Cutting Board Maintenance

A nice cutting board, butcher block, or charcuterie board can be a long-lasting investment when cared for. When I construct these boards, I take extra steps to start them off right. On this page I will explain my process for creating a quality board to serve or prepare food on, as well as how you can maintain your wood boards at home.

My process for building a board:

Part of my method to build a board uses "water popping", where water is spritzed on to the board surface, wiped dry, then left to dry overnight. The water causes exposed wood fibers at the surface of a board (which previously felt smooth) to swell and "pop" outward. This gives the board a fuzzy appearance and feel. These fibers are sanded off with light passes of fine sandpaper (image of water popped cutting board below). There are a few other rounds of wet sanding and application of 100% food safe mineral oil and my own 100% food safe board butter, but the important part here is the water popping. This step greatly prolongs the "like-new" condition of a Dumke Designs board.

How you can maintain a cutting or charcuterie board:

When you buy a board from me it comes fully sealed with my 100% food safe board butter made from mineral oil and beeswax; it is ready to use! After use, wash boards by hand with warm water and a little dish soap. DO NOT PUT IN THE DISHWASHER. Don't scrub more than you need to, because the dish soap and scrubbing will remove the wax layer protecting the board. It is also important to get the entire board wet when washing so all wood surfaces have the same rate of potential swelling and shrinking. Set the board in a rack to dry completely, then re-apply Dumke Designs board butter after every 2 or 3 washes. A board will dry out even when not used, so plan on monthly re-application. A well-conditioned board will repel water, keep the wood colors bright, and protect the board from cracks and warping. Eventually knife marks, prolonged use, and dozens of washings will wear the surface down. Just sand it with 120 to 220 grit sandpaper and reapply board butter to freshen it up! The fact that they can always be resurfaces is one of the wonderful things about wood boards! If it seems like too much work just let me know, as I would be happy to refurbish a board for you.