DIY // Slate Cheeseboard

DIY slate cheeseboard

What’s better than cheese and crackers? A good excuse to eat them. And that, my friends, is exactly what this super cute slate cheeseboard will give you– All for under $5.

1 | Slate tile (you can get free samples at tile & flooring stores)

2 | Felt Circles

3 | Olive oil

4 | Chalk marker / chalk (optional)

how to make your own slate cheeseboard

1 | Scrub (thoroughly) and rinse your slate piece, and pat dry.

2 | Coat all surfaces of the slate with olive oil, then scrub and rinse slate again. This will condition the surface and help create a barrier between the slate & food. Once you’ve scrubbed and rinsed the second time, apply one last coat of olive oil and dab away the excess. *

3 | Apply adhesive felt circles to each of the four corners.

4 | Using a chalk marker, label the cheeses.

5 | Display and eat. You can also refrigerate the slate to keep your cute cheese cold, it’s a win/win!

* The most obvious question of this DIY is if the slate board is food safe. The answer to that is yes and no depending on if you are using it for it’s intended purpose (this is also why the conditioning process is important). The cheeseboard is for display use, and as such is food safe, but should not be used as a dining plate (As with many kinds of serve-ware). Handwash only.
143 comments
  1. Rai said:

    This is awesome. Once I sprayed blackboard paint on my entire wall. My parents were so mad.

  2. Jbot said:

    Oh my god, cheese. Living in Korea it’s so hard to get this essential part of the Western diet and mindset. It just doesn’t exist here like it does there. My mouth is watering so bad, so much.

    *drool*

    • Jyn said:

      Why dont you make some of your own!!! There are some fantastic recipes to make easy mozzarella….

      • I try to stick with simple baking recipes, I’m not the best in the kitchen :)

  3. …but how do I get my penmanship to be as pretty as yours?

    ;)

    Love love LOVE this idea!

  4. This is great idea – not everyone likes eating something if they dont know exactly what it is….even just knowing which cheese …..and saves the hostess from having to repeat over and over “This is Havarti…..”. Love it !

  5. Sinister Dreams said:

    Oh I will be making this! We moved to Italy a year ago and we’ve been eating a lot of cheese, and some of them have weird names that no one can pronounce, with this I can just write it on there and let people try to figure it out that way! Great Idea!!

  6. Dounia said:

    That’s such a cool and creative idea! Thanks for sharing and congrats on being freshly pressed!

  7. QRI said:

    Super creative!

  8. Emma @ Sweet Mabel said:

    This is brilliant. I will definitely be doing this, congrats for being freshly pressed and thanks for the idea x

  9. This will make a thoughtful gift for my wine & cheese loving Valentine. Understated and clever, love it!

  10. Kat said:

    Love this idea! I’m always looking for creative ways to share cheese.

    Kat

  11. This is a great idea!

    PS I really like your elephant knife!

  12. Sheila said:

    Awesome! I’m gonna use this at my next gathering.

  13. Great post, on my way to the supermarket right now.

  14. Just came across your blog, and I LOVE it! So pretty and inspiring. You’re my newest daily read :)

  15. Wow! I love this. Am definitely going to make this! My husband and I have a lot of dinner parties and I’ve always wanted to do something like this. So cute!

    -Kristin
    http://www.coupletastic.com

  16. Rae said:

    That’s a great DIY project! Good for parties or a gift, and on the slim chance that I ever open a restaurant, I’m totally doing this.

  17. newsy1 said:

    What a unique idea, rather than a typical cutting board or cheese board. I love cheese so much, I swear I would eat it off cardboard. Very clever post.

  18. Mistress Maudlin said:

    Lovely idea. Simple and elegant!

  19. Nice. I’m a cheese-a-holic. I like this DIY board idea!

  20. This is really cute, creative, and adorable. Awesome party idea!

  21. Great idea, thanks! I’ve been wanting one, but couldn’t bring myself to pay the absurd prices!

  22. This is the cutest, smartest and loveliest idea I’ve come across for a minimalistic cheese board! You’re certainly a creative dumping, I must say :)

  23. Great idea. and the refrigeration idea is brilliant.

  24. Chef Ivan said:

    nice. I think I will do this on my next cheese party. very minimalistic. This goes into Evernote.

  25. Chef Ivan said:

    Reblogged this on harlequinncooks and commented:
    I really like this idea. It makes it so simple, yet would catch the eye of every cheese lover. I always wanted to veer away from the tacky tent cards and the piercings of valuable cheese with a toothpick. This new take on presentation is just the beginning. Sushi. Sandwiches. Cold Cuts. The possibilities are endless. Please review this. I would like your opinion.

  26. Hilary said:

    Wow!!! Great idea, and anyone can follow your fab instructions.

  27. What a fun and simple DIY project! This project could even cost one nothing if they already had felt handy. What is great about this is you can choose any color or type of tile to use to help match the decor you already own. I thought the idea of writing the type of cheese with chalk on the cutting board was brilliant!

    • So true! It only cost me 99cents to make because I had everything but the felt :)

  28. not seen anything before…… creative… may be I will do some.

  29. Ada said:

    Simple yet brilliant! Never thought of serving cheese and crackers that way. But I guess this is the way I’m gonna serve it from now on! =]

  30. Reblogged this on adelmuses and commented:
    Fanciful. I can’t wait to get my own place. Great blog on the whole.

  31. Hi Ashley,

    I tweeted about this DIY cheeseboard post on twitter yesterday. Then I see it is on Freshly Pressed on wordpress.

  32. nicole.b said:

    this is genius! love how simple it is, and it’s perfect to go with ANY kitchen setting/decor you may have at home!
    x N

  33. The Hook said:

    You have far more talent than The Hook, Ashley! You’re much cuter as well!

  34. This is adorable! I’m loving your blog so glad I stumbled onto it! What software do you use to create your pictures? XOX

    lavenderdaffodils.wordpress.com

    • Thanks, Emily. And to answer your questions, I use Photoshop & Picasa :)

  35. So fun, like I need another reason to eat cheese! I can’t wait to check out the rest of your site!

  36. Yep this works – its sometimes said, the simplest ideas are there, right in front of us and here is the proof in the pudding. Great idea, you’ve just saved me £20!!!

  37. This may be something you and I work on for my wedding! Ash, you’re a genius.

    • For sure! (about the wedding part, not the being genius part) :) love you, Er!

  38. Gadget said:

    Cool beans; showed the wife your gadget and she’s headed to Lowes.

  39. Oh wow, this is totally cool. I am so going to do this project with my friend. I’m going to make a Lowes stop today. I really enjoyed this.

  40. Ariane said:

    A restaurant called Cube in Hollywood does this! You are right on track with the high end restaurants. =)

    • Whoop! Maybe i’ll tell myself that makes me high end without even knowing it? ;)

      • Ariane said:

        That’s precisely what I was implying!

  41. Super idea, I am not good doing stuff with my hands , except for cooking..but I will try, it’s so simple and design, post-modern.. Love your blog!

  42. Tara said:

    What a creative & adorable idea!

  43. srb367 said:

    ok, this is an adorable idea-great for housewarming gift, or for a cheese-a-holic, like myself.

  44. I’m in love with this! So creative and super cute! Thanks for the idea =)

  45. Kathy said:

    just found your blog and i love this post! so cute

  46. that’s a great tip about conditioning the slate. I used to imagine powdery grit in the cheese. But no!

  47. Lady Di said:

    Fantastic idea! We’re doing an auction next week and I’m going to make one for an auction item.

  48. This is really clever! Thanks for sharing :)

  49. sarahnsh said:

    I really want cheese and crackers now! And the black slate makes the cheese and crackers pop as a surface for it.

  50. carbonara said:

    Really, really cool. I’m going to pass this on (as your idea, of coures) to a friend of mine who organizes in-house wine-tastings and table setting events in Italy….
    (www.vinidadivano.com)
    J

  51. carbonara said:

    I also put it on my facebook blog carbonara by joshua lawrence

  52. This is such a simple idea, but I swear I would have likely went and spent money on something that will probably look better and mean more since I did it myself, now that I have seen your easy to follow guide. One thing about helping plan a lot of birthday parties is that there can never be a shortage of ideas for food platters, and this is one that I am definitely going to incorporate. I’m actually going to get the materials right now!

  53. Add a place for a french press of Ethiopian Sidamo and you got yourself a party!

  54. ron kule said:

    Pretty nifty and simple. I like simple.

  55. This is really cool (and professional looking). I’m so sad that I can’t/shouldn’t use this as a dinner plate. I’d love to throw a big flaming steak on top of this and arrange some Kale or such around it.

    • Haha, well, I guess the term “food safe” is your discretion. I’m sure lots of people have eaten off of slate in their lifetime!

    • blujewel said:

      I think as long as there’s no gravy to drip from the (s)plate, I don’t see why you couldn’t.

  56. Love discovering little things you can do around the house at little cost. It just makes it all the better!

  57. Ashley, clicked on your blog from the “freshly pressed”. I love this idea! headed for home depot tomorrow!
    Many Thanks!

  58. jboydjen said:

    Reblogged this on jboydjen and commented:
    wow!!!! :)

  59. What a great idea, so creative and so simple, thanks for sharing

  60. Brings such a nice personal touch to the display of a simple snack

  61. svenoblivion said:

    Love this – thank you!

    – s

  62. Another thing to paint it with my chalk paint!!

    I think I’ll eventually paint my whole house with it.

    Thank you =D

  63. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Ashley!

  64. blujewel said:

    I enjoy entertaining and it’s sometimes hard to be everywhere at once to answer food questions, so I got in the habit of labeling foods, but this is by far the best idea I’ve seen. I will take and use this nifty idea. Thanks for sharing

  65. blujewel said:

    Reblogged this on themultifacetsofblujewel and commented:
    I came across this and thought I’d be remiss in not reblogging. It’s a inexpensive, creative and practical DIY project that will be the centre of discussion during your next social gathering.
    That is all!

  66. Cle-Girl said:

    What a fantastic idea!!!!!
    I will remember this one!
    Thanks for sharing!

  67. Mr. Fed Up said:

    Wow this is a great idea.

    I just finished writing about the “Power of Cheese” and how it makes everything better:
    http://fedupfood.com/2012/01/25/the-power-of-cheese/

    I really only think of cheese as ingredient added to meals to make it taste good no matter what, but cheese served on a nice slate plate is a simple way to make a a typical dinner at home into a fancy occasion.

  68. trish said:

    wow! really simple, cheap and versatile idea. i’ve read about people using tiles as pizza stones, which kind of scares me because they could definitely shatter in high heat. but THIS!!! such a good idea.

    side note: cheeses are recommended to be served room temp for maximal cheesy goodness ;) but the cooling ability of the tile would be good if you had a long waiting/traveling time i think! :) great blog post!

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