Wednesday, March 6, 2013

diy: painted bamboo cutting boards

I saw bamboo cutting boards with a painted neon edge in a magazine a while back and loved the idea. I already have a couple of bamboo cutting boards that I thought were in need of a spring refresh, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I feel silly giving an explanation for this project. It's super easy!

Grab some paint -- I used Crafter's non-toxic acrylic paint in Pure Pumpkin and Tutti Fruitti -- and a foam brush and simply painted the edges of my cutting boards. I did tape off the surface at first but quickly realized that was completely unnecessary as it's really easy to keep to the edge.

Both colours required two thin coats of paint which I allowed to dry overnight.

Then I used a fast-drying polyurethane to seal the edges ONLY. I did not use it on the cutting surface. It's also very important that you allow the polyurethane to dry and cure completely before using your cutting board for food. (Here's some info if you're worried 1; 2; but since the edges are rarely coming into contact with food, you can breathe easy.)

That's it! Now my cutting boards are a little more lively and my kitchen looks a little happier!

{tip} My cutting boards slip all over my counter tops, so I stuck on four of those little grippy plastic bumps on one side of the board to act as feet. They're definitely a finger saver!

{also} One of my worst habits is not oiling my cutting boards often enough and it really shows (it's hard to tell in the pictures, but they were really dry and the bamboo does start to kind of crack at the joints). If you've got wooden cutting boards, make sure to oil them frequently!

{fyi} I don't use both cutting boards for cutting. One of them I use as a trivet when I need to set hot things on the counter.

6 comments:

Laeli said...

I did not know you had to oil cutting boards. Thanks for the tip!

I love the colours you chose,so cheerful.

Meg Sylvia said...

Lovely blog! Just came across it on Craft Gawker. Funny, I was just thinking of doing the same project! I Think you just verified that I need to try this! :)

Kelly Innes said...

it's often the simplest ideas that are the most striking. I love this way of jazzing up your kitchen. Thanks!

Liz Stevens said...

This is so cute and so simple! Love the bright colors you chose!
Cheers!
Liz
www.gimmesomestyleblog.com

Unknown said...

I dont have any kind of paints with me.Can i try that with nailpolish??Sounds like a crazy idea i know :)

GALaxy said...

Aswani: I can't comment as to how well nail polish would work since I've never done it myself. Nail polish isn't meant to be a long-term paint, so my concern would be chipping and flaking and since a cutting board is so obviously next to food all the time, that's a really unfavourable outcome.