Cutting machines such as the Silhouette Cameo and Cricut have infinite possibilities when it comes to crafting. There’s thousands of different projects you can take on, and sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. If you’re looking for a personalized gift that looks professional (with no professional skill required) to give to a coworker, family member or friend, I’ve got your back with a personalized glass cutting board that looks like it came from a store.
Supplies
For this project, you only need a couple of supplies. Some you may already have stashed away if you have anything like the ridiculous crafting stash I do (sometimes I wonder if “crafting” borders on “hoarding”…). You’ll need:
- Glass cutting boards – I use a 12×15″ glass cutting board.
- Glass etching cream – the only brand I’ve used is Armor Etch, and it always works like a charm.
- Vinyl – I use Oracal 651. Generally I stick with colors from a multi-color pack that I don’t think I’ll use on other projects, but you can buy rolls that are inexpensive.
- Transfer tape – AT65 medium tack transfer tape works like magic for me, but any transfer paper or tape will work.
- Popsicle sticks (or another tool to spread the cream around)
- Silhouette Cameo 3 (or other cutting machine)
- Design you want to etch onto the cutting board – See my shop for a variety of fun designs including the split monograms seen in this tutorial.
Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The Basics
Glass etching cream is comprised of an acid that eats away at the surface of the glass. It leaves behind a frosted look compared to the relative smoothness of the rest of the glass. Due to the process simply removing a small amount of material, the piece of kitchenware (cutting board, pint glass, etc.) retains all of its original characteristics such as microwave and dishwasher safeness.
For this project to work the best, the etching cream is applied to the back of the cutting board, which is smooth.
Instructions
To create an etched glass cutting board of your very own, do the following:
- Choose a design for your cutting board, and import it into your cutting machine’s software. Ensure the design is mirrored as shown in the photo below. This will allow the design to be placed on the bottom of the cutting board with the text visible from the top.
2. Size and cut your vinyl to fit your design.
3. Place on your cutting mat.
Pro Tip: Always perform a test cut of your material to ensure your design will cut as desired.
4. Cut your design.
5. Once your cut is complete, weed the design. You’ll want to remove what you want to etch, so this will generally be the actual design. It will leave behind the “stencil” of the design for you to etch.
6. Apply your transfer tape or paper to your vinyl. Ensure all of the pieces of your design are stuck to the transfer tape.
7. Carefully remove the backing from the vinyl.
Caution! Please note that the vinyl should be adhered to the back of the cutting board (the smooth side for the cutting boards I used) if you mirrored your design.
8. Align your design as desired on your glass cutting board, and apply the vinyl.
Pro Tip: Measure the center of the cutting board, and place a dot using highlighter or another removable ink where the center is on the front of the cutting board. Use this to help guide where you place your design.
9. Use a credit card or other tool to ensure the vinyl is securely adhered to the glass cutting board and there are no bubbles near the edges where the etching cream will be applied.
10. Remove the transfer tape leaving the vinyl adhered to the cutting board.
Pro Tip: Use masking tape or even wax paper on the edges of the cutting board not covered in vinyl to cover the glass. This will ensure that the etching cream doesn’t come in contact with any glass when you’re rinsing the etching cream off. It will also protect the glass in case any etching cream is dripped.
11. Apply etching cream to your design using a popsicle stick to spread the cream around and ensure everything is adequately coated.
12. Wait for the magic to happen!
Pro Tip: To ensure a good etch, I allow the cream to remain on the design for 10 minutes, swirl the cream around with the popsicle to ensure there’s no unevenly coated areas or bubbles, allow another 10 minutes to elapse, swirl the cream again & finally allow another 10 minutes of etching. This totals 30 minutes of etching time plus two swirls.
13. Remove as much excess etching cream back into the bottle with the popsicle stick as you can. You’ll be able to use it again for your next project!
14. Rinse any remaining etching cream off your design with water. Be sure the cream does not come in contact with any of the glass during rinsing.
15. Remove vinyl.
16. Rinse your cutting board thoroughly with soap.
17. Dry thoroughly.
Note: Your design will not show up well until the design is 100% dry & may look as if it isn’t etched well if water remains.
18. Admire your handiwork!
These glass cutting boards can be easily personalized, are easy to make and look professionally made. These will dazzle anyone who you gift one to or will make a statement piece for your own kitchen. If you jump into the glass etching world and try your hand at a cutting board, I would love to see your work! Be sure to tag @bysabrinamarie on Instagram with your project!