DIY Resin Cutting Board Makes a Great Gift

A resin cutting board functions as both a useful kitchen tool and a piece of decor! Learn how to decorate a cutting board with resin for home or a gift. You can also use this as a resin charcuterie board or use the same method on a round wood board.

Skills Required: Intermediate. I recommend having some experience with resin since you’ll be mixing colors as well as pouring in different patterns. I’d practice on a smaller surface before doing it on a cutting board just to make sure you don’t ruin your surface.

I hope no one in my family sees this post before Christmas, for very good reason – resin cutting boards are one of my top handmade gift ideas of the year! If there’s one thing I use on a regular basis, it’s a cutting board. I actually have probably 5 – 6 in different sizes.

I really love a nice cutting board, and what I really love about these is that they aren’t just useful. They are pretty enough to display in home decor. I like that you can make them colorful, metallic, or even do an ocean themed cutting board with a bit of sand.

Once you start experimenting, you’re going to see all the variations! And I’m going to show you a few different resin cutting board tutorials today.

Making Epoxy Cutting Boards
I wanted to go over some basic questions you might be curious about as you make a resin chopping board. If you’re not interested in the FAQs you can scroll down, but hopefully these questions (and answers) will help!

What do you need to make resin cutting boards?
You’ll need a cutting board, resin, acrylic paint, alcohol ink, and protective gear. You’ll also need mixing cups in various sizes and something to mix with like popsicle sticks. The cups should not be reused.

How much epoxy resin do I need for a cutting board?
It depends on how much of the cutting board you would like to cover. A 5″ x 7″ area (if you’re not covering the whole board) would use about 2 – 3 ounces. My large cutting board (10″ x 13″) would take 8 – 9 ounces to cover the entire thing. Measure the area you’d like to cover and use the calculator.

Can you use regular food coloring in resin?
Sometimes people want to reduce project costs by using food coloring. You can do that, but keep in mind the epoxy will be more transparent like stained glass. If your background is dark (like a wood board), the resin color might not show up. That’s why I use acrylic paint.

How do you make an ocean resin cutting board?
You’ll use the same basic method, except it’s how you layer the colors. You can do a navy-aqua-clear-white motif and then use a hair dryer to blow the epoxy back towards the dark portion and create waves. You can also mix part of the epoxy with sand to create the beach.

Are you ready to dive into the tutorials? I’m going to show you how to make a few different epoxy cutting boards: blue and aqua, gold gilded, red and orange, and gold and black. The methods are the same with just a few variations. Keep reading below!

Blue and Aqua

Gather These Supplies

Wood cutting board
Mod Podge Resin
Alcohol ink – silver
Acrylic paint – aqua, navy, white
Respirator
Gloves
Cups
Torch
Painter’s tape or thumbtacks
1. To mix Mod Podge Resin, begin by measuring out equal amounts of resin and hardener (measure by volume not weight). Use a separate measuring cup for each part. Once equal amounts of both parts are measured, pour them into a mixing cup.

2. Gently stir the two parts together for 3 minutes. When you start to stir, cloudy swirls will appear. While mixing, make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing cup to fully incorporate the two parts.

3. Continue to mix until the cloudy swirls no longer appear and the mixture is clear. NOTE: it is best to only mix the amount that will be needed for each project, one project at a time.

4. Divide the resin into four individual small cups. Mix the resin with paint in three of the cups, and silver ink in the fourth cup. Just add a few drops of paint and ink.

5. Tape off the bottom of the cutting board along the edges or raise the board.

6. Pour each color in the order shown. Continue to add stripes of various colors with the resin until you’ve covered the area desired.

7. Use a pastry torch to remove any bubbles. Wait about five minutes and repeat.

8. Allow 24 hours to harden.

Now that you know the basic idea, here are a few variations to try.

Gold and Black

Additional Supplies: gold alcohol ink, black acrylic paint, Treasure Gold, home decor layering block

1. Basecoat the cutting board black. Allow to dry.

2. Pour Treasure Gold onto your paper plate. Dip the layering blocks into the paint and lightly glide the treasure gold from the bottom right hand corner up towards the top. Refer to the photo for exact placement.

3. In separate cups, mix resin with gold ink and silver ink.

4. Tape off the inside of the hole.

5. Pour the two mixes onto your chosen area on top of the cutting board and move resin (using a pin or similar) around to create a marbled effect. Use the torch to remove any bubbles. Allow 24 hours for the resin to dry.

6. Build a tape wall around the entire cutting board.

7. Mix clear resin and pour onto the cutting board covering the entire top surface and make it even. Use the torch to remove any bubbles. Allow another 24 hours for the resin to dry.

8. Once dry remove the tape.

Red, Orange, and Gold

Additional Supplies: gold alcohol ink, acrylic paint – red, dijon, and peach

1. Mix resin according to instructions on packaging.

2. Mix resin with paint in individual cups (1 – 3 drops each).

3. Tape off the bottom of cutting board along the edges.

4. Pour each color in the order shown in photo. Move colors around.

5. Use the torch to remove any bubbles.

6. Allow 24 hour to harden.

Gold Gilded

Additional Supplies: Acrylic paint – black, white, and gray, gilding sheets, gilding adhesive, gold glitter

1. Basecoat the cutting board with gray. Allow to dry.

2. Mix white paint, black paint, and gold glitter into resin in individual cups.

3. Pour the white and the black resin onto desired areas on top of the cutting board and move it around to form a marbled look. Add gold glitter as shown. Use the torch to remove any bubbles. Wait 24 hours for the resin to dry.

4. Brush the gilding adhesive along the edge of the resin, but still on the wood.

5. Allow the adhesive to dry. It will remain very sticky. Press the gilding sheet into the adhesive and allow the gold to peel off the sheet. Continue until the adhesive is covered with gold.

6. Tape the bottom of the cutting board to protect it from any runoff.

7. Mix clear resin and pour over entire cutting board. Allow to dry for 24 hours. Use the torch to remove any bubbles. Once dry remove the tape from the back.