Everyone loves cheese. Everyone! If you say you don’t, you have serious problems. Maybe you are an alien or a robot. Even vegans love cheese and try to recreate the salty, ooey gooeyness with organic soy chunks of some sort. Even people with irritable bowel syndrome can’t stay away from the addictive qualities of cheese. Cheese is hypnotic and delicious. So, anyone can benefit from this little craft. A cheese board to meet your every cheese need. It only takes about 30 minutes, and you can use expensive to inexpensive material. This makes a great gift or a fun craft night with your friends,while sipping wine and eating said cheese. Your choice!

Supplies:

Wood:
I get my wood from the local hardware store. You can choose cheap pine for a couple bucks or use the nice stuff, like red oak, for about $10 a foot. I have someone cut the wood for me at the store at no cost. I go with a 12-inch by 12-inch, 1-inch thick wood board.

Stain:
I also pick a stain that I can use over for different things. I like using the fast wood stain called Varathane. I get the tiny cans that only hold a couple of ounces.

Sandpaper
Chalkboard Spray Paint (optional)

Steps:

1. Head to your local hardware store for the wood. You can even use salvaged wood, but make sure it is not pretreated with chemicals and that you know where the wood comes from. Otherwise, you do not want to be putting food on it. I like using red oak. It is more expensive, but nice, worth the money, and it preserves better. I get the 12-inch width and 1-inch thick. You can have the wood cut at the store for free if you have less than two cuts. After two cuts, you must pay a fee. It is a small fee. Also, go to the store when it is not busy; otherwise, you will never find anyone to cut the wood for you.

2. You need to sand the edges down well, so get a thick grit hen finish with a finishing small grit. Sandpaper is cheap. You can do it by hand or with a palm sander. Make sure to remove all dust when you are done. I usually wet a paper towel, wring it out so it is damp, and wipe all the dust off. Then, decide if you want a distressed look or a clean finish. I like distressing because I am most likely going to drop the board, lose it in the trunk of my car for eight months, or a kid will use it for Play-Doh. Distressing just means beating the crap out of the wood. Take a hammer and go to town on it. Make scrapes or holes or dents. Anything works. Or if you are not fun at all, you can just leave it.

3. Next up is staining.I use Varathane. I use just the wood stain with no polyurethane. It is quick and easy to use. I like to mix my stains. Lately I have been loving the Carrington and Weathered Grey together. I mix it up in a cup to a color I like, and I use a disposable sponge applicator for $1. Then, I wipe it down with a clean cloth rag. Basically, it dries in 20 minutes. Wear gloves if you have them, or your hands will be a mess for a few days.

4. The next step is optional. I like the whole chalkboard fad. I only used it on one side though. Take some painter’s tape and tape off a square – or whatever section or shape you want – for chalkboard space. I use the chalk board spray paint for speed, but you can paint on the canned stuff. Wait until the paint is dry, peel off the tape, and you are done!

By Jamie Burke