Thrift Store Upcycle: Paddle Cutting Board

by To Work With My Hands

6 Materials

$10

4 Hours

Easy

A thrift store upcycle is one of the best ways I know to give someone’s cast-offs a new chance.

Somewhere, at some time, someone got tired of their faded paddle cutting board and it ended up at my most frequented thrift store stops.

As often happens, I didn’t know what I’d do with it right away, but decided it had enough potential to come home with me.

thrift store upcycle paddle cutting board

It was pretty basic and unimpressive. So much so that it sat in my stash cabinet for more than a few months.

I was pretty sure I'd use it for decorative purposes, but the right idea just hadn't clicked yet.

But when I bought a Cricut Maker over the summer, it opened up all kinds of creative possibilities!

I've been playing around with vinyl and love how easy and versatile it is to work with.

And that's what I decided to do again with this sad little cutting board - that was hiding all kinds of potential.

First it definitely needed a good sanding to get rid of a few knife marks and to strip away the dull finish.

And that's when I saw the bright, gorgeous grain that was hiding under that dull finish.

My previous plans to cover it with a dark stain went right out the window.

I decided to give it a clear polycrylic finish.

First I removed any stray dust and oil particles with denatured alcohol.

Then I gave it three coats of spray polycrylic, which only accentuated that beautiful grain.

I wanted the accent to be light - since the board itself is so gorgeous - and cut a simple monogram with the Maker using dark brown vinyl. I was trying to get pretty close to that single streak in the board.

To finish the whole project, I added a length of dark brown leather cord to the handle.

I love how it turned out, but I really love that an old, discarded piece had a beautiful heart hiding under a dull layer of finish and dirt - and now gets to be enjoyed again.