How to Care for Wooden Oak Chopping, Carving, Cheese & Serving Boards
A well-made oak board is for life. With a few simple habits and the right oil, yours will only get better with the years. Here is everything you need to know to keep your chopping, carving, cheese and serving boards looking, smelling and serving you beautifully for decades.
How often should you oil a wooden chopping board?
Once a day for a week.
Once a week for a month.
Once a month for a year.
Once a year for the rest of your life...
That is the old workshop wisdom we follow in our workshop, and it is the rhythm that turns a brand-new board into a treasured one. New oak is thirsty. We treat the boards three times before sending it to you, but some extra oiling when it arrives with you seals the surface against stains, water and odours. After that, the board needs less and less, until topping it up becomes a once-a-year ritual.
Follow us on Instagram @theoakandropecompany for our seasonal oiling reminders, so you do not have to remember on your own.
Every day deserves the best
We believe the best things in life are the ones used every day. Do not tuck your beautiful board away for special occasions. Bring it out for the breakfast toast, the after-school snack, the weeknight cheese board. Each cut, each crumb, each glass of red is a brushstroke in the painting your board becomes over time.
Our boards are made from solid oak, jointed in multiple pieces specifically to resist warping and cracking, and finished with three coats of food-safe oil before they leave the workshop. They are designed for daily life. The more you use them, the more beautiful they become.
If you would like to read more about why we feel so strongly about this, our journal piece It's never just a chopping board takes you a little deeper into the thinking.
How to oil your wooden board, step by step
Oiling takes five minutes and turns into a quietly meditative ritual once you get into the habit. You will need a clean, lint-free cloth and the small bottle of food-safe butcher block oil that came tucked in with your board. (When that runs out, or if you have a whole collection of boards to look after, our larger £15 bottle will keep you going for years.)
- Apply generously. Pour a small puddle of oil onto the centre of the board and spread it out with a clean cloth. Do not be shy. Cover every surface, including the back, sides and any engraved areas.
- Let it soak. Leave the board for an hour. The oil will sink into the grain rather than sit on top of it.
- Work it in. Take a fresh cloth and rub the oil into the wood in small circles, paying particular attention to end-grain and any spots that still look dry.
- Wipe off the excess. A board should look satisfied, not greasy. Buff the surface until it has a soft sheen, then leave it overnight before its next use.
Three things to avoid
Three habits will shorten your board's life faster than anything else:
- Never put it in the dishwasher. Hot detergent and prolonged water will swell the wood and split the joints.
- Never submerge it in water. A quick rinse is fine. A long soak is not.
- Never dry it near a heat source.Radiators, ovens and Aga lids draw moisture out of the wood unevenly and cause cracking.
Watch how we treat our oak boards
A few minutes in Jeanette's kitchen, showing you exactly how you should treat your board.
What a well-loved board looks like after nine years
This was one of the first carving boards we made.
These photographs are from one of our wonderful customers. The board was nine years old at the time. It has fed her family every day for almost a decade. Every nick, every dark mark, every soft groove is part of a story, and we think it is the most beautiful thing.
This is what care, not perfection, looks like. A board that is used and loved is the point.
Apply a generous amount of oil with a clean rag or kitchen paper.
Leave to absorb for an hour or so.
Work it into the wood with the rag.
Wipe off access. The board is ready for another feast.
How to remove stains and smells from a wooden board
Most marks lift easily with a kitchen-cupboard staple:
Coarse salt or baking soda for general grime and lingering smells. Sprinkle, scrub with the cut side of a lemon or a damp cloth, rinse, dry.
- Lemon juice for brightening and freshening. Rub the cut side of a lemon over the board, rinse, dry.
- White vinegar for stubborn odours (onion, garlic, fish). Wipe down, rinse, dry.
- Fresh rhubarb for dark marks. Cut a stick in half and rub the cut side directly onto the stain. The oxalic acid lifts the discolouration without damaging the wood.
Send us a photo. Bring your board home.
If your board has weathered a particularly dramatic dinner party, or a generation of family life, send it to us. We will sand it back, re-oil it, and return it looking and feeling brand new, ready for another decade of breakfasts and feast days.
Board Refurbishment
Our boards are crafted for everyday use, designed to develop a unique and beautiful patina with each cut. Each board becomes a personalised testament to your culinary adventures.
However, if life's little mishaps have left your board in nee...
We have restored boards engraved with grandmothers' names that grandchildren are now using. There is something quietly moving about a board that outlives its first owner, and we love that part of our work.
Everything you need to keep your board beautiful
White Mineral Oil
This food safe oil is what we recommend you use for treating your boards with. Each board comes with a complimentary 30 ml bottle and detailed instructions to start you off, but this will keep you going. See also our care instructions on the website.
Board Refurbishment
Our boards are crafted for everyday use, designed to develop a unique and beautiful patina with each cut. Each board becomes a personalised testament to your culinary adventures.
However, if life's little mishaps have left your board in nee...
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I oil a wooden chopping board?
Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, then once a year for the rest of its life. New oak is thirsty; older boards have already drunk what they need and just want a top-up.
Can I put an oak chopping board in the dishwasher?
No. Hot detergent and prolonged water exposure will swell the wood, weaken the joints and crack the surface. Wash by hand with hot soapy water, rinse, and dry away from heat.
What oil is safe to use on a wooden chopping board?
Use food-safe White Mineral Oil, sometimes labelled "butcher block oil". It is odourless, tasteless, does not go rancid, and is approved for direct food contact. Every board we send out comes with a small bottle to get you started, and we sell a larger £15 refill bottle for when that runs out (or for households with several boards). Avoid olive oil, sunflower oil and other cooking oils, which oxidise over time and turn sticky.
How do I get stains and smells out of a wooden board?
Coarse salt or baking soda scrubbed in with the cut side of a lemon lifts most stains. White vinegar tackles strong food odours. For dark spots, a freshly cut stick of rhubarb (cut side down) draws the discolouration out without damaging the wood.
My board has cracked or warped. Can it be saved?
Often, yes. Send us a photograph and we will tell you whether a restoration is possible. We have brought boards back from extraordinary places.
What is the difference between mineral oil and other "food-safe" oils?
Mineral oil is inert: it does not oxidise, does not go rancid, does not leave a tacky finish, and does not transfer flavour to food. Cooking oils (olive, sunflower, walnut) all oxidise over time and will eventually smell sour. Mineral oil on its own is the simplest, longest-lasting option.
How long should an oak chopping board last?
With basic care, a lifetime. We have restored boards that are twenty years old and still in daily use. The board outlasts the trends; the engraving turns it into an heirloom.
Last updated: April 2026