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Woodworking · by Maya Williams · 2026-10-30

Cutting board finish: plain mineral oil, board butter, or hardwax oil?

Making a few end-grain boards as holiday gifts and I keep going back and forth on the finish. Mineral oil is cheap and easy to reapply, board butter (oil + beeswax) feels nicer, and some people swear by food-safe hardwax oils that last longer but are harder for the recipient to maintain. What do you use, and what do you tell people about re-oiling when you give one away?

22 sparks · 3 comments

Comments

Nicolás Díaz · 6 likes

mineral oil to saturate, then a coat of board butter. and I include a little tin of it with the gift so they actually do it

Sanne de Vries · 3 likes

nobody you gift a board to is going to re-oil it. pick the one that survives neglect

Maya Putri · 1 likes

brutal but true. my mum puts hers in the dishwasher