I have a customer who would like a red cutting board for economy we are thinking hard maple with a red dye. One dying option is food coloring are there others that I'm not aware of?

The only option I know of that's food safe is food coloring but I'll be watching this thread for other replies.

An old indian dye..........beet juice.

My concern is that food coloring is water soluable so it will wash off easily.

I'll have to give the beet juice a test run to see how it holds up also.

Keep in mind that any dye or stain that is water based will bleed and fade after a few uses.

This may be hard to believe, but oil based dyes or stains are completely food safe once fully cured. And they'll last a loooong time.

Another thing to consider is that after you purchase the stain, and the finishing supplies, and the maple, it may be just as cost effective to purchase red colored wood, an exotic that is already red for example, with zero staining needed but to coat it with some butcher block oil.

Here is a nice small slab of blood-wood for cheap that would make a great cutting board.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-4-Bloodwood-36-x-5-x-1-A08925-/201373763453?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ee2cfc77d

 

On a different site here is a photo of Blood Wood naturally finished with oil.

 

Unless you are looking for a blazing red color, then stain or dye may have to be the way to go.

The customer wants red heart but is cost prohibitive @ $28 per board foot my cost. So we are going to try a dye on maple. They are ok with it fading and needing to reapply the dye.

Bloodwood is also semi open which makes it not as good as a choice for a while cutting board.

The customer wants red heart but is cost prohibitive @ $28 per board foot my cost. So we are going to try a dye on maple. They are ok with it fading and needing to reapply the dye.

Bloodwood is also semi open which makes it not as good as a choice for a while cutting board.

Gotcha!