There’s nothing quite like a real vintage bread board. They hold so much character from use and the wear of time.
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| Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148618856425804533/ |
You can find bread boards at antique shops, estate sales and auctions, and on Etsy. A larger sized bread board will most likely be $100 or more.
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| Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148618856426695231/ |
There are also Etsy artisans who make “vintage style” bread boards. Here’s my favorite shop – Vintage Home Designs. These sets of mini bread boards are charming and unique.
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| Source: http://ourvintagehomelove.blogspot.com/p/my-bread-board-story.html |
I did some research and decided why not try to make my own bread board. The hardest thing I found was trying to find the right piece of wood. I wanted a maple board that was at least 10 inches wide. To my surprise, maple boards this wide are not easily available – especially at the local Lowe’s or Home Depot. Most of the wood sold at these stores is called “white wood” – which is most always pine. Really, the type of wood is your preference. We finally found a local lumbar yard that had a rough cut piece of maple for $5 a foot. My brother in law has a planer and Mark ran the rough cut plank through the planer until we had a smooth surface. It’s not super smooth because I wanted the board to look old and weathered.
On one end of the board I drew the design for the handle and Mark used the jigsaw to cut it out. Then he drilled a hole in the handle. I used sandpaper to sand around the edges. For the finish, you want to make sure the board is food safe. Most places I found recommended food grade mineral oil, which is also used to seal butcher block. However, it doesn’t give the wood any color.
I finally found a product sold by The Real Milk Paint Company called Dark Raw Tung Oil, which is approved as food safe by the FDA. This product gives an antique look while providing a water resistant coating. An 8 oz. bottle is $9.35. Please be aware that not all tung oil is FDA approved. This is the only product that I could find that provides color and water resistance and is also food safe.
In total, I did spend about $25 for the bread board, but it’s something that I’ll use quite a bit and is just the right size for my table. Thanks for stopping by today! Tomorrow I’ll be back with a review of a beautiful magazine that you won’t want to miss!
Blessings,
What a great idea! I bet I can find some old maple or oak boards around here that would work for that. What great gifts they would make!
Thank you so much for your detailed ideas. I would never have thought of FDA approved oil/stain! Great photos as well. I found the post very inspiring.
It's time to have Kevin start looking for a piece of maple! That's what our island top of made of–and, you guessed it–it isn't in one piece. I think either Kevin glued the pieces together or where he bought it. I love the look of yours–like you paid mega bucks because maybe Martha Washington used it!!
Linda
You will be using your bread board over and over – the perfect starting point for a lovely table!