What do you do when you spot a large plank cutting board on deep clearance at the store? You buy it of course! While I’m sure we all have enough cutting boards in daily use, I challenge you to use one to create a menu board (or even a recipe book holder).
Having poked around the Muddaritaville website for stencils a short time before, the three “menu” stencils that they have came to mind. I was super into the bottom one, and decided to give it a try.
What you need for a stencilled menu board
For this project, you’ll need a cutting board, a clothespin, some paper, a Menu stencil, Homestead Hemp Oil, and Sturbridge White Homestead House Milk Paint.
How to use a stencil
Like with all stencils, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for best practices. Muddaritaville recommends using a stencil adhesive or tape to secure the stencil. I opted for painter’s tape (because I don’t have the adhesive) and secured the parts of the stencil that were lifting up a little.
How to mix milk paint
I mixed 1 part Sturbridge White and one part water (about 1tbsp each) for this project and then used a bristle brush to dab the paint onto the stencil.
How to stencil a menu board
With a stencil like this, you want to have as little paint as possible on the brush, otherwise, you run the risk of having it bleed under the stencil. A little bit is always expected, but I try to limit how much.
Once I had two coats on the stencil, I removed it and used a wet Q-tip to clean-up the edges while the paint was still fresh.
Next, I used a detailed sponge brush to fill-in the gaps on the stencil, where the painter’s tape had blocked it.
After a few touch-up coats, the paint was complete! I let it dry before applying a thin coat of Hemp oil to protect the cutting board, and give it a richness of colour.
Finishing touches! I hot glued a clothespin to the board, and then added a few sheets of paper on which to write-out what’s on offer.
Hung in a kitchen, it looks pretty darn cute and very appropriate.
DIY Stencilled Menu Board
What kind of small projects have you been up to? Show us in the Paint It Beautiful facebook group.
