Our cutting boards are finished with a combination of food grade beeswax and food grade mineral oil. This finish creates a protective barrier that not only helps prevent warping and cracking, but it also gives the cutting boards a beautiful, smooth surface.

It is important to maintain the finish to protect the boards. Wood, and your cutting boards, will naturally dry out after being washed frequently. Keeping your board properly conditioned will extend the life of your board, help prevent stains, and help to keep it moisture resistant.

Wash before use.

ALWAYS HAND WASH cutting boards and other wood dishes and utensils with a soft sponge and hot, soapy water. Running them through the dishwasher will result in cracking and warping. DRY WITH A CLEAN DISH TOWEL OR PAPER TOWEL IMMEDIATELY and stand upright to finish drying.

Staining is common with wooden cutting boards and may occur. To help prevent staining your cutting board, avoid letting liquids remain on the board’s surface for extended periods of time, and wipe your board off with a damp cloth after use. Certain foods and liquids will stain all wooden cutting boards more easily than others.

If stains do occur, it will naturally fade with use. For stubborn stains, apply a paste of baking soda and water and scrub gently.

When your cutting board looks and/or feels dry, it is time to recondition it:

1. Apply the included Form Woodworking Board Butter generously to all surfaces with a clean paper towel

2. Leave it to soak in for several hours, or ideally, overnight

3. Use a clean paper towel to buff of excess

4. Repeat as necessary

You can also use any food safe mineral oil to recondition your cutting board with these same instructions, but our Board Butter creates a longer lasting, less oily finish.

Unless otherwise specified, we use Osmo hard wax oil to finish most of our furniture. While Osmo does sell cleaning products for their finishes, I think they are generally unnecessary for use with furniture. Cleaning with a soft cloth and warm, soapy water should be sufficient in most cases, but occasional use of all purpose cleaner should not affect the finish. Avoid any harsh chemicals like degreasers, thinners, etc.

The wood and finish may slightly change colors over the years, but that is natural and basically impossible to avoid. However, try to avoid extended direct sunlight if possible, as it will more strongly affect the coloring of the wood and finish.

With hard wax oil, repairing the finish is quite easy. Just lightly sand the affected area, and thinly apply more finish, according to the manufacturer's instructions. No need to sand and refinish the entire piece. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or want us to handle any more intensive repairs.