We just purchased two more of the 24 x 18 x 1.5 inch versions for permanent use on our main kitchen counter top on each side of the sink. Prior to this we had one of the 24s and a smaller version in these permanent roles. However, we failed to keep tabs on water getting under the boards from spillover from the sink during clean up and preparation. As a result of over a year's worth of contact with this spillover, both of our original Boos Boards soaked up a lot of the water over time, and began to warp, split and on the larger 24 inch board, got a bad case of mold on the underside! Yikes! We had NO IDEA this was happening this badly until it was too late! Even with a thorough oiling using the Boos Mystery Oil before we originally placed the boards down on the countertop, and several times thereafter, the water issue still managed to eventually destroy our original pair! Because we keep these permanently on the counter, and due to their size and weight, we did not remove them each time we were done with them. The boards make a far better countertop than the Formica countertop they are sitting on top of! This water damage was definitely not the fault of the product since they warn you about just such a potential problem. Maple does soak up stray water if given the chance! However, during normal everyday use it is virtually impossible to prevent water from getting under these things if you lay them directly on your countertop near your kitchen sink area, even if you think you have wiped all of it off the bottom of the board! The other problem we ran into is that our kitchen countertop is not perfectly flat, so both boards wobbled a bit and we had to place a piece of felt under one corner to keep them from teetering while we used them. VERY annoying trying to cut on a wobbly cutting board! WE CAME UP WITH A GREAT SOLUTION FOR ALL OF THESE ISSUES... SCREW ON RUBBER FEET!! :o) I got the bright idea one day while I was attempting to sand the mold off of the bottom of the 24 inch board. If I could get some REAL Rubber feet and screw them to the bottom of the board in each corner, then the board would be elevated off our kitchen counter and any water that spilled under the boards would not come in contact with the wood! So... I ordered 18 one inch diameter, half inch tall screw on rubber feet from Digikey.com and picked up some wood screws and fender washers from the local hardware store. Drilled a pilot hole for each screw about 1 inch in at each corner of the underside of the 24" board and then screwed the rubber feet into the board on each of the four corners. Viola! PERFECTION!! Not only did the board feel like it was "glued" to the countertop now thanks to the rubber "grip" action of the feet, the board was far more stable with just the hint of a little "spring" when you push down on the surface and even when you chop on it! (This is a good thing!) More importantly, we now have the piece of mind in knowing that we no longer have to worry about water getting under our expensive cutting boards and ruining them! The other fringe benefit for us is that the slight wobble we noticed in the boards due to our slightly warped kitchen countertop was GONE with the addition of the feet! I had been fully expecting to have to "shim" one or two of the feet on each board with additional washers to compensate for this problem, but with the feet firmly attached to the bottom of the board, it rested perfectly level and stable on the counter on BOTH SIDES of the sink! No shims needed! :o) I should also mention that with the large 24" boards, the feet are well out of the primary work area, so you can still flip it over and use the other side of the board for work if you choose, although definitely don't add these feet until you are sure you are going to keep the board! Obviously, no one is going to take it back if it has screw holes in it! ;o) Totally pleased with myself for coming up with such a great solution to our water problem that made us hesitant to replace our water damaged boards, I promptly ordered these two brand new 24 x 18 x 1.5 inch boards from Amazon and installed the rubber feet on both of them before I even oiled them up and placed them on the kitchen counter. Both look great and are providing a solid, sturdy chopping and cutting surface as you would expect from Boos! Adding the rubber feet made a HUGE difference in the "feel" of the boards when you cut on them. I highly recommend the technique to anyone out there who has had the same water logging issue in their kitchen! We have since taken our original 24" board out to the BBQ and will now use this somewhat war weary looking Boos board out on the back deck. Even with all the water damage, with the rubber feet installed, the darn thing still makes a great backyard BBQ cutting board! Bottom line... If you want one of the best solid wood cutting boards made today, this is the brand you want! They are also made in the good ol USA!
