Caring for End Grain Cutting Boards

End grain cutting boards are the ultimate food preparation surface. Each board is crafted for daily use. With proper care, you'll get excellent performance and delight with each use.

What makes end-grain special?

Wood is an amazing material. It can support a tree 100 feet tall and pulls water and nutrients from deep in the ground to all of its leaves efficiently, using just sunlight as fuel. The secret is in the way the cells of the tree are structured. The body of the wood is filled with tiny, straw like tubes that run vertically up the trunk. An end grain cutting surface positions the tops of these tubes as the cutting surface.

Pen and ink drawing of a block of wood. The top face shows the open ends of many tiny straw-like fibers, and the sides show the same fibers running vertically up the trunk.

Although the board feels hard to the touch, when you use a knife on the surface, the tubes gently spread apart to let the knife through. Then, any moisture on the board swells the fibers and closes the gap the knife left behind.

Pen and ink drawing of a block of wood with a knife blade above its top face. The edge of the blade has just entered the surface, and the fibers on either side of the edge bow apart to let it through.

Daily Cleaning and Storage

Wash your board with a mild detergent and water. Let the board dry vertically. When not using your board, store it vertically.

Pen and ink drawing of an end grain cutting board standing on its edge in a wooden rack with a single slot.

Periodic Conditioning

Z-Atelier end grain boards are finished with Z-Wax, a wood conditioner made from natural beeswax and fractionated coconut oil. This food safe finish protects the wood and makes knife marks vanish. It is normal for the finish to be washed away with daily use. Re-apply Z-Wax on a monthly basis. If you don't have Z-Wax, you can use inexpensive unscented food grade mineral oil, often sold at the drug store.