How do you care for a serving board, charcuterie board or chopping board?

In this article: preserving a board, cleaning a board

So you just bought a gorgeous new board. Look at it sitting there; all resplendent and new. Seems almost a shame to use it right? What if it gets dirty or damaged or dull...or other things beginning with "d"?

Blue resin river & Elm serving board made by The Oaky Blokey

Well the reality is, some of that's always going to happen eventually. Time and tide wait for no board. But these boards, gorgeous as they can be, are ultimately designed to be functional items and if you don't use them, they aren't going to fulfil their destiny (and that's just sad). So instead of worrying about using them, learn how to care for them to keep them in tip-top condition.

The basic principles of this are simple and the idea this is in any way complex needs demystifying. Boards are made predominantly of wood, wood is a living breathing product. When trees are growing they stay strong and moist thanks to their root system feeding them. Once that timber has been milled and dried, we need to give it a little helping hand to keep it happy and fed.

Let's Talk Oils

The best way to do that is a nice regular coat of food safe oil. There are plenty of options available and you'll see people talk about chopping board oil, danish oil, top oil, wood finish, mineral oil.

They all largely serve the same purpose; and that's to be absorbed into the wood to protect and nourish it and "feed" it from the inside. The one thing I wouldn't recommend is trying to use olive oil - the board will be far too greasy and messy afterwards.

The links I have included above are some of my favourites and have different degrees of absorption, finish, scent etc but as a woodworker on all sorts of projects needing both finish and protection, I have to say I love working with Odies and Osmo.

Preparation

One thing that's critical is preparing your board for a new application of oil. The good news is, it's pretty basic and can be done totally naturally too.

Simply rub the board with half a lemon, sprinkle with some sea salt, squeeze over the juice from the lemon you handily have in your...hand. Leave that for about 5-10 minutes for the sodium and acid to get rid of any nasties then wipe it clean with some kitchen roll and leave it to dry out fully for a couple of hours.

Application

When you're ready to apply your chosen oil, I of course recommend following the directions of the product but be aware, these will vary widely. Some will suggest you drizzle oil over the board and work it into the wood with a lint fee cloth, leave it to be absorbed over night and repeat the process while the wood still seems "thirsty" enough to soak more up. Other products will tell you to simply work a coating into the board and buff off right away which is obviously a lot faster and more convenient but some might argue sometimes a nice long soak is no bad thing. Indeed many people will use oil baths as the final stage of their production of new boards.

Whatever product you choose and whatever your board looks like, it's a simple process that can give a new lease of life to an old workhorse or keep a pricey bespoke product in top condition for many years. Happy oiling!

The Oaky Blokey

'Learning all the time'