You will have a lot of small hardware that comes in your skateboard kit. It's best to keep everything organized so you don't lose any parts or hardware. You may want to keep your parts in the box or original packaging until each one is needed. To best apply the grip tape to your deck you want to have it laying flat on an open surface. This will allow you evenly lay the grip tape over your deck. You want the nose and tail ends of your board to be pointing up with the graphic on the bottom of the deck facing your flat surface.

Summary:
Keep all your parts organized. Place your deck down on a flat surface.