I’ve produced a lot of cutting boards in recent years. They have been turned out in all sorts of sizes and configuration with all manner of different woods used to create the designs I was imagining. End grain, long grain, domestic hardwoods, imported specialty lumber… every last inch of it from all over the world all needs the same thing and that is proper care. If you care for your wooden cutting board then it will last for years and continue to look beautiful for the duration. There are only a few simple things you need to do in order to make sure your board will last.

Seasoning Your Cutting Board
When I build a board the last thing I do is apply a generous coating of food safe mineral oil. This not only makes it safe to cut on but also brings out the beautiful color of the woods. You can further season your cutting board by adding more coats. Food safe mineral oil can be found in most grocery stores, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc. At the big box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot they keep it over with the wood stains. Two options are usually found; The first is the regular food safe mineral oil or butcher block oil which is what you will probably want to buy. The second is a butcher block mineral oil with bees wax. This is also a fine choice but not what I would want to use when seasoning a board as the bees wax can prevent the board from soaking up as much oil as it might want to.

Coating Your Board
When coating your board you will want to make sure that it is as clean as possible. If you use a wet rag to wash the board you have to make certain that it is 100% dry before applying any oil. Once it is clean and dry pour more oil than you think is necessary onto the board and then rub it in with a clean towel. This towel will more or less be ruined and only good for future mineral oil seasoning. Continue to work the oil into the board for awhile. Usually 4-8 minutes. Then let it sit in a dish rack or somewhere where as much air can touch the oiled surface as possible. It might look shiny as if tehre is still too much on the surface but that is ok. Come back in 15 minutes and look again and see if the shiny spots are still there. You will more than likely need to repeat this process 3+ times in order to make sure the wood has soaked up all of the oil that is can.

Repating The Process
I like to let the board rest overnight and fully absorb the oil before I use it again. Future oilings can take place with much less effort as it will only take one thin coat to treat the wood. People ask how often they should reapply oil and that really comes down to how much you use the board and what you want it to look like. About once a month is the soonest I would ever apply oil. Personally I do my own boards two or three times a year as I happen to think of it. If you can sprinkle a few drops of water on a dry board and it doesn’t bead up then you’re probably ready for another seasoning.

Long Term
If you use your board a lot and you have a lot of scratches in it that you’d like to get rid of you can simple hand sand with wtih 220 grit sand paper. If you want a glass smooth finish then a final sanding with 320 and/or 400 grit will get you where you need to be. Follow the sanding by wiping the board clean of any dust and letting dry before applying oil and you’ll have a brand new cutting board.