How to Make an Etched Slate Cheeseboard With The Cricut Maker

It is so easy to make your own professional looking etched slate cheeseboard and coasters at home, with the help of the Cricut Maker electronic cutting machine. 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

My Cricut Maker is the latest addition to home, and is proving surprisingly versatile with the number of kitchen and food related projects I can use it for. 

The Cricut is a computerized die cutting machine, mainly known for its use for papercraft, vinyl and fabric iron on.  The Cricut Maker is so much more than that, with its interchangable blades it can cut over 100 materials, from every type of paper and card, fabrics from the most delicate organza to the thickest denim with the rotary cutter, to thick leather and balsa or bass wood with the knife blade.  

You design on your computer, phone or tablet in the Cricut Design Space software, select your material and the machine does the rest.  Watching the machine work is simply mesmerizing as it can cut a large area remarkably intricately. 

As well as the thick toughest material the Cricut Maker is sensitive enough to cut through just one layer of sticky tape.   It is a marvel of engineering and huge fun to play with with the endless possibilities.

What really excites me about the Cricut Maker is that is enables the non artistic to be creative and to make.  I love making things and being creative but I am not in the slightest bit artistic.

The Cricut Maker easily enables the non artistic to be creative!

The Easy Way to Etch Slate With the Cricut Maker

I jumped right in with a kitchen project to make an etched slate cheeseboard and coaster set – perfect for a present, or housewarming – and easily personalized.

Firstly gather up your supplies – you need

• Cricut machine (I use the Maker) but the older Cricut machines which can cut vinyl are all perfect for this project
• Mat
• Vinyl to make the stencil (use scraps as the colour doesn’t matter)
• Transfer tape
• Etching cream – Armour Etch is available on Amazon both in the UK and US.
• Small paint brush
• Slate place mat and drinks coasters
• Cricut tools – scissors, scraper and weeding hook
• Hairdryer

Step One – Choose your images in Design Space  – I picked 4 different glass shapes and a cheese logo. 

Cheese wedge #M877990C
Drinks glasses (from the Restaurant Icons cartridge)

Size for your slates, arrange so there is some spare vinyl around each one and send to cut. Weed – remember that as you are etching you are making a stencil – so remove the bits that you want etched on the final design

Step Two – Apply transfer tape to the vinyl, then peel the backing off.

Step Three – Make a light scratch in the middle of each coaster to help with positioning the stencil. 

Step Four – Apply the vinyl and transfer tape to the slate and use the scraper to help it stick.

Step Five – carefully peel the transfer tape away – I found that the vinyl doesn’t stick that well to the slate so peel slowly.   With the non fussy cuts like the glasses you can use each piece of transfer tape several times.

Step six – seven – blast the vinyl with a hairdryer so it softens, then use a duster to press the vinyl into all the bumps on the slate, repeat as necessary paying attention to all the edges, corners and small pieces.   Don’t be tempted to skip this stage as it is crucial to getting a sharp edge to the etch. Reheat the vinyl and repeat if needed.

Step eight – Use the paintbrush to dab; rather than brush, a thin coat of the Armour Etch cream onto the slate, taking care not let it go over the edge of the template.  If needed use painter’s tape to mask the exposed ares of the slate. Wear gloves if you think you will get the etching cream on your skin.

Leave for 5 minutes, then give the etching cream another dab or prod with the brush.   After another 5 minutes rinse the cream off under a running tap, avoiding any exposed slate, then wash with washing up liquid and a soft brush.

Warning: do not rinse the etching cream into a ceramic sink, or you will risk etching it too!

Peel off the vinyl, wash everything again and leave to dry.  As the slates dry the design will magically appear!

If you get grease or oil on the etched areas they will fade, but a good scrub with a soap and a washing up brush will bring the design back.

The Cricut Maker has a RRP of £380 and is available directly from Cricut, as well as Amazon, Hobbycraft and Hochanda all of which have regular offers and discounts   

Disclosure – I received a Cricut Maker, accessories and materials as a gift from Cricut.  All opinions our own.