How to wax your surfboard
October 24, 2025Waxing your surfboard is a fundamental part of preparing your board before hitting the waves. But why do surfers wax their boards and how do they achieve those perfect bumps? Get your board and a wax bar and let's get started!
When you started surfing, you probably borrowed your friend's high-volume foamie or rented a soft top from your surf instructor. At that time, waxing wasn't a concern. But once you step up your surfing game and get your first hard board, new or second-hand, it's time to learn about surf wax.
Psst! Check out this blog post where we walk you through how to remove wax from your surfboard.
Why do you wax a surfboard?
So, the obvious first questions that pop up in your mind right now are probably “why should I wax my surfboard?” and “do surfboards need wax?” and those are great questions! The surface on a PU or Epoxy board differs from the soft top you're used to surfing on. These hard boards have slippery surfaces that require some sort of grip. Can you guess what we might use for that? That's right; wax.
The surfboard wax will provide grip for your feet to stay on the board as you're riding the waves. You will find it much easier to stand firm and paddle out. The wax might make the difference between catching the best waves of the day and doing a not-so-cool wipeout.
You have probably seen some surfers who have a tracing pad on the tail of their surfboards too. The pad provides a grip for the back foot, but even with a tracing pad, you still need to wax the rest of the board.
How, where and when should you wax your surfboard?
So now that we know the why, let's get into the how, where, and when. Waxing the board is an easy process once you know what you're doing, so let's get into it. We’ll walk you through:
Preparation
What do you need to wax your board?
Which type of wax do you need?
Waxing the board
Wax the surfboard step by step
How much wax do you need and where should you apply it?
How often should you wax your surfboard?
Preparation – What do you need to wax your board?
Let's do this step by step, shall we? We’re starting with prepping the board for the wax. Give the board a quick clean, decide which type of wax you need for the board and start working on those sweet wax bumps that provide you with that good grip.
Here’s what you need to wax your surfboard:
Your cleaned-up surfboard
A basecoat wax
A topcoat wax that is specific for the water temperature
Some prefer to use a wax comb when applying wax, but it's not necessary
Which wax type should you pick?
When choosing the right wax for your board, there are a few different aspects to consider. Which brands you prefer, your budget and the temperature of the water are the main things to think about. We also recommend looking for eco-friendly wax at a local surf shop. You’ll need two kinds of wax: a basecoat and a topcoat.
The basecoat will provide exactly what its name suggests: a solid base. This wax should be the foundational layer that the topcoat will stick to and should be a harder wax than the topcoat. The basecoat wax is a standard one and can be used in different temperatures.
The topcoat, however, needs to be specific for the water temperature that you will be surfing in. A rule of thumb for a topcoat is to use a softer wax in colder waters and a harder wax in warmer waters. Different brands have different temperature scales, but the table below provides a general guideline when choosing a suitable topcoat wax.
Unlike the basecoat wax, the topcoat should be reapplied before every surf session.
Waxing your surfboard step-by-step
Want to get those perfect bumps? Here's how you do it:
Wax with the Cross-hatching technique
There are many different techniques to follow when waxing your surfboard, and cross-hatching is probably the most commonly used one. It’s a fast way to get the wax nicely stuck on the board and it's very simple. The crisscross pattern will serve as a grid for applying the rest of the wax.
Step 1. Put your board down on a flat and soft surface, so that you won't damage the bottom of the board, with the deck facing up.
Step 2. Clean the board. Before you start adding the wax to your board, give it a quick wipe-down to remove dust and dirt from the surface. Even if the board is brand new, it's a good idea to give it a quick clean-up. You can use a cloth and some cleaning spray for glasses or just an old T-shirt. This quick clean will help the wax stick to the board better.
Step 3. Starting with the base coat, you draw diagonal lines with the corner of your wax bar. You can do this in two different ways:
A: from the rails on one side to the rails on the other at roughly a 45° angle. You make the lines from the tale of the board and as far as you need it to be (as far as you’ll put your feet while surfing), in our example we go all the way to the nose.
B: You can also make the lines half the board at a time, drawing diagonal lines from the rails on one side to the stringer in the middle. And then do the same procedure on the other side. It's up to you and what you prefer. Just remember to keep the lines close together.
Step 4. Then you draw lines again, from the opposite side of the tale, making the lines crisscross and diamond shapes appear.
Step 5. Now you’ll go over the crisscross pattern with the bar, in circular motions or back and forth.
Some surfers take the wax from side to side and then lengthways, and finish up by making circular motions at the end. You'll see bumps form after one or a few minutes, depending on the size of your board. The bumps will gather on the diamond-shaped lines you drew in steps 3 and 4. Be gentle when applying the wax.
Step 6. Finish with your topcoat and make circular motions over the whole board. Your board is waxed and ready to go!
Step 7. Bring a bar of topcoat wax to the beach and rub it in lightly before surfing.
How much wax do you need and where should you apply it?
The amount of wax you need depends on what kind of board you surf on and what you'll do on the board. On a longboard, you might want to wax all the way up to the nose, making the trip to a hanging ten simpler. For a shortboard, unless you're doing airs, it's enough to apply the wax to where your chest will be when paddling out.
How often should you wax your surfboard?
How often you should apply new wax to your board depends on how often you surf and if you surf in different temperatures.
Before surfing:
You can apply more topcoat wax before every surf session to ensure the best possible grip.
After surfing:
You can use the wax comb after a surf session to give the board some extra love. Rinse the board with water to remove sand and dirt and then use the serrated side of the comb and go across the deck. This will help the grip keep the texture.
After a few months or before a new location:
If you surf a lot, you need to remove the wax more often than if you only surf every now and then. A general recommendation is to remove the wax and add new wax around four times a year, once for every new season. It also depends on where you're surfing. If you normally surf in Norway and are about to bring your board with you to Bali, it's probably time to change the wax to fit the new water temperature you’ll be surfing in.
Read more about how to remove wax from your surfboard here.
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Beatrice Lindfors
About the author: My name is Beatrice, but Bea for short, and I’ve been a writer and content creator for Lapoint since 2022. My life revolves around my laptop and backpack as I travel the world, always with a stop in Ericeira; the camp vibe and the Portuguese sunsets have my heart.
Life goal? Visit every country.
Obsession? The Sri Lanka waves, the Atlantic Ocean and tracking down the best coffee (whichever my current location is).
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