Restoring Wood Cutting Boards

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Using her extensive experience and cultural knowledge, Oma Gerhild provides trusted, authentic, and easy-to-follow German recipes both here and in her many cookbooks.

Wood cutting boards all stained and dinged? You can restore them instead of buying new ones. Here's one of my well-used and stained cutting boards. 

Before Photo ...

Stained and 'burned' cutting board

Thankfully, I have a hubby who loves his tools ... and loves to use them to help me!

He knew just what to do. By sanding and then oiling the cutting boards, I've had their life extended.

Here's what you'll need

• a power sander
• several sheets of sandpaper
• some mineral oil
• a soft, absorbent cloth
• some paper towels

Check out my video of my hubby fixing my board below. Then follow the simple instructions and re-new your boards as well.

How to Restore your Wood Cutting Boards

Since this is a bit of a messy job, I asked my hubby to do all my boards done at the same time.

I made sure the cutting boards were clean and dry. They needed to sit for a day to air-dry.

Here's how ...

• Work outside, for this is a dusty job.
• Secure the board to a work surface.
• Using a coarse sandpaper, such as 50-grit, work back-and-forth in the direction of the grain until the board is smooth and stains are removed.
• Then switch to a 100-grit paper followed by a 150-grit paper for the finishing touch.
• Make sure you do all the sanding in the direction of the grain to get the best results.

If you do not have a power sander, you can achieve the same results using a hand-sanding block. It'll just take a bit more work, but it is doable.

After Photo ...

Restored wooden cutting board

When the cutting boards are smooth and stain-free, it's time to oil them.

• Use mineral oil because it will not become rancid or affect the flavor of the food.
• Use a soft, clean, absorbent cloth to apply the oil in the direction of the grain.
• Let the oil soak in and repeat at least 4 or 5 times until no more oil is absorbed.
• Wipe any excess oil with a dry cloth or paper towel.
• Let boards sit for about 6 hours to "harden" the oil.

Cutting Board Maintenance

Cutting board maintenance includes re-oiling the boards monthly or as often as needed. Doing this will help stop the wood from cracking or pulling apart at the joints resulting in a much bigger repair job.

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.