Getting frustrated by a small kitchen and lack of space? We’ve been brainstorming some small kitchen ideas, and we think an over the sink chopping board will solve some of your problems.

A board over your sink acts to extend the amount of useable counter space. As well as this, it’ll help keep your workspace clean. Any juices or spills while cutting and preparing food will fall into the sink – cleaning themselves up! If only all kitchen work was that easy.

We’ve put together two different methods for getting your hands on this space-saving solution. The first way is a little easier, with less steps, and can be done using some things you may already have! The second way is a little more work, but we’ll get to that in a bit…

The Easy Method

 

Tools:
Drill or screwdriver

Materials:
Chopping board or rectangular piece of wood (length should be the length of your sink, give or take about an inch)
Furniture handles (size depends on size of board)

Step 1

Make sure the size of your board and handles will work together successfully. The handles will attach to either end of the board, and so the width of this combined must be greater than the total length of your sink.

 

Step 2

Align the two handles symmetrically on either end of the board, and attach them on. You can either use a drill or a screwdriver for this step.

 

And it’s as simple as that!

 

 

The slightly harder method

Tools:
Saw or circular saw
Sander

Materials:
Wood
Varnish (optional)

Step 1

Measure the length of your sink, in the direction you would like the board to sit. Add 1 inch to this measurement. Take a look at your sink and decide what width you’d like the board to be. Using a saw or circular saw, cut your wood down to this size

 

Step 2

Flip your board on its side so you’re looking at the longest, narrowest section. At either end, mark half way down lenthways, and half an inch inwards. This should form a square. Use a saw to cut away this section, down the entire width of your cutting board. This will form two grooves on either side, allowing the board to fit snuggly inside your sink.

Step 3

Sand down using 220 grit sandpaper. Check the fit of the chopping board inside the sink. If the fit is too snug, go back to it with your sander. If you’d like to finish the chopping board, clean away any dust or dirt, and then use stain, oil or varnish to finish. Be careful choosing your finish – ensure that it is safe for food preparation and not toxic. Finishing is not neccessary for the board, it will still hold up well unfinished, and we think it looks rather nice too.

 

 

 

We hope you enjoyed reading, and that this provides some useful small kitchen ideas for utilising space. If you feel like trying your hand at a similar project, why not read our guide to building a bath tray. If you want to crank it up a notch, we’d recommend giving our DIY sweet dispenser a shot. If you do decide to give it a go, we’d love to hear about it. Why not head over to our Facebook page and send us a photo!

 

Easy method source: http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2015/07/over-the-sink-ikea-cutting-board-hack.html