Ramp surfacing

[decoi1]

Anyone out there got any good advice on ramp surfacing? I'm currently building a mini ramp at my house that's going to be outside. We can't afford ramp armor or skate lite so were pondering whether we should go with painted Masonite or sheet metal. Realistically only need it to maintain for a year maybe two. Any advice or experiences with what I mentioned could be greatly helpful. Thanks

[ChuckRamone]

I used tempered hardboard for my quarter pipe. It was $20 for a 4' x 8' sheet, which I think is cheaper than masonite or skatelite but pretty comparable. It's held up well but my ramp is indoors so I don't know how it would fare outdoors.

[Willie]

Depends on the weather in your area. If you get a lot of rain and don't have a good system for covering the ramp, Masonite will turn to mush in no time.

Maybe painting would help? A few friends of mine in the 80's had QPs that held up a while with just painted 1/2" plywood as the top sheet.


How much is sheet metal anyway?

[decoi1]

Haven't priced sheet metal yet. It's last resort because we're down south in NC and our summers are brutal so that metal will get hot as fuck. We're leaning towards painting tempered Masonite or painting sanded plywood. We get a good bit of rain over the next couple months but pretty dry summers. And we have a heavy duty tarp to cover the entire ramp. Thanks for the help. Anymore advice is appcreciated.

[JAesop]

We had Masonite on our ramp ( Tennessee) and it lasted maybe two months. That was with a really watertight tarp/cover. We learned the hard way that even treated Masonite absorbs humidity and eventually falls apart. It would swell at the seams, around the coping and around the screw heads and either bubble up or start chipping.  Sheet metal or sanded Lauan plywood treated with Spar varnish lasted the best.

[Tracer]

I love metal ramps they skate and sound brilliant. On a budget just don't build a ramp honestly, skatelite isn't cheap and you'll have the worst ramp in the state.

[decoi1]

^^this guy. But honestly thanks for the advice Tennessee dude. Painted Lauan may be the way.

[Get fired up]

I've built numerous ramps with most types of surfacing.
I have also worked building both wood and concrete skateparks

Metal will be the most expensive.   And gets way to hot
Skate light is the best.   But also expensive    

Check out this stuff.  http://gatorskinsramps.com it's like skatelight.  
Lasts forever, I have a ramp that's almost 7 years old with it,  in Canada where we have snow and heavy rain 6 months of the year.  
It is never tarped. We have had to do repairs to the underlayer of plywood, but the top is still beauty.

Masonite will fall apart with any moisture.  

Good one side ply or birch ply, work well.  It will last way longer than Masonite but will eventually chip and fall apart.
It should be painted or treated with some sort of weather treatment. And if you can caulk the seams it also helps
 (Like Thompsons water seal),    

Don't listen to tracer.  

[j....soy.....]

I just think you have paint it all the time....better off kicking down and get skate lite......tarp the shit out of it and you're good.

See if dudes will buy shares in the ramp....

[Tyler]

Ive got masonite on mine. 3/16 thick. Its been there for like 3-4 years with minimal issues. I have a huge waterproof tarp that i pitch up to try and keep water off it but it still tends to get soaked from time to time. If it warps, i just screw it back down real quick, and so far ive only replaced 2 sheets for 30 bucks. Id say if you take care of it and try to cover it, masonite is really cheap and can get the job done.