DIY Kitchen Decor: Painted Cutting Board

Kitchen decor can be a really fun and unique way to infuse your personality into your home. One way to do this is by taking normal kitchen utensils and giving them a little DIY love to make them a part of your decorations! Cutting boards are often used as dual-purpose pieces. However, you can create your own painted cutting board for stand-alone art work in the kitchen! They can even be used as signs to display your own style and personality. You can use this simple DIY project as a great way to add color, inspiration, and interest to the walls and overall feel of your kitchen and home.

When you think kitchen decor, what goes through your mind? Is it some expensive backsplash or a fancy sink? Or are you more like me who thinks of a beautiful heirloom dish from my grandmother and a homemade sign that brings out my personality? If you love a little DIY home decor project that will be perfect for your kitchen, then you are in luck with today’s blog post. We are going to make a painted cutting board sign!

With some of the more popular styles nowadays, you often see cutting boards that are arranged as gallery walls, but they can still be used in the kitchen. With today’s project, you could hang it as part of a gallery in your kitchen or dining room, but it will be just for decoration. However, it will add some personality and unique style to your walls and will be really fun to make!

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When you are choosing a cutting board for this project, you will want to choose wood. You could potentially use a cutting board from the thrift store if you wanted, or you could use one that has been in your kitchen and never gets used. The one I chose was from a friend who didn’t use it, and it was actually an awkward size for me to use for its original purpose. I repurposed it instead for this fun painted cutting board project, and I have enjoyed seeing it in my kitchen for quite some time now.

The design you choose for this board should fit to your taste and style! Do you want just a picture or pretty design? Maybe you like a special reference or quote? You can be serious with what you choose or go for humor or really whatever you want. That is what makes this project so much fun!

Before you begin…

To ensure that you love this DIY decor when you are finished, I would take a minute to look at the space you hope to display it and think about these things:

• Think about what color or colors you would want to use, and what words or design might mean the most to you, especially in this area of your home.
• Decide whether you will want to hang your cutting board on the wall, display it on a small easel somewhere, or rest it on a shelf as this will decide how much of the board will be visible and the orientation of the design on the board.
• Then decide which side you would like to use for the painting with its design and which will be hidden.
• Choose which paint color(s) you will want for the background of the cutting board and which you will want for the design or words.

These are just a few thoughts to think through before you begin, and they should make your process smoother for the actual project.

What paint should I use for wood?

In my experience, you can often use acrylic paint for many wood projects. I realize that you cannot use acrylic paint on something that you are going to still eat off of, but since we are not going to be using our project for that purpose, you should be able to use acrylic. Acrylic is not the most durable though. If you are worried about your paint being scratched or rubbing off, then I would look into wood paint. Wood paint is more expensive, but it should be more durable. You should be able to purchase wood paint at a local hardware store.

Painted Cutting Board Supplies:

-Wood Cutting Board

-Fine Sand Paper

-Cloth Rag

-Cardboard, Table Cloth, or Other Area to Paint On

-Acrylic or Wood Paint & (appropriate) Brushes or Sponges

-Optional: Stencils or Vinyl Stickers

How to paint a cutting board:

Getting Started

1. Start off by flipping to the side you want to display, and then rub the fine sand paper onto the finished wood of the cutting board on that side. You do not want deep marks, but you want to rough up the finish enough so that the paint will stick better. (Note: Do NOT do this for bamboo cutting boards. They already have texture enough.)
2. Use a cloth rag to wipe off any debris from the cutting board and painting area. You do not want any debris to get into the paint.

Start Painting

1. Using the appropriate brush or sponge for the paint, coat the cutting board all across the sanded surface with the background paint you chose. Set aside to dry.
2. Once dry, decide where you would like to place the stencil or stickers or even where you would like to free-hand your design or saying.
3. Stencil: Carefully attach or hold stencil tightly to your cutting board. Using a paint brush or sponge with a small amount of paint, trace the outside edge of the stencil. Once you have completed this, you can remove the stencil and fill in the empty spaces with more paint. Set aside to dry. (Note: This should help avoid overflowing the stencil and creating a mess.)
4. Free-Hand: You can lightly trace with a pencil the design or words that you wish to paint on the cutting board. Then, using a thinner brush, you can paint over your tracing both to guide you and to hide the pencil marks. Let dry, and then carefully erase any leftover pencil marks with a clean, high-quality eraser.
5. Stickers: You can detach the backing of the stickers and arrange the way you would like by lightly place on the surface of the board without pressing down. Once you are happy with the arrangement, press firmly in place to apply where you wish. If you are applying a larger sticker, be sure to start at one edge and evenly press down across to avoid any air bubbles. You can use a tool or object with a flat edge for this.

Hang the Painted Cutting Board!

Choose the spot you want to display your new DIY kitchen decor. Use the appropriate nail or hook to prep the spot. Finally, hang or display your beautiful project in its designated place in your home, and enjoy!