How to Wax Your Surfboard

JUMP TO: THE BASICS | PREPPING YOUR BOARD | THE APPLICATION | WAX MAINTENANCE  | SUMMARY

Author: Julianne Greco | Updated: Jan 28, 2024
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As a surfer, there’s nothing worse than getting out to the lineup and going for a wave only to realize you’ve got a botched wax job. Whether you’re getting chafed by dirty and abrasive wax or you’re skating off your board because you didn’t build your bumps up enough, you’re going to suffer the consequences if you don’t have a good wax situation going on. 

It’s not just annoying to slip and miss a maneuver, let alone the whole wave. Given all the moving parts involved in surfing, from the waves to rocks and reefs below to other surfers to the board itself, it can be really dangerous to slide off-board. Take Billabong Pro Pipeline champ Moana Jones Wong for instance. The Hawaiian surfer has admitted to knocking herself out and tearing her MCL on two separate occasions due to not waxing her board, both times just on three-foot waves.

Surfboards are slippery things. On the most watered-down level, they are foam wrapped in fiberglass, finished off with resin. Wax is needed to create a solid amount of traction and grip on your surfboard. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to achieve the perfect wax job, so wax won't be the thing you blame for future wipeouts.

THE BASICS

There are heaps of different kinds of surf wax out there. But they all aim to fulfill the same core function:creating the optimum level of grip on the board's deck. Different waxes are made from different base materials in differing levels of hardness: the one that provides optimal grip varies depending on local conditions.

TYPES OF WAX: Surfboard wax comes in many different kinds, each designed for specific water temperatures or coat levels. Most brands have anywhere from three to eight different waxes in a given line, each block encompassing a different range.

Brands will typically provide recommended water temperature levels on their product packaging. The degree ranges can vary from brand to brand, but here’s a general breakdown.

• Cold: 59° and below

• Cool: 59°-68°

• Warm: 64°-74°

• Tropical: 75° and up

Check out our guide to the best surf wax for a much more in-depth look at how to find the surf wax to suit your surfing needs.

PREPPING YOUR BOARD

If you’ve got a pristine new beautiful board from the shaper, then you can skip this section or just save the info for future reference. Later, we’ll get into how to maintain your wax job when you’ve already got a good amount of wax applied on the board. But first, let’s go over how to start with a clean slate if you’ve got yourself a secondhand board with wax already on it, or dirty and old wax that needs a refresh. 

GATHER TOOLS: Before diving into the waxing process, there are a few things besides just the wax that will help you out.

• Wax comb or scraper

• Old credit card or plastic bottle cap (not required, but handy)

• Wax remover or flour

• Old rag or paper towel

CLEAN YOUR BOARD: Regularly removing old wax serves multiple purposes beyond promoting a smooth application. It allows you to inspect the board for potential cracks and dings hidden beneath the wax, which could slowly let water in. Additionally, as wax ages, it can become sharp and uncomfortable to lie on, especially if you've built up layers over time. Plus, there’s an ick factor: brown and gray wax may indicate a mix of old dirt, sand, and who knows what else. For all these reasons, we’re fans of welcoming each surf season with a fresh coat of wax.

• Leave the board face up in the sun or use a hair dryer to loosen up old wax. 

• Note: It’s really not good for your surfboard to leave it for extended periods in the sun. Carefully monitor the wax’s softness so as to not damage your equipment and turn your board yellow. On a hot day in Bali, it takes under three minutes of sun time for us to loosen the wax up for removal. Be warned, you can go from soft to melting quite quickly. You don’t want the wax ‘too’ melted because then it gets slimy and messy.

• Once the wax is soft, use a wax comb or scraper to gently lift the wax off the board. For efficiency, go the length of the board and start rolling the heated wax into a ball.

• When the wax is off, you’ll be left with a residual layer that doesn’t come off so easily with your scraper or comb.

• You can consider using a surfboard wax removal product for a more thorough clean, however, from our experience these products are unnecessary and you can usually just use what you have around the house.

• If not using a wax removal product, our favorite hack is to sprinkle on some flour and then scrape off that residual wax with an old plastic bottle cap or credit card.

• Wipe the little blots of remaining wax away with an old rag or paper towel so you don’t keep spreading it around.

• Rinse off and voila, your board will feel squeaky clean.

THE APPLICATION

There are so many methods out there for how to apply surf wax, but we believe in keeping it simple and doing the least amount of work for maximum performance. Because trust us, we’ve done the whole fancy, aesthetic wax pattern thing. While it looks cool, it’s way more work than it’s worth and we’d rather spend that saved time surfing.

BASECOAT: Similar to temperature classifications, the majority of wax brands offer particular waxes designated as basecoats. The basecoat is true to its name and serves as the first, harder layer of wax for your board.

• The basecoat creates the foundation for your wax bumps and you can leave it on for an extended time.

• Hold the wax firmly, but don’t push hard because if you have light glassing you could pressure ding your board. Only apply as much pressure as is required for the wax to start transferring to the board.

• Form a criss-cross pattern with intersecting lines about every 2-3 inches and continue to build those lines up by applying the wax in long, even strokes.

• Fill in the gaps using a circular pattern.

• Confused when to stop? Run your hand over the surfboard’s deck to check if the surface still feels slippery. Keep going until you feel uniform traction.

• You’ll see more advanced surfers waxing the full length of their boards. Longboarders and more retro-style mid-length riders surf walk their boards from tail to nose, while pro performance surfers need a fully waxed face to do aerials. For everyone else, you can just wax under where your chest is when paddling, making sure you’ve waxed where your hands will be on the pop-up, and for duckdiving, down to the tail or tailpad if you have one.

TOPCOAT: Once you’ve got a basecoat, you have a foundational level of wax that the softer topcoat can stick to for extra grip. 

• Select a topcoat wax that complements the base coat and suits the water temperature.

• Using a circular motion, apply a layer of the topcoat over the basecoat and be amazed as gorgeous mounds form.

• Check the board for uniform coverage and fill in any gaps you may have missed, especially around the tail area where you’ll spend the most time on your feet, it’s as easy as that.

• Note: Certain waxes, such as Sex Wax, can be applied for both the base and topcoat in a single application. If you're using this type of wax, follow the steps outlined in the basecoat section of this guide using the same wax bar.

WAX MAINTENANCE

The more time wax spends in water, the more itloses its tackiness and melts off. It also tends to melt off if you accidentally leave your board somewhere with direct sun exposure for too long. 

ROUTINE CHECKS AND TOUCH UPS: Generally, you will want to reapply a fresh topcoat to your surfboard every 1-3 sessions to enhance your grip. 

• Make it a habit to regularly check your board’s wax condition. Touch up any areas with your topcoat bar where the wax might be wearing thin to maintain optimal traction.

• Pro tip: If you’re happy with the level of existing wax thickness but it doesn’t feel grippy enough, use a wax comb in a circular motion to roughen up the wax and increase traction by bringing fresh wax to the surface. This will save you from buying bar after bar of wax.

• Another pro tip: If you’re in the situation we described where you’re in the water and your board feels too slippery, you can carefully and gently use your fingernails in place of a wax comb or rub sand on your board’s wax for extra grip

• If you notice excess wax buildup or if the wax is getting old, go back to the “CLEAN YOUR BOARD” section of this guide

• After each surf, rinse your board with fresh water to remove salt, sand, and other debris. This helps prolong the life of your wax job and keeps your board in top condition.

BOARD STORAGE: Where you keep your board affects the wax.

• Put your surfboard in a cool, shaded area 

• For storage specifically, keeping surfboards inside away from the elements will help extend their lives

• Avoid exposure to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures, as this can cause the wax to melt or deteriorate. This also means not leaving your board on really hot surfaces.

SUMMARY

Just like learning to surf, learning to wax a surfboard involves a bit of a learning curve. But mastering the art of a good wax job is not only deeply satisfying in its own right, it will improve your overall surf experience and the longevity of your board. 

With a little practice and by following this guide, you’ll be on your way to getting the perfect grip, every time!

MORE INFORMATION

If you loved this article, then you'll likely love dipping into some of our other surfing content:

• Best Surfboards

• Best Beginner Surfboards

• Best Soft Top Surfboards

• Best Surfboard Traction Pads

• Best Surfboard Bags

• Best Surf Booties

Or check out our entire list of Gear Reviews, Knowledge Base Articles, or Destination Guides for more surfing and outdoors related content.