What the lamination does
The foam blank (EPS) gives the volume, but it resists almost nothing on its own. The resin-soaked fabric skin is what makes the board: bending stiffness, resistance to impacts and heel dents, waterproofing. A foil board also takes concentrated loads around the foil box, so the lamination has to be planned for those areas.
Glass, carbon or hybrid
| Fabric | Strengths | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Glass | Cheap, impact tolerant, easy to wet out; translucent, so you can see air bubbles while laminating. | Heavier for the same stiffness. |
| Carbon | Very stiff for little weight, popular black look. | Much more expensive, less tolerant of point impacts, opaque (wet-out is harder to check). |
| Hybrid | Combines the stiffness of carbon with the toughness of glass, at a mid-range cost. | Two fabrics to buy and cut. |
For a first board, glass forgives more mistakes and costs less. Carbon becomes worthwhile when weight and stiffness really matter.
Fabric weight and weave
The fabric weight (g/m²) is the weight of the dry cloth. Common weights for a board range from about 160 to 300 g/m². The heavier the fabric, the more resin it soaks up and the heavier the board.
The weave describes how the cloth is woven. A twill drapes better over the curves of the nose and rails. A plain weave is more stable when cutting but drapes less well.
Layers and patches
You usually stack one to three layers per side, often with one more on the deck, which takes the foot pressure. Rather than thickening the whole board, add local reinforcements where the loads are: foil box, standing zone, inserts, handle.
Resin
Use a laminating epoxy that is compatible with EPS: polyester resin attacks polystyrene. With hand layup you often use as much resin as fabric by weight, or more; vacuum bagging removes part of it. Allow a margin for what stays in the cups and for the finishing coat.
In the calculator
In step 2, choose the fabric, its weight and the number of layers per side. The calculator lays the pieces out on your shop’s roll width and works out the metres to buy, the offcut and the resin needed.
Try your lamination: layers, fabric weight and roll width change the length to buy and the budget instantly.
Open the calculator →