When you think of cutting boards, you may think of spending time in the kitchen, cutting vegetables, preparing meals, and generally making sure that your family has something delicious to eat. But the truth is that there are so many more ways to use wood cutting boards. In fact, you can even use them to decorate your home and create tons of unique and beautiful crafts!
But how can an unfinished wood cutting board be used for crafts? What are some good cutting board craft ideas? Finally, where can you acquire high-quality wood cutting boards to add to your kitchen?
In today’s guide, we will answer all of these questions and more, so let’s get started!
How to decorate wood cutting boards
If you’re like most people who spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen, you may not want to completely repurpose your best cutting board. Instead, you might just want to spice things up a bit with a decorative kitchen accessory! Thankfully, there are a TON of different ways to style and redesign your favorite cutting board — without taking away from its functionality. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
Wood inlay
Inlaying is a pretty advanced crafting technique, but the results can be absolutely stunning. Wood inlay essentially requires you to make small cuts into the cutting board, and then fill those areas with a different colored material to maintain a flat surface while creating a beautiful design. To ensure that your inlay looks great (and that you can still use your cutting board for its intended purpose), you’ll need to plan out your design very carefully. Then, you’ll have to add a food-safe finish (like mineral oil or raw linseed oil) over the new design to make the surface completely flat and smooth. Just remember that you’ll need to use a solid hardwood cutting board for wood inlay projects.
Food-safe paint
If you’re unsure about actually carving up your favorite cutting board, painting and stenciling offer you some great alternatives. However, you can’t just slap any paint on your cutting board and continue using it to prepare food! Some paints you get at the store may have harmful chemicals. So, make sure that you’re creating designs with food-safe paint, or coating your design with food-safe finish after painting.
Engravings
If you already own an engraving tool, you can make some truly remarkable designs and decorations with your cutting board. First, you’ll want to make sure to sketch out your design in advance. Unless you really trust your instincts, you should never start using an engraving tool or wood burning pen without a plan in place! Once you’ve had a chance to sketch your design onto the cutting board with a marker, you can slowly and carefully use your tools to engrave it into the wood surface. When you’re done, you may need to lightly sand the surface to make sure that it remains smooth. And just like wood inlay, it’s important to remember that this method only works with real hardwood cutting boards!
Using cutting boards for crafts
Wood cutting boards don’t have to just sit in the kitchen, waiting for you to prepare your next meal. Instead, you can craft plywood cutting-board shaped cutouts into different ornaments, decorations, and conversation pieces for your home! And don’t worry, many of the ideas in this guide will still allow you to use your cutting board for a specific purpose. This way, you can hone your skills and create something beautiful at the same time! Check out the sections below for a few of the most popular ways to use a cutting board for crafting:
Rustic decoration
Do you want to use a crafting board to decorate your home, with minimal crafting skills required? If so, you can’t go wrong with a rustic hanging decoration for your kitchen! You can paint designs or messages on your board, add decoupage designs, or simply hang it on the wall as is. Either way, unfinished wood can add a very homey and feel-good vibe to your cooking area!
Serving tray
Cutting boards are often used for charcuterie, so decking them out as a serving tray is a cinch! How much crafting you’ll need to do will depend on how you want to use the serving tray. For example, if you want something that can hold plates without them sliding off the edge, you may want to adhere raised wooden edges to all four sides of your cutting board. Alternatively, you may just want to use the cutting board with no structural changes, in which case you can simply decorate it to match your personal preferences.
Message board
It’s not easy or practical to write or engrave messages on wood, but you can easily change that with a bit of chalkboard paint. Simply paint one or both sides of your cutting board with 1 to 2 layers of chalkboard paint. When it has had time to dry, you can use chalk to write messages, grocery lists, or whatever your heart desires!
Cookbook stand
Do you need a fun place to set your cookbook so that you don’t have to strain your neck? If so, a cutting board is just a few changes away from being a sturdy and beautiful cookbook stand! The easiest way to make this change is to attach a wooden ledge to the bottom edge of the cutting board, and then attach a wooden prop stick to the back so that the board can stand up at an angle. And voila! You have a brand-new DIY cookbook stand!
Plant stand
It’s always good to have a nice place for your potted plants. Whether you intend to use your board indoors or outdoors, you’ll want to make sure that it’s protected against moisture. To do this, just add a moisture-resistant finish before setting up your plant station. Then, you can customize the stand however you see fit!
How to display a cutting board
There are a ton of different ways to display a cutting board. You can hang it up, make it a semi-permanent addition to your backsplash, or simply set it on a shelf or bookcase. Regardless of the best method for you and your home, there are a few display tips you’ll want to consider:
- Make sure to properly clean and dry your cutting board before displaying it anywhere
- Consider the location you want to use and how it will work with the aesthetics of your kitchen or home
- Make sure the cutting board is securely positioned or fastened to a surface to avoid accidental fall damage
- If you’re hanging your cutting board, consider using the hole or opening present in most cutting boards to make the job easier (you can just use a screw, nail, or hook to keep it in place)
- Lastly, be sure to regularly clean your cutting board display so that it doesn’t get messy or dusty
Did you enjoy our guide on decorating with wood cutting boards? Be sure to check out our wood cutting board shop to find the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one!
