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Food Safe Wood Finish – 9 Best Finishes for Cutting Boards, Toys, & More
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With all the toxins that exist around us, in what seems like everything…. It’s no
wonder there’s been a surge in the popularity of food safe wood finishes. I mean, we
have to be careful about what we ingest, right? So it only makes sense to use food
safe finishes when we’re working on wood projects that will come in contact with
our mouths, our food, or our children in any way.
I have found some incredibly interesting facts around the topic of food safe wood
finishes. Not only 9 great options, but even some more controversial matter that,
while I agree with what I’ve read, I’m only 50% sure that you’ll agree.
But regardless, I’m going to give you all the details. Below you’ll find the 9 best food
safe wood finishes, but also the 2 basic categories that all wood projects fall into,
which will determine which kind of finish to use. Plus, the nitty gritty “Reality” of
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food grade finishes and why you may not need to be so concerned.
But first…
Here are the 4 main project types you should consider using a food safe wood finish
on:
So if your project sounds like it fits in one of these categories, then it’s worth
considering using a food safe wood finish.
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1. Shellac
This is a surface sealing, natural finish that comes from the Lac bug. You can bet it’s
safe to consume, they coat candy with it after all. Shellac is a film-forming finish, and
provides good protection from moisture. It leaves a glossy finish if applied thick
enough and buffed out.
4. Carnauba Wax
This is plant-based, and is considered safe for consumption because it is inert, non-
toxic, and cannot be digested by humans. It’s often used for it’s “Shiny” properties,
and can be mixed with beeswax to add water-resistance.
6. Walnut Oil
This sweet-smelling finish is non-toxic and resists water and alcohol. It can however
go rancid over time (if left “un-cured”). Be sure to leave it exposed to oxygen after
application. Once fully cured, it should not affect those with nut-allergies, but
caution should still be taken.
Similar to Mineral Oil, this wax is derived from petroleum. But don’t let that scare
you. It’s food safe and is commonly used in the preservation of jams and cheeses.
9. Coconut Oil
This is a food safe finish good for butcher blocks and cutting boards. Be sure to get
the “distilled” or “fractionated” variation, which is refined so it won’t go rancid.
With all these choices, how do you decide what’s going to work best for your
project? Well, it first comes down to one main decision, and possibly one followup
decision:
If you go with a penetrating oil, then do you want higher maintenance or lower
maintenance wood finish (non-drying oil vs drying oil, I’ll explain below)?
Let me break down each of these choices to help you get closer to your decision…
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The main difference between penetrating oil finishes, and surface sealer finishes, is
probably pretty obvious, but I’ll explain anyway. The penetrating oils soak down into
the wood and stay inside. They provide less protection, but they are easier to apply,
and leave a more natural looking finish.
A surface sealer, also known as a film finish, remains on the surface and leaves a
layer that can be built up for added protection. And as you probably expect, it’s
more protective than penetrating finishes, but it can be trickier to apply.
For me, I prefer a surface sealer for most projects that will get more physical abuse,
wear and tear, cleaning agents, or moisture. But for most other projects that don’t
need quite the protection, like toys, picture frames, book cases, and decorative
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shelves, I prefer penetrating finishes for their simplicity, but also for the fact that
they excel at really bringing out the grain, leaving a beautiful, satin finish.
Shellac
Wax
Varnish
Polyurethane
Lacquer
A drying oil goes through a process where it cures and turns solid (though not as
“solid” as a surface sealer). The process is called polymerization and it most
commonly happens when the oil is in contact with oxygen, which means once it’s
applied to the wood surface, it begins the curing process.
A non drying oil stays wet indefinitely. This type of oil is often considered a
‘treatment’, and not a true ‘finish’. Because it doesn’t actually cure, it can be washed
off over time, and will be transfered on to anything that comes in contact with it. It
will require the most frequent re-application, depending on how much wear the
wood surface is subjected to.
Common Drying Oils Menu
Tung Oil
Walnut Oil
Linseed Oil
Coconut Oil
Peanut Oil
Olive Oil
Rapeseed Oil
And just to clarify, peanut, olive, and rapeseed oils are not on my list of food safe
wood finishes. If you’re going for a ‘treatment’ type of oil on surfaces that need a
food safe finish, you’ll want to stick with Mineral or Coconut oil, which I explained
above.
Now, by “fully cured”, I don’t mean that the finish has become dry to the touch. If
you can still smell the finish, it hasn’t cured. Rule of thumb is any wood finish needs
a good 30 days to fully cure…
The fact is, there’s no evidence of these wood finishes, even the ones that initially
have dryers or solvents in them, have actually caused any harm by coming in contact
with food, or with a persons mouth.
Even many of the commercially concocted finishes that are labeled a “Food Safe
Wood Finish” still have dryers or solvents. Many times that’s what’s needed to make
sure they can be applied in thin layers, or cure in a reasonable time.
The point is that these additives are used to help with application and curing. But
after that, they are no longer a threat. That’s great news right?
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Now, this doesn’t mean that ALL finishes are food safe. We still need to be careful,
and use common sense.
The FDA regulates this type of thing, and has guidelines for what makes a food safe
wood finish. They provide a long list of products that can be included in the finish,
and it just so happens, the ingredients in modern wood finishes are all on that list!
What’s not included? Well, the main things would be mercury and lead. Lead is no
longer used in modern wood finishes, and mercury never was.
The other guideline the FDA uses is that it must not leach more than a certain
amount of its ingredients within a very specific set of parameters. This can only be
determined by way of expensive testing of each and every batch, so obviously, it’s a
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test that is not commonly performed.
That means most finishes cannot be “properly” claimed as FDA Approved as a food
safe wood finish. But that doesn’t mean they don’t meet the standards.
If you are the type of person that gets highly concerned about toxins in things like
wood finishes, then you’ll be much more comfortable using the finishes on the list
I’ve provided you above.
If you’re like me however, you may feel that we live in a world that is constantly
bombarding us with un-avoidable toxins, and the possible trace of chemicals leached
from a standard wood finish may not even come close to the toxicity of the VOCs we
breath that come off of new car interiors, newly installed carpet, or even our
comfortable memory foam pillows…
So if that sounds more like you, then do what I do. My standards are based on this
simple question:
Will the finished product, once fully cured, be cut, hammered, or chewed on? If so, I
figure that maybe the finish needs to be something that is practically edible. If not,
then I personally prefer polyurethane for it’s extreme protective qualities and low-
maintenance.
I’m talking about penetrating oil finishes here, from the list above. This is the same
whether it’s a drying or a non-drying oil, and please don’t forget to discard your rags
properly!!! (more on that below)
To apply an oil finish, you need some lint-free rags and some nitrile gloves. Pour
some oil on to the rag, or directly on the wood surface.
Now spread it around and rub it in, with the direction of the grain of the wood (it’s
ok to put it on pretty thick). It really is that simple, and it’s almost impossible to mess
up!
Let it soak 10 minutes, then wipe off whatever didn’t soak in with a clean rag. Apply
extra coats after the previous is dry to the touch.
To leave an even smoother finish, sand with 400 or 600 grit wet/dry sand paper after
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the first coat, before it dries. This creates a slurry that fills tiny pores and leaves a
glass-smooth finish. Lightly wipe it down again to remove sanding slurry build-up
with the same rag that already has some oil in it (not enough to pool up on the top),
then let it dry before applying the next coat.
This is a very general guideline to applying an oil finish, but always read the
instructions that comes with your finish and make sure you include any additional
suggested steps, or coat quantity limitations.
Oil finishes (the drying kind) go through a process as they cure, called
polymerization. This happens when the finish is exposed to oxygen, which is why a
closed container of oil on your shelf does not easily polymerize.
A byproduct of polymerization is heat. With the oil applied thinly and evenly on a
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wood surface, that heat is wide spread enough that you won’t even notice it coming
off the finish.
But your application rags are a different story. These rags are soaked all the way
through, so there’s quite a bit of oil within.
If you couple that with lack of fresh air flow, the heat coming off the rag can build
up.
This happens typically when you wad up the rag and toss it in a box or the trash can.
There’s a lot of pockets of space in a wadded up rag that can hold heat.
This heat can build up and increase to the point of spontaneous combustion,
catching the rag on fire (and may even include a small explosion effect).
In fact, this very thing happened to my dad when I was just a kid, and had he not
heard that small explosion of the rag combusting, our house would have burned
down. He had left his staining rags wadded up, sitting on a vacuum cleaner, during
the construction of the house (he was the builder). He was upstairs and heard this
happen, ran down, and found the rag and the vacuum on fire.
So yes, this is a very real threat, but don’t let that scare you. I use boiled linseed oil
and various stains all the time, and both of these can combust like that.
Note: Wood stain has the same combustable properties as the drying oils have, so
treat your staining rags the same way.
There’s a simple process I use in my shop, ensuring that I never have to worry
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about burning my house down. Here’s what you do.
Here’s why I use this process. The metal bucket won’t burn down, so worse case
scenario, the rag burns up and that’s it (all I have to do is clear the smoke out of my
shop).
The combustion can only happen while they’re drying. That’s why I leave the bucket
in the middle of the floor while the wet finishing rags are draped over the side.
And finally, just in case there’s still any heat being released after a couple days have
passed, I put the rags into the metal bucket and leave them there for another week
(or longer) before taking them out and throwing them in the trash. This just ensures
that in the unlikely event they combust, they are still in a metal bucket that won’t
catch on fire.
Conclusion
So we covered the 9 best food safe wood finishes, the difference in surface sealers
and penetraing oils, the difference in drying oils and non drying oils, how to apply,
how to safely discard, and why regular wood finishes may be considered safe for
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food grade projects.
Hopefully that helps you decide which finish is best for your project.
For additional related topics, check out these other articles I’ve done on
common finishes that I personally use and love:
Article Sources
http://woodcraftersresource.com
https://www.canadianwoodworking.com
http://yourlivingbody.com
https://www.isitbadforyou.com
https://www.cuttingboard.com
http://www.leevalley.com
http://www.leevalley.com
https://woodbarter.com
http://www.hardwoodweb.com
https://www.popularwoodworking.com
https://www.woodworkersjournal.com
http://www.woodcentral.com
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Danish Oil – What You Should Know About This Amazing Wood Finish
Adam Henley /// November 5, 2019
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Should You Wax That? – The Why And The How To Apply A Wax Finish
Adam Henley /// January 19, 2019
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This page may have affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure page.
Adam has been woodworking for the last 10 years. He considers himself a 'Small
Shop Woodworker' and practices his hobby in his garage. With the lack of time,
space, and proper tools, he always finds ways to get great results without over-
complicating or over-thinking the process. Various shop jigs, table saw sleds, and
tricks of the trade have served him well. God has blessed him with a beautiful family,
as well as a passion for teaching others about woodworking. You can read more
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Reply
Jack
April 11, 2020 at 7:13 pm
This is a great article. I had no idea so many edible finishes existed and the
point about rags used for oil is so important to consider. That’s a really great
topic applicable in so many areas.
Reply
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Sammy
May 28, 2020 at 12:39 am
Thank you
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Julia L.
October 3, 2020 at 1:02 pm
This may be a dumb question, but I’ve never done this before so bear with
me. I want to stain a kitchen island top that I’ll be using to prep food. I won’t
use the surface directly to cut or place food (I always use boards or plates,
etc) but food will inevitably touch the table top and I do want to protect it.
After I stain, can any of the methods you mentioned be used over the stain?
Do I just wait for the stain to be dry to move on to the next step of oil or
wax? Or do I need to wait for the stain to cure fully? Thank you for a great
article!
Reply
Adam Henley Menu
October 3, 2020 at 1:39 pm
Hi Julia,
If you want a more natural finish, you can apply an oil or wax instead (after
the stain cures), but these are not nearly as durable as polyurethane and
they may need to be reapplied multiple times a year.
Reply
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