Using my own header/footer (wrapper)
 

I`ve found it relatively easy to customize IPB templates, however my first impressions are the vbulletin is more daunting. Am I correct? !!!

Anyways, I have the bog standar default vbulletin installed.

I`m looking to customize the theme so that it blends with my css/xhtml website.

With my old IPF forum, I simply cut up the index page from our website so that I had header and the opening div container at the top of the board, then the close div and footer at the board. Basically a wrapper.

I assume doing the same kind of thing is easy with vbulletin but I`m just not sure where to start. Can someone offer some advice here, thanks.

Can I install another vbulletin on a test domain, so that I can play around with the template/skinning setup without hindering my live board?

once you cut up your html place the top part in the template header above everything in there, and place the bottom part in the footer template right at the bottom of everything in there..

i think a demo board is allowed too, as long as it is not public.