08/01/2020

So you've finally purchased some skateboard veneer and want to know how to store it to keep it fresh?! You've come to the right place.

Skateboard veneer for custom skateboards leaves our factory at 7-9% Moisture content.  This is the ideal percentage for skateboard laminations.  This is a commonly overlooked step when purchasing veneer as most of us don't have a moisture meter.  Have you ever purchased from another supplier and found that the plys were wavy/bowed, similar to a wavy potato chip or sandles you left out in the sun? It's likely that supplier has stored the veneer in the open of their warehouse and the spikes of relative humidity caused shrinking and expanding of the veneer.  This is bad practice.  Here at Empire Skateboard Manufacturing we've taken this seriously.  We store all our veneer in climate controlled rooms that were developed to maintain the veneer at the perfect moisture content. The temperature and humidity are monitored and recorded with proprietary software.

So now that we've explained what we do on our end, lets talk about your side.  There are a few solid options you can do to not only save money but protect the moisture content of your veneer as well.  

Cost Effective Storage of Skate veneer

80ga. Rolls of Shrink Wrap

For smaller quantity storage of skateboard veneer this is the most economical and best way to wrap your skateboard veneer. We recommend wrapping the veneer End to End and then wrapping the length of the sheet. Going "long ways" starting from the tail to the nose, will act as another barrier for moisture. You reinforce that barrier with the horizontal wrapping afterwards to really seal the veneer in. This method is great and would be a great storage method for the cost.

Other things to consider

We strongly suggest not storing in a place that stays damp, such as a basement. The fluctuations in RH can really cause issues with the flatness of your veneer. On the other side, never store it somewhere HOT. Garages, unless climate controlled, can be just as bad as the basement. A great place to store veneer is away from sun and in a cool, dry place. We have a couple consistent orders from Costa Rica and they store the veneer in a dark cool place and have had great success. When they were starting out they opened a 10 pack a year later and everything was still flat! That goes to show how shrink wrap and cool storage can keep things quality.