How to Refinish a Meat Carving Board

Save money by refinishing rather than replacing your meat carving board.

Many cooks slice roasts, meats and poultry on a wood carving board, subjecting the board's surface to many nicks and cuts. Meat carving boards typically have a channel running around the perimeter of the board to keep meat and poultry juices from leaking onto countertops and tables. Some meat cutting boards feature a depression in the wood to keep meats from slipping or sliding when carving on one side, while the opposite side is flat and even. Nicks and cuts harbor bacteria, making carving board refinishing necessary.

Things You'll Need

• Dish soap
• Nylon scrub brush or scrubbing pad
• Hand planer
• 180-grit sandpaper
• Sanding block
• Zippered plastic bag
• Flour
• Tack rag
• 320-grit sandpaper
• Food-grade mineral oil
• #0000 steel wool
• Cloth
• Beeswax

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Instructions

1. Wash the board with hot, soapy water and scrub the surface with a nylon scrub brush or scrubbing pad. Dry the carving board immediately with a towel.

2. Set the knob on a hand planer to extend the blade from the planer's base to 1/16 inch planing depth. Run the hand planer over the surface of the wood carving board to remove a thin layer of severely nicked or cut wood.

3. Examine the wood for remaining nicks or deep scratches. If nicks or scratches remain on the surface, run the hand planer over the board again.

4. Wrap 180-grit sandpaper around a sanding block. Rub the sandpaper over the surface of the carving board following the wood grain. Fill a small plastic zippered bag with flour. Wrap 180-grit sandpaper around the flexible bag of flour. Press the sandpaper and flour bag into the recess of the channel and sand the channel.

5. Wipe the surface of the carving board with a tack rag.

6. Wrap 320-grit sandpaper around a sanding block. Sand the carving board a second time, following the wood grain. Cover the flour bag with 320-grit sandpaper and sand the channel.

7. Wipe the carving board with a tack rag to remove all wood dust.

8. Pour a small pool of food-grade mineral oil in the center of the carving board. Dip a piece of #0000 steel wool into the oil and rub all surfaces of the carving board with oil. Let the oil soak into the wood for 10 to 15 minutes. Wipe away excess mineral oil with a clean cloth. Repeat the process on the other side of the carving board.

9. Dip a clean cloth into beeswax. Wipe a thin coat over the surface of the carving board to seal the porous wood. Let the beeswax sit on the surface of the carving board for 30 to 45 minutes. Buff the carving board's surface with a clean cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Clean your meat carving board thoroughly after each use.

• Sanitize meat carving boards with a white vinegar or chlorine bleach to remove harmful bacteria.

• Use separate carving boards for meats and vegetables to prevent contamination.

References

• "New Fix-It-Yourself Manual: How to Repair, Clean, and Maintain Anything and Everything In and Around Your Home"; Reader's Digest Editors; 1996
• "2,001 Amazing Cleaning Secrets"; Jeff Bredenberg; 2004
• "The Book of Skills and Tools"; Family Handyman Magazine Editors; 1993