+ Restoration Tricks and Tips

 How do I remove griptape, stickers and sticker residue ?

"When trying to remove grip tape, instead of using the hair dryer method, I've found that it's very easy to just use a wide, flat razor blade (the one I use is in one of those little flat retractable janitor gadgets) to sort of get under it between the tape and the deck. I was apprehensive about trying this at first because I figured that it would scratch or gouge the deck, but if you slide the blade in and under at the proper angle, it'll come loose easy as pie with no damage to the wood, maybe a little paint lost depending on the strength of the adhesive, but that happens when removing grip tape anyway. Once you've got a big enough piece to get a good grip on, you can just pull away to your hearts content. After this, remove sticker residue."

...More on removing griptape residue...." To remove grip tape residue after peeling the griptape off, use Goo Gone (it comes in a little clear plastic squeeze bottle, about the size of a bottle of suntan lotion, and the Goo Gone itself has a clear yellow color, not unlike pee pee. It smells like citrus though, not piss.) Do NOT use Goof Off, which comes in a yellow can. Goof Off is too hard core and will eat through everything. I've heard that Goo Gone can take off paint too, so be careful with it, but I haven't had any problems with that yet, but I don't let it soak in very long (15-30 seconds) before scrubbing. To scrub at it, use the green abrasive side of one of those green and yellow kitchen scrub sponges. When using the green and yellow kitchen sponges, (I happened to find some at the store that were something like 3" x 6", a little larger than I had ever seen or expected to find), it helps to cut them into strips about 3/4"-1" wide, cutting parallel to the shorter side of the sponge. You can use all of the green area this way, just sort of curling it around your finger, moving it a little down the line each time it gets all gunked up and useless. Otherwise, it's difficult to take advantage of all of the surface area of the green scouring side, especially the parts in the middle of the sponge, since they're not all that pliable when the yellow side is dry. I have cut a few down into more manageable sizes, but cutting them is entirely up to you. Also, buy more sponges than you think you'll need. I used every bit of two 3" x 6" sponges on the top of the white Grosso, and that didn't have all that much grip goop on it to mess with. If you do not wind up using them to remove grip tape, you can still use them in your kitchen. I know your kitchen is dirty. Do not use the gunked up slimy sponges in your kitchen. That would be gross. Orange flavored booger slime on your countertop, pots, pans, etc. will revolt the ladies... When scrubbing, I just scrub with a little pressure in circles until the gunk starts to come off. Different grip tapes seem to have different kinds of adhesives which react to this in different ways. Some types will leave the residue resembling a particularly slimy booger, and I usually wind up rubbing/peeling it off by hand. It's a pain in the ass, but much better than having a booger deck. Other adhesive types will ball up in little rubbery chunks, like crumbs from a rubber eraser. These are easy to get off, just wipe them off the deck or blow them off. You'll have to pick the crud out of your green scouring pad regularly either way to ensure further abrasiveness.

Make sure that you get all of the adhesive off, sometimes it can seem like it's all off but it really isn't, and you'll have to do all this again. It should be pretty easy to tell when the wood is totally clear of crud, if it's smooth to the touch, you're good to go, but if there's still some texture to the surface, it probably isn't finished.

Do this in an area with good lighting so you can see where the Goo Gone has run (it seems to really want to spread itself out and end up in strange places, so be careful and wipe up any excess to prevent accidental ruining of paint.) I haven't had any problems with it in a less than well ventilated area either, no headaches or contact buzzes. It smells good, so it doesn't have the same problem as eucalyptis oil does.

I'd try this out in a small, out of the way sample spot just to make sure that it won't ruin the paint underneath. I've heard others have problems with Goo Gone eating paint, but I haven't seen it firsthand. You're going to have sticky hands that smell like citrus after you're finished, so plan accordingly. It's a pain in the ass to wash the residue off, and I've found that you can wash all you want for some effect, but you really just wind up having to let it wear off. "

"To remove stickers the key is going slowly and with heat. Take a blow dryer and set it to high heat. Blow the sticker with the heat for a good minute or more until you're able to peel up the edge with your finger nail. Now SLOWLY peel and keep heating. It's OK to start and stop as the blowdryer begins to burn the flesh from your hands a la "Gom jabar" in Dune. If you're very careful you'll get the sticker off and the paint will still be on your board. Typically the older the board, the more likely some of the paint from the graphic will come with it. Sad but true. If the sticker is over a blank area of stained wood, then don't hesitate... rip that puppy off. Inevitably you're left with a sticky mess that collects dirt. To remove that sticky mess many people have used different techniques from using a razor blade to slowly scraping it away, lighter fluid, and organic oils. I've found a product called "Goo Gone" that works well. The one precaution I mention with goo-gone is that it may smear the graphics on your board if you leave it on for too long. If you're new to goo-gone, then go slowly. Soak a paper towel or rag and rub at the sticky mess until it cleans up. As you're cleaning, the goo will typically turn into a snot-like mess. Be sure to get rid of it right away so you don't end up getting it somewhere else like the cats' tail. If you're comfortable with goo-gone or just wanting to experiment on a deck you don't care about, then literally soak (one good squirt) the sticky area with goo gone. Try to keep it isolated to the sticky area and away from the graphics. I use my finger and rub it in a bit until I can get it worked in well. Once it's well worked in, wipe it away. Repeat this process until you've removed all of the sticky residue. If you do it carefully you can remove the goo and leave the graphics completely intact. When it comes to the top of a deck and trying to remove griptape residue... I just soak the hell out of the stuff. I've tried going slow but it's the top of the deck.... nobody's going to see that so any paint smudging will never be seen. Trust me, the amount of sticky crap left behind from grip tape can be the equivalent of a 1000 stickers. Soak the hell out of the thing and then begin carefully scraping it all off with a flat trowel. As with any hazardous material, Goo gone should only be used in a well ventilated area under adult supervision. It smells very strongly of oranges but don't let that fool you... you can get a monster headache if you use it for too long in an enclosed area that's not ventilated well enough."

It took some big-time convincing from your friend and mine from Down Under, big.kahuna. The answer is, without a doubt, absolutely, no questions asked: Eucalyptus Oil I thought this stuff would be impossible to find here in the Southern California, but Kahuna told me to check with a pharmacist. He was right. The pharmacist at a Sav-On was able to special order it and i had within a day. It was a little costly at $11 for a bottle, but worth every penny. Walgreens can special order it as well. The key to eucaluptus oil, is to do small bits at a time. you dont want to leave it sitting on the graphics (well i never have... but i just dont want to risk it, so ive never tried just pouring it over the board. but on other things... like chest of draws, and my car, i have, and it hasnt hurt the finish in anyway). so put it on the rag. a clean rag (make sure you have a LOTS of clean rags) is a must. yeah. put a decent amount of eucalyptus oil on a small spot on the rag, until its pretty damp (only in the spot). then put it on the sticker goop, hold it there for a couple of seconds, and then wipe off the goo. it wont come off all at once, youll just smear off the top most gunk... dont worry about the smearing onto other 'clean' bits of the deck. that comes off very easily later. then get another clean bit in our rag, tip some oil onto it, and do it again. hold the moist bit of rag on the goop for a bit, and then wipe it off. eay. just keep doing it until you are back at the graphics, and its not sticky any more. Easy peasy. The three rules of using eucalyptus oil are: dont leave the oil sitting on the deck for too long, do small sections at a time, dont rub too hard. that will destroy anything, no matter what you use. As for the topside of the deck, eucalyptus oil rocks... you can just go crazy there. pour it on and give is about a minute to soak into the glue, and to break it down. and then wipe/smear it off very firmly. but make sure you plug the holes in your deck so it doesnt run through and damage the underside while youre working on the topside. I am just overly cautious with the graphics side, but you really can go nuts on the topside. I followed Kahuna's instructions and the stuff works flawlessly. The best part is that it does not harm the paint, silkscreen, graphic, etc. It seems programmed for residue removal. It is strong smelling, so you want to use it in a garage or outdoors, but that's no big deal. Some people have reported that it will take a graphic off too, but not if done correctly…ie. Do not drown the area in oil. Just for the record: I have tried Goof-Off (harms graphic), Un-Do (milder but not as effective), gasoline (obvious drawbacks), you name it. Once I finally got it through my thick skull to try Eucalyptus Oil, I have seen the light. It will work. I promise...and it won't harm the board at all.

PEANUT BUTTER!!! It really works... Most people don't believe me, until they try it. Alot of people won't even try it, it because they're in denial. For instance, you just removed a "Disco rules" sticker from your favorite 70's deck. And you have this gray sticky film left on your deck. Apply some peanut butter & take a Paper Towel. And start rubbing,and rub, and rub,and rub, it may take alot of elbow greese. But Shit!!
The sticky goo is disapearing and your paint or graphics on the board is not harmed in any way. What do you think of that!!

first step in getting the grip off, is blasting it with a hair dryer. or put some damp cloth over it and go over it with an iron set to 'linen' (or what ever is hotter than that)... that will melt the glue, and then once the glue melts, you just peel it off.

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