By Stanislav Arnautov · Berlin
Quick answer: to choose skateboard wall art, decide four things in this order: what the deck should say (the image), where it will hang (the wall and the furniture below it), how many decks the wall needs (single, diptych or triptych), and how you will mount it. Get those four right and the deck will look like it was always meant to be there. This guide walks through each decision, with the practical details that are easy to miss when you shop for skateboard art online.
In this guide
- Why skateboard decks work as wall art
- Decision 1: choose the image first
- Decision 2: read the wall and the room
- Decision 3: single deck, diptych or triptych
- Decision 4: how you will hang it
- What to check before you buy
- Open designs vs limited editions
- Five common mistakes
- FAQ
Why skateboard decks work as wall art
A skateboard deck is a long, narrow, gently curved panel of pressed wood. On a wall, that shape does something a flat rectangle cannot: the concave and the kicked-up nose and tail catch light differently along the length of the board, so the image has a little depth and movement even when you stand still. The proportions are tall and slim, which makes a deck fit places a framed print never quite suits: the narrow strip of wall beside a door, the space between two windows, a hallway, the end of a bookshelf.
Skateboard art also carries a story. Deck graphics grew out of skate culture, where the underside of the board was always the canvas. Hanging a deck on the wall keeps a little of that street energy, even when the image on it is a Renaissance painting or a Japanese woodblock print. That mix of a classical image and a streetwear object is what makes skateboard wall art a conversation piece rather than background decoration.
Every DeckArts deck is printed by hand in Berlin by me, Stanislav Arnautov, on 7-ply Canadian maple pressed in Butzbach, Germany. Each single deck measures 85 × 20 cm (33.5 × 7.9 in), and every order ships from Berlin. Those are the facts behind the decks you will see linked through this guide.
Decision 1: choose the image first
It is tempting to start with the size or the colour of the room. Start with the image instead. You will look at this deck every day, and the image is the part that either keeps rewarding you or becomes wallpaper within a month. Ask yourself three questions.
What do you want to feel when you walk past it?
Calm, energy, curiosity, humour, devotion? A quiet botanical deck and a dark allegorical one can be printed on the same maple and hung on the same wall, yet they change the mood of a room in opposite directions. Decide on the feeling before you scroll.
- Calm and light: flowers, blossoms and soft palettes from the botanical and floral collection, or the gentle blues of the Van Gogh decks.
- Drama and depth: the strange worlds of Bosch, Goya and Bruegel in the dark and allegorical collection.
- Gold and pattern: the Klimt skateboard art, which reads well from across a room.
- Line and wave: the graphic clarity of Japanese ukiyo-e decks, which suit minimal and Japandi interiors.
- Colour and humour: the contemporary and pop art collection for kitchens, studios and kids' rooms.
- Faith and symbol: icons and biblical scenes in the sacred art and icons collection.
Does the image have a story you can tell?
The decks people love longest are the ones they can talk about. A guest asks about the deck in your hallway, and you can say who painted the original, when, and why it caused a stir. Classical paintings are rich in that kind of story, which is one reason the Renaissance and classical collection works so well on a deck: the image is familiar enough to recognise and surprising enough on a skateboard to start a conversation.
Classical, contemporary or an independent artist?
Beyond the art-history decks, DeckArts also prints work by independent artists, each with their own collection, for example Charlotte Hennion, Stefano Borella, Justas Jurkevičius and my own Stanislav Arnautov designs. If you want something nobody else on your street has, an artist collection is a good place to start.
Decision 2: read the wall and the room
Once you have a shortlist of images, stand in front of the wall where the deck will go. A few minutes of looking saves most of the mistakes people make with wall art.
Look at the furniture below the wall
Art almost always relates to something beneath it: a sofa, a bed, a sideboard, a desk, a console table. A common rule of thumb is that art above furniture should span roughly two-thirds of the furniture's width. It is a guideline, not a law, but it explains why a single slim deck can look lost above a long sofa and why a set of decks often looks more settled there. If the wall has no furniture below it, judge the deck against the wall section itself: a single deck suits a narrow wall, a set suits a wide one.
Look at the wall colour
Contrast is your friend. Warm, golden images glow against dark walls such as navy, forest green or charcoal. Darker, high-contrast images stand out on white and pale walls. If your wall is busy, wallpapered or patterned, choose a deck with a simpler image and a clear silhouette so the two do not compete.
Look at the light
Notice where daylight comes from and where you will switch on lamps in the evening. A deck opposite a window will be seen in strong, changing light; a deck in a hallway will mostly be seen under artificial light. Warm, soft lighting flatters classical paintings with deep reds and golds. Avoid placing any artwork where harsh direct sun hits it for hours every day; this is good practice for all printed art, not only decks.
Look at the shape of the wall
Tall, narrow walls love single decks hung vertically. Long, low walls above sofas and beds suit a horizontal row or a diptych or triptych. Corners, stairwells and the space beside a door are where the slim shape of a deck has an advantage over almost any other format. For more ideas on tricky spaces, see our guide to narrow wall art.
Decision 3: single deck, diptych or triptych
Many DeckArts designs come in three formats. The image is the same idea, but the scale and the effect on the wall are very different.
| Format | Size | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single deck | 85 × 20 cm | from €140 | narrow walls, hallways, beside doors and windows, desks, small rooms, gifts |
| Diptych (2 decks) | about 45 × 85 cm | from €230 | above a bedside table, a desk, a small sofa or a console |
| Triptych (3 decks) | about 70 × 85 cm | from €310 | above a sofa or bed, a feature wall, a dining room |
When a single deck is right
A single deck is the most flexible choice. It fits walls nothing else fits, it is easy to move to another room later, and it makes a strong gift because it does not depend on knowing the size of someone's sofa. If you are new to skateboard wall art, one deck is a good way to see how the format feels in your home before you commit to a larger set.
When a diptych or triptych is right
Sets turn one image into a larger artwork that is split across two or three boards hung side by side. The small gaps between the decks become part of the composition, a bit like the panels of an old altarpiece. A triptych such as the Bosch Last Judgment triptych or the Klimt Tree of Life triptych fills the wall above a sofa the way a single deck cannot, while a diptych such as the Hokusai Great Wave diptych suits a smaller piece of furniture.
Mixing several single decks
You can also build your own row or gallery wall from different single decks. Keep one thing consistent, such as the palette, the artist or the theme, so the group reads as a collection rather than a random selection. Plan the whole arrangement on the floor or with paper templates on the wall first, and measure the total width including the gaps, not just the decks.
Decision 4: how you will hang it
This is the decision people forget until the parcel arrives. DeckArts decks come bare, with nothing fitted on the back, and wall mounts are sold separately. You need one wall mount per deck: one for a single deck, two for a diptych, three for a triptych.
There are two DeckArts mounts in the accessories collection, and they solve different problems:
- Horizontal acrylic wall mount (€12.99 each): a clear acrylic block with stainless-steel threaded rods that pass through the deck's truck holes, so the deck sits just off the wall with a floating look. It fits the standard 41 mm truck-hole spacing found on most decks, including every DeckArts 85 × 20 cm deck, and uses one wall screw per mount.
- 360° rotating wall mount (€39.99 each): holds the deck by its edges with an extendable clamp, so nothing passes through the deck. It turns a full 360°, so you can hang the deck vertically, horizontally or at an angle, and change it later. Four screws and wall plugs are included.
If you would rather not put anything on the wall at all, the DeckArts floor stand (€19) is another option for shelves, studios and shop displays.
Vertical or horizontal?
Vertical hanging shows the full length of the image and suits tall, narrow walls and portrait-style paintings. Horizontal hanging works above furniture and for sets laid out in a row. If you are unsure, read how to hang a skateboard horizontally vs vertically, and for step-by-step instructions see the complete skateboard wall art mounting guide. Renting and cannot drill? There is a separate guide on hanging skateboard art without drilling.
Height
Most people hang art too high. As a starting point, centre the deck around the eye level of a standing adult, then adjust to the room: lower above a sofa or bed so the art and furniture read as one group, and lower again in rooms where you mostly sit. Use a spirit level, and for a set, line up the tops of all decks before you drill the first hole.
What to check before you buy skateboard art
Skateboard decks sold as wall art vary a lot. Whether you buy from DeckArts or anywhere else, these are the questions worth asking:
- What is the deck made of? Skate decks are traditionally made from layers of maple pressed together. Ask how many plies, what wood, and where it was pressed. DeckArts decks are 7-ply Canadian maple pressed in Butzbach, Germany. For a deeper look at the material, see our Canadian maple deck material guide.
- Who prints it, and where? A print made by someone who cares about the image is a different object from a mass-produced decal. DeckArts decks are printed by hand in Berlin.
- What size is it, exactly? Check the dimensions in centimetres and inches and compare them with your wall. Every DeckArts single deck is 85 × 20 cm.
- Is a mount included, and how many do you need? Read the listing carefully. DeckArts decks come bare; you need one mount per deck, sold separately.
- Where does it ship from? This affects delivery time and any import costs. DeckArts ships every order from Berlin.
- How should you care for it? Dust it with a soft, dry cloth and keep it out of long periods of harsh direct sun. Our article on whether prints fade and care tips that work covers this in more detail.
Open designs vs limited editions
Most DeckArts designs are open: you can order them whenever you like. Two lines are different. The Blueprint collection is a limited edition of 50 individually numbered decks per design. The Elite artistic decks are signed and numbered, in an edition of 50 per design. If you want a piece that feels more like a collectable, or you are buying a gift for someone who already owns decks, these two lines are where to look. For a plain explanation of what the limit actually means, read what the Blueprint and Elite editions actually limit.
Five common mistakes when choosing skateboard wall art
- Choosing by colour only. A deck that matches the cushions but has an image you do not care about will bore you quickly. Choose the image first, then check it works with the room.
- Going too small above large furniture. One slim deck above a long sofa tends to look lost. Use the rule of thumb above and consider a diptych, a triptych or a row of singles.
- Forgetting the mounts. Decks arrive bare. Order one wall mount per deck at the same time, so you can hang the art on the day it arrives.
- Hanging too high. Art floating near the ceiling feels disconnected from the room. Start around eye level and bring it down above furniture.
- Not planning a set or gallery wall. Lay the decks out on the floor or tape paper templates to the wall first. Measure the full width including gaps, and use a level.
Where to start
If you already know the feeling you want, open the matching collection above and shortlist three images. If you are not sure yet, browse all single skateboard art decks, then look at the triptych sets if you are decorating a wide wall. Add one mount per deck from the accessories collection, and you have everything you need.
FAQ
How do I choose skateboard wall art for my room?
Choose the image first, then check it against the wall: the furniture below, the wall colour, the light and the shape of the space. Decide between a single deck, a diptych or a triptych based on the width of the wall or furniture, and plan one wall mount per deck.
What size is a skateboard deck for wall art?
A DeckArts single deck is 85 × 20 cm (33.5 × 7.9 in). A diptych of two decks is about 45 × 85 cm and a triptych of three decks is about 70 × 85 cm.
Do skateboard art decks come with a wall mount?
No. DeckArts decks come bare, with nothing on the back, and wall mounts are sold separately. You need one wall mount per deck: two for a diptych and three for a triptych.
Should I hang a skateboard deck vertically or horizontally?
Vertical suits tall, narrow walls and portrait images; horizontal suits the space above furniture and sets hung in a row. The 360° rotating mount lets you change your mind later.
How much does skateboard wall art cost?
At DeckArts, single decks start from €140, diptychs from €230 and triptychs from €310. Wall mounts cost €12.99 (horizontal acrylic) or €39.99 (360° rotating) each.
Where are DeckArts decks made?
Every deck is printed by hand in Berlin by Stanislav Arnautov, on 7-ply Canadian maple pressed in Butzbach, Germany, and ships from Berlin.
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