Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
If you’ve ever had a cutting board cup, crack, or come back to you months later looking rough…it might not be the glue. A lot of times it comes down to the oil.
Don’t be stingy with it. Finish them with food-grade or USP mineral oil, and flood the surface.
Let’s look at what mineral oil actually is. Unlike a lot of other oils, it doesn’t cure or harden. It stays liquid inside the wood. Its job isn’t to create a hard coating… it soaks into the fibers and fills the pores, helping slow moisture movement in the kitchen.
Because it never actually dries, it doesn’t last forever. Over time it gets washed out from cleaning and regular use… so it’ll need to be touched up again with the same mineral oil.
Here’s a tip that’s worked well for me: for every board you build, include the bottle you used to oil it. When they take that bottle home, they know exactly what was used on their board and what to buy later on. It becomes a built-in reminder that maintenance is part of ownership.
If you’re selling boards, it might feel like you’re taking a loss on the bottle. But just bake that cost into the price. Customers who actually use the mineral oil will have a better board over time…and that keeps your reputation looking good.
Another tip is to explain to the person receiving the board what to look for when it starts drying out. If water stops beading on the surface and soaks in quickly… that’s when to oil it again.
I also tell them to oil it once a week for the first month. That routine helps them get familiar with how the board responds and builds the habit early.
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Marc B.
Richard B.
Ben. K
Bill Patterson
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
If you’ve ever had a cutting board cup, crack, or come back to you months later looking rough…it might not be the glue. A lot of times it comes down to the oil.
Don’t be stingy with it. Finish them with food-grade or USP mineral oil, and flood the surface.
Let’s look at what mineral oil actually is. Unlike a lot of other oils, it doesn’t cure or harden. It stays liquid inside the wood. Its job isn’t to create a hard coating… it soaks into the fibers and fills the pores, helping slow moisture movement in the kitchen.
Because it never actually dries, it doesn’t last forever. Over time it gets washed out from cleaning and regular use… so it’ll need to be touched up again with the same mineral oil.
Here’s a tip that’s worked well for me: for every board you build, include the bottle you used to oil it. When they take that bottle home, they know exactly what was used on their board and what to buy later on. It becomes a built-in reminder that maintenance is part of ownership.
If you’re selling boards, it might feel like you’re taking a loss on the bottle. But just bake that cost into the price. Customers who actually use the mineral oil will have a better board over time…and that keeps your reputation looking good.
Another tip is to explain to the person receiving the board what to look for when it starts drying out. If water stops beading on the surface and soaks in quickly… that’s when to oil it again.
I also tell them to oil it once a week for the first month. That routine helps them get familiar with how the board responds and builds the habit early.
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Marc B.
Richard B.
Ben. K
Bill Patterson
Make Things
#MakeThings #mtbitesize
