10 Minute Ikea Hack: House-Shaped + Geometric DIY Cutting Boards

When we were in London, we stayed in an amazing home that is owned by a designer, who has cool little DIYable items all around her home. And one of those items inspired today’s project for geometric (and house-shaped) cutting boards that also happen to be an easy Ikea hack, which you know I love.

The London home owner had a set of house-shaped cutting boards that we used for cutting bread, etc while we were there. And I looked them up while we were there to try to track them down. They’re no longer available, so I took a (very bad iPhone) photo and made a note to make my own when we got back home.

And I finally got around to it! So I wanted to share the tutorial and Ikea hack for anyone looking to add some personality to their kitchen accessories: DIY cutting boards in geometric shapes.

Here’s how to create your own custom shape Ikea hack cutting boards in about 10 minutes…

Materials

• Ikea cutting board
• compact circular saw* (this is the one I use)
• table clamps
• painter’s tape or washi tape (optional)
• pencil
• power sander or sandpaper (this is the power sander I use)
• food safe mineral oil (MUST be food safe)

*You can also use a regular circular saw. I have both, but I like the control of the compact one better for a project like this. It fits better in your hand, is lighter than a circular saw, and feels less intimidating, in my opinion.

**Also, if you have a jigsaw (which is next on my list of tools to buy), you can create shapes with curves that don’t have straight cuts (i.e. circles, arches, waves, etc), which would also be super fun for cutting boards.

Instructions

1. To cut a house-shaped cutting board, you’ll need to make some measurements. Start by finding the top center of the board and making a mark with a pencil. Then create the first angle for the ‘roof’ going down from that center point to the side of the cutting board. And mimic that same angle on the other side as well, by measuring how far down the side of the cutting board that first angle is, and marking it off at the same measurement.

If you’re creating an asymmetrical angle instead of a house shape, you don’t have to worry about measurements, just mark off a design that you like.

2. Add painter’s tape or washi tape to create a more obvious guide to follow for your saw, if you’d like. I did this and found it to be helpful visually, but it’s not necessary if you can see the pencil lines really well.

3. Clamp down your cutting board, using table clamps to keep the board secure while cutting. Make sure that the areas that you are cutting are a safe distance away from the table that the cutting board is clamped to.

4. Make the cuts with your saw, remove the tape, and sand the edges for a smooth finish.

5. Next, apply food safe mineral oil with a cloth to the entire surface (front, back, and sides). Wait 5 minutes or so and wipe off any excess oil with a dry cloth. You can reapply the oil every few weeks, if needed.

6. (Optional) Add a leather knotted strap, if desired. I actually drilled a hole (with a spade bit) in some of the smaller cutting boards that didn’t already have a hole and it was super easy. *Wet your leather first before trying to knot it. This will make it softer and easy to bend, etc. Then will harden back up as it dries.

Photography by Amelia Tatnall and Brittni Mehlhoff
Styling by Brittni Mehlhoff

What other shapes and designs do you think would be fun for this cutting board DIY?