Wood Cutting Board Finishes

Coatings on cutting boards is a topic that come up often so in this article we look at a variety of coatings and finishes and look at the life of a cutting board.

Cutting boards are a very popular item. They come in many shapes and sizes, and wood varieties. Most cutting boards are given a top finish for 2 reasons, to help seal the wood and also to give the cutting board a more appealing look. Any wood that is given a top coat of some kind of an oil finish will enhance the look of the wood. In terms of coating for cutting boards there are many, many different oils to choose from. They come in a variety of categories like vegetable oils, seed oils and nut oils. The nut oils are particularly concerning because some people have allergies to nut, but so can others have allergies to other kinds of oils. What you use for your own personal coat coating for a cutting board may be different than what someone might use for a commercial or "sales" cutting board that might be purchased at a farmers market or similar event. There are dozens of different oils to choose from, all of them will work fine on cutting boards but none of them will stand the test of time, because all cutting boards need to be wiped and washed with warm soapy water then left to dry thoroughly. The process of clean will, in a short time, take off any coating that was put on the cutting board and it will begin to start developing a patina of it's own, and in the end, the best coating for any cutting board is no coating at all, which is what you will likely have after a few weeks of using your cutting board.

[MattHeere]

Shellac is actually one of the few commonly available wood finishes that really is food safe. It's used as a coating for pills and candy regularly, and is even used as the "wax" that you find on some fruit. You need to mix your own flakes and alcohol to ensure that you're not getting any extraneous chemicals like you might if you buy pre-mixed.  


Straight mineral oil is probably the only thing that's even safer. It's used in medicine all the time, but sheesh what a pain since it never really cures or dries.

The vegetable oils do in fact go rancid, even if you wash the board. It isn't a matter of bacteria. It's essentially oxidation of the fats in the oil.

[Sebastopolmark]

Hey Colin - very well done. It's hard to say if "anyone will ever come to your home that has a nut allergy." As you said, if someone had a severe allergic reaction because of me putting a nut oil on my board, I certainly would feel bad and who knows what consequences could result.
For a board that will get regular use, I prefer a vegetable oil. The soap keeps bacteria at a minimum and it's easy to refinish as often as you wish.
Thanks again, that was a very detailed video - as always.

[z]

Pure shellac is a common food additive; ex: M & M "melt in your mouth" coating. Additives and modifiers more than volatile solvents, which generally are gone once cured or dry, are the greater issue in safe coatings. Linseed oil dries by oxidative polymerization, extremely slowly, and still retains an undesirable aroma, while "boiled" linseed actually may contain undesirable drying accelerants. Mineral oil is inert, so passively fills voids where organisms might grow.

[MaxColudro]

And thank you so much for being one of the few videos on youtube explaining what "mineral oil" is. Well done!

[grahamallen]

Great video thanks Colin. I use a plastic cutting board when visitors call that way I don’t have to worry about friends/ family with allergies, especially nut allergies!

[TheShavingWoodWorkshop]

There is a lot of really good information in this video Collin, thanks.

[jeffharmed]

Thanks Colin. Very comprehensive as usual and right on the money. I have been using vegetable oils on wooden cutting boards for some time now and I like the feel and colour of the board after the application. The trouble is that it lasts for a very short time.

IMHO the best finish for cutting boards is the one that lasts the longest - bees wax. It is too thick to put on straight and should be diluted with a solvent so that it penetrates deeply into the wood. Then on drying, it leaves a heavy residue that lasts very much better than oils.

(Basically oils are olefin's with about twenty to thirty carbon atoms and thus wash away easily over time as you said. But waxes have thirty or more carbon atoms and are less likely to wash away, giving a more long-lasting finish.)

[timothyfagan]

G'day Colin, have no idea why but my Mum would never use soap on her cutting boards she would use just boiling water and insisted we do the same.. Thanks for the making and the finishing of the cutting board videos, I enjoyed both, Tim.

[gcbound]

Thanks Colin. I've been watching and appreciating a lot of your videos lately.

[LarryB-inFL]

I was struck by how you rubbed oil on the boards, compared to how I do it: I "flood" the area, rubbing it in and rubbing off the excess. Why so careful? It is cheap, and I think it is like other oil finishes, where they want it to be applied pretty wet so it will absorb as much as possible, over several minutes.

[Boomers_Bud]

A great video Colin. I am really glad you covered this and it will help a lot of woodworkers.Derek

[OakmanNZ]

Are those some Stanley planes from the 60's in the background? Love this channel. Getting some woodworking done in New Zealand because of you.

[mdrobnson]

Love the channel but REALLY love seeing you create and not just doing tips.
You're an inspiration to those of us that do this as just a hobby.
Aka- couldn't sell ice water in he**. Lol

[hardnox]

Good video. I place the cutting board in flat container and tank it in mineral oil for 4-5 days. The oil costs $2 per pint at Walmart. The wood soaks up the oil and it is permanent. After tanking the board I place it on a cookie grill until it drips off, then wipe it dry then place it the oven for a few hours on the lowest setting. Using this process the board never needs to be oiled again. I understand your concern about mineral oil and how it is processed but as an FYI: mineral oil is used as a laxative and for a host of medicinal purposes. It is perfectly safe.

[blackfender]

I have used the vegetable oil for years .Never had a problem.

[johnshaver]

Great video Colin, as always. The one with the crack had a neat grain pattern, good for something artistic !!

[WigWagWorkshop]

Thank You Colin, clearly explained and easy to understand the different options available. I use olive oil on my pizza peel, and never had an issue with it going rancid.

-Steven

[halfstep]

Another finish one can use is a salad bowl finish. It works well and is durable. 2 or 3 thin coats is plenty and I would avoid trying to build up a thick finish. Keep it thin and it does well.

[sunburstmike]

Colin, excellent lesson, as usual. I might be late to party here but as a Registered Pharmacist I must weigh in. Matt Heere is completely correct in his quick explanation. Very highly processed shellac is used throughout Pharm. industry and approved by FDA as ingredient in oral meds. I should emphasize that the refinement of the oil is such to render it safe. I cannot vouch for furniture grade as safe for consumption due to my guess that the refinement is a bit shorter or different and this where I disagree with Matt. My opinion is that mineral oil (in the amount used as finish) is quite inert and therefore the absolute most agreeable and non-allergenic type. As for its curing process and reapplication he is correct. If you regularly coat the board that works, but regular coating to me would mean weekly or every 2 weeks. I am curious to try method of woodworker who soaks and dries the boards. I'm inclined to believe the low temp. would keep the oil stable/safe and thereby render his process successful. As a side note, when I worked in the restaurant business (before pharm. school) we regularly (every night) cleaned (and scrubbed sufficiently) the wood surfaces with straight bleach (no soap) and rinsed thoroughly with H2O. We never oiled the wooden work tables at all. So maybe straight sodium hypochlorite solution is the best coating?

[ronc]

Thanks for posting the video, great info on finishing off the cutting boards.