Restoring An Antique Bread Board

We found this antique bread board buried deep in a shed on my mother-in-law's property.  We know that it is at least 100 years old because it is something left from when she was a little girl growing up in the now gone Hubbards Tavern - a historic tavern just a few miles away.  The legend is that General Washington would stay there when passing through the area.

I immediately knew that I wanted to save it and use it as a decorative piece.  I did a little research on how to properly clean it and I already had some Howard's Butcher Block conditioner on hand.

It was a dirty thing and goodness only knows what has crawled around on it.

I sanded it just a little to smooth out the splinters.  If I were using it in the kitchen for food, I would have sanded quite a bit.

To clean it, I scrubbed it down with some hot soapy water (may not be recommended for cutting boards to be used). After thoroughly rinsing, I scrubbed again with white vinegar and let sit for about 15 minutes, then rinsed well.  I repeated that process EXCEPT with peroxide, paying special attention to the cracks.  I may not be using it for food prep, but I am still a bit of a germaphobe.  I rinsed it again and set it to dry.

Looking much better.  A little trick I used was sitting it on top of a cookie rack to allow air flow to the bottom while drying.

I love the time-worn details.

I let it dry a little bit, then coated it with Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner (usually available at Lowe's).  The directions suggest wiping it down with hot water prior to using the conditioner to better allow the product to soak in, which I had done when cleaning.

I applied it to both sides wiping with the grain.

After letting it dry for about 30 minutes, I buffed it to a gorgeous sheen.

Now it sits proudly on our wicker trunk/coffee table in the basement.

This just goes to show that wood can always be restored, no matter how bad it may seem!

Thanks for stopping by!