightly used old deck that I had kept as a spare. I would rather help out a kid in need. Skateboarding is about community & helping each other out.
Michel
Enough crying about the “hand me down” thing, I saw a report on our local “recycling decks for poor kids” community thing…he had a shoulder high stacks of old decks and cases of wheels and truck. I mean it’s ok to hang decks on walls as art pieces but once you start cutting ’em up in furniture it’s all wrong ??
Bruce Boul
This is Bruce from Art of Board. I appreciate everyone’s comments, but just want to clarify some things. First, we are all skaters ourselves and been skating since the late 1980s. We’re not just some trendy company cashing in on skateboard culture because we think it’s cool.
Second, we only use BROKEN decks. We would never cut something up that could still be skated. We saw a lot of skaters and shop owners just throwing the broken decks away and figured we could make things out of them. The cool thing is that we leave every scratch in tact, so every piece we create is a tribute to the many skaters who used the decks.
Thirdly, we create wall tile surfaces, kitchen backsplashes, display design for retail stores and skate shops and furniture.
Lastly, we give back to every skateshop and skater that donates a broken deck. Skaters receive gift certificates to their local shops and we give product to the shop owners. We also donate a portion of our proceeds to the Tony Hawk Foundation, Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark, Skatepark of Tampa and many others, as well as other charities.
I hope this clears things up. If you’re interested in getting involved, please hit us up!
conahan
Of course you
great
this is great. I don’t understand what everyone is upset about. If your board isn’t cracked or broken or pass it down (or just keep riding it). Then when the kid you passed it down to finally breaks it, they can turn it in.
If it its broken, cracked, etc pass it on to these guys. I think its great that someone is doing something the broken decks. And giving them free building supplies is better than adding more crap to the landfill.
…I don’t know about you guys but I feel terrible that I used to go through a board every 2 weeks and a pair of shoes once a month. Skateboarding is fun but what a waste of resources.
conahan
I was put off by this too. I love how providing a business with free material is really recycling. Cutting old skateboards into tiny squares seems like latent hostility toward skaterboarders. Then again, I have been making stuff out of my old skateboards instead of passing them on. The kids probably wouldn’t be caught dead on one of my old pointy-nosed or coffin shaped decks though.
JM
Well, it says they use broken decks. Let’s hope so for the future of hand me down mankind!
JM
Great no more hand me downs, let’s make furniture. Why not put trucks & wheels on them too, then no one poor can skate or learn on hand me Down anything. Buy new, or only a target or wallmart “killer board” that really sucks. Get laughed at etc. All because of stupid skate trendy furniture. I won’t give my skateable board for that, there is a kid that needs it & would be stoked even if it didn’t have much nose left.
Cutting those down for new shapes to ride would be better. Profile that company or invent it.
colinwalshrules
board of art