# Chopping board finish advice



## Andy (27 Sep 2021)

Hi folks
I have a piece of oak left over from a project that is the perfect size for a chopping board. Can anyone recommend a suitable finish, that is both durable and food safe?
thanks, Andy


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## baldkev (27 Sep 2021)

Chopping board wax.... i use clarkes citrus wax


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## Sachakins (27 Sep 2021)

100% food safe mineral oil, plenty of coats and drying time.


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## thetyreman (28 Sep 2021)

chestnut food safe finish is what I recommend.


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## Fitzroy (28 Sep 2021)

Mineral oil.


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## Andy (28 Sep 2021)

Thanks guys, much appreciated


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## Original-Oddball (4 Dec 2021)

I can't argue with the above answers but consider this. The first thing you do with food related surfaces is give them a good scrub. Then if its a chopping board you as attack it with a sharp edge and then scrub it again. It's not long until that finish is gone  .
For that reason I just used normal vegetable cooking oil. works fine and I've used it for year with no ill affects.
Just saying.


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## geraldmartin (4 Dec 2021)

I use walnut oil on my cutting boards, but I don't consider oak is ideal for cutting boards.


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## Scots polisher (4 Dec 2021)

I wouldnt consider walnut oil is ideal for anyone with a nut allergy! 
I'm sure oak will be fine if the open grain is filled and properly sealed.


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## Trainee neophyte (4 Dec 2021)

I use olive oil, because it's what I have. I also mix olive oil with bees wax (4:1 oil to wax ratio by weight) and put that on almost everything. For chopping boards it is entirely esthetic: they don't need a finish, and don't hold it for long, but look much nicer with an oil.


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## eribaMotters (4 Dec 2021)

Just think back to butchers blocks, you know the ones that used to be about 6" thick. 
Why would you need to apply a finish. Do nothing, just use it, and scrub it clean after use and leave to dry. 

Colin


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## baldkev (4 Dec 2021)

I believe butchers blocks were regularly scraped back? I think im right in saying end grain soaks up moisture the quickest though, so although the 'cut' surface lasts longer, the blood from a butchers blood would go in quicker. Saying that, oak is to a degree antibacterial ( tannins etc ).

In terms of vegetable oil, it will go rancid after a while. I dont know how long


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## Jones (4 Dec 2021)

Any kind of food oil, try Aldi or Waitrose depending on your budget.


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## Chris_Pallet (5 Dec 2021)

I recently used Brandon Bespoke mineral oil. Comes up pretty good.


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## Trainee neophyte (5 Dec 2021)

baldkev said:


> In terms of vegetable oil, it will go rancid after a while. I dont know how long


I'm still waiting to find out how long - 3 years and counting with no sign of any problems . Of course, _my_ olive oil is the best in the world*, so it might be that cheap nasty olive oil isn't as good ;-)

(* according to me, that is)


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## Craig22 (5 Dec 2021)

Oak isn't ideal because of the tannin. Now it depends on what sort of knives you use, but if you use anything fancy (like Damascus) tannin can cause rusting of the edge.

The better alternative is beech. But since the op has a chunk of oak, with regular stainless knives it is just fine.


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## Original-Oddball (5 Dec 2021)

baldkev said:


> I believe butchers blocks were regularly scraped back? I think im right in saying end grain soaks up moisture the quickest though, so although the 'cut' surface lasts longer, the blood from a butchers blood would go in quicker. Saying that, oak is to a degree antibacterial ( tannins etc ).
> 
> In terms of vegetable oil, it will go rancid after a while. I dont know how long



A point of interest. The cutting surface on traditional butchers blocks were end grain which is less destructive to your cutting edge. (think of wood as a bunch of drinking straws) but due to absorption can harbour bacteria so aggressive abrading is required when cleaning.

Yes #baldkev, Veg oil would eventually go rancid but I suppose it would depend on the level of hygiene practices in the kitchen. We all should, by now, be aware of cross contamination so a cutting surface and utensils should (ideally) be washed between each food group but at the very least at the end of the food preparation session.
This point that #baldkev has raised is another interesting one. I think on reflection I have perhaps become blinkered to my own situation as we cook everyday and consequentially our cutting block is in constant use, where as, perhaps a busy working family uses convenience foods because of time restraints?
If I'm ever asked again to make a cutting board/block perhaps i should ask how often it will be used?


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## Daniel2 (5 Dec 2021)

Our cutting boards are in daily use, but I have never applied any type of 
finish to them. Just a reasonable scrub at the end of the preparation session.


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## Original-Oddball (5 Dec 2021)

Daniel2 said:


> Our cutting boards are in daily use, but I have never applied any type of
> finish to them. Just a reasonable scrub at the end of the preparation session.


#Daniel2, I think it all depends on the wood, but as your board is in daily use as is mine I don't think anything needs to be applied either as it's constantly being cleaned  On reflection, I wonder if we as woodworkers always assume that everything we make needs to have a coat of something?


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## Henniep (5 Dec 2021)

I apply a single coat of vegetable oil when the board is finished. Thereafter the board draws it's moisture from whatever is being cut or chopped - and from regular washing. Have a board that has been in use for 4+ year and never needs to re-oil.


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## Mark Karacsonyi (5 Dec 2021)

baldkev said:


> I believe butchers blocks were regularly scraped back? I think im right in saying end grain soaks up moisture the quickest though, so although the 'cut' surface lasts longer, the blood from a butchers blood would go in quicker. Saying that, oak is to a degree antibacterial ( tannins etc ).
> 
> In terms of vegetable oil, it will go rancid after a while. I dont know how long



Your correct, I remember my Saturday job in the local butchers, end of the day we used to apply watered down bleach to the board. Scrub it with a hardcore brush, where the bristles were metal, not wire. Then cover it with sawdust to soak up the dampness, then brush it off. You didn’t need a gym those days.


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## eribaMotters (5 Dec 2021)

Original - Oddball
" due to absorption can harbour bacteria so aggressive abrading is required when cleaning. "
When cutting on the board food fibres will become trapped in the surface. Those on the surface will be scrubbed off when the board is washed, whilst those in the surface will be trapped in an environment without oxygen and as such any bacteria will die.
I recall test results some years ago came as a surprise when it was found that a correctly cleaned wooden chopping board was a cleaner surface than a plastic cutting board surface.

Colin


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## Jones (5 Dec 2021)

In a plastic chopping board bacteria can lurk in cuts in the surface and at hand washing temperature can survive as moisture is held in by capillary action. With a wooden board at say 12% moisture content bacteria in surface cuts are dehydrated by the wood and so die. Any coating will probably reduce this dehydrating effect.


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## jrm688 (6 Dec 2021)

On a new cutting board I soak it with mineral oil for the first coat and let it sit for a day. For the second coat I use a mineral oil/ beeswax mix (4:1 by weight) and rub it in well.


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## Peri (6 Dec 2021)

Mineral oil.
I wouldn't consider using any type of vegetable or food based oil - but my wife uses one board for bread, one for veg and a different one for meat, so sometimes a board might sit for days between uses.

I know the old saying of "Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for ever", but ours get re-coated when they look like they need it


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## SkinnyB (6 Dec 2021)

I soak all my boards for two hours using Mineral Oil, then a coat of beeswax mixed with mineral oil.
www.SkinnerDesigns.co.uk


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## Terry - Somerset (6 Dec 2021)

Wood for appearance and occassional use. I use something marked "food safe" - I assume an oil sold in small containers at 10 times the price of a 5L bottle!

Plastic for day to day - goes in the dishwasher after use, high temperature + detergent tends to kill off annoying bugs (apparently!).


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## Richard_C (8 Dec 2021)

Henniep said:


> I apply a single coat of vegetable oil when the board is finished. Thereafter the board draws it's moisture from whatever is being cut or chopped - and from regular washing. Have a board that has been in use for 4+ year and never needs to re-oil.



I took the same approach on a pair of oak boards I made from leftovers a year or so ago. Works fine, and you don't have to worry about scrubbing with hot water. I used canola/rapeseed oil which is what we normally cook with. 

I made for my own use, if you are making for sale you probably need something shinier. 

I also took an actiarial approach. The boards are 22mm thick. If I need to re sand from time to time I reckon that will reduce by 0.5mm every year. They will still be useable at 12mm. A quick look at the Government Actuary life expectancy tables, deduct my age, fine - probably won't need to make any more and if I do it will be very good fortune.


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