DIY Wooden Stove Top Cover

January 8, 2020

Want to learn how to build your own DIY Wooden Stove Top Cover? You’re in the right place. I’ve got the tutorial for you here.

Have you ever looked around your kitchen and thought to yourself how big of a waste of counter space your stove is when it’s not in use? I mean, maybe you use your stove more than I use mine…which, based on the amount of frozen pizza in our freezer, that’s likely HA! BUT, still, when you aren’t using it, all your stove is doing is collecting dust, crumbs, and crud…and taking up 2 1/2 ft of counter top.

But, you can get that space back while simultaneously protecting your stove top from dust and crumbs with this easy DIY wooden stove top cover.

NOTE: I can provide you with tutorials, but I can’t provide the common sense. Please take note that this is obviously intended only for use when the stove is OFF and completely cool. Do not use to cover a stove that is ON or is still hot. It is wood. It can catch fire. Also, always follow manufacturers instructions for your particular stove. And FYI, I used this on an electric stove top. I have no idea if this would be okay for a gas top. So, just, like, be smart about it, okay?

You can build this wooden stove top cover out of hardwood and use as a cutting board, too just in case having two jobs wasn’t enough function for you 😉

I built this one out of tongue and groove pine, so it wouldn’t be super great as a cutting board (pine is soft, so it would scratch really easy), BUT I added the juice groove anyway just for looks. No one has to know it’s not ACTUALLY a cutting board, right? And actually, if you wanted, you could still use pine or softwoods as a cutting board, just be sure to use a food safe finish…not an oil based stain.

I never cut a juice groove before, but it was really simple with the right router bit. In case you are wondering, a juice groove is the grove cut around the edge of the cover above. This is commonly cut on cutting boards to catch any juices that spill from the items you are cutting instead of running off and making a mess. I got a special router bit just for this and it made it super simple. The affiliate link to the juice groove bit I used is here.

Now, let’s get to the how to. And I’ve got the video for you here as well 🙂 This is a really great project for any DIYer! This post contains affiliate links. See policies.

You will need:

(4) 1x4x8 (tongue and groove works best, but standard is fine, too)
Scrap wood for Routing Guide (See step 5)
Miter Saw
Table Saw or Circular Saw
Sander
Router
Juice Groove Router Bit
Nail Gun
Wood Glue
1 1/4″ brad nails
Clamps
Wood Finish

Step 1: Measure Your Stove

First, measure your stove top–the area you are covering. MOST stoves (not all) are standard width of 30″, but the top depth can sometimes vary, especially if it’s got controls on the back like mine. Make sure to make the interior dimensions of your cover big enough to fit over your stove.

Step 2: Cut Pieces for Top of DIY Wooden Stove Top Cover

Using a miter saw, cut 7 or 8 (7 will create a 22 3/4″ deep opening. You can trim down later, but if you need larger, go with 8 instead of 7) pieces of tongue and groove pine 1x4s to slightly more than the width you need the stove top cover opening to be. If you have 8 ft boards, three 32″ lengths works out well. You can trim down later. So, long story short… cut 7 pieces of T&G to 32″ long 🙂

Also, FYI, I used pine for this and I stained it since I wasn’t planning to use it as a cutting board – it’s just decorative. However, if you DO plan to use it for food prep, be sure to finish in something food safe (not stain) and it’s best to use a hardwood like maple or walnut.

Step 3: Glue Boards Together for Stove Top Cover

Apply glue in the grooves of the boards and clamp together as shown. Allow the glue to fully dry.

Step 4: Trim Down and Add Sides

Once the glue is fully dry, remove the clamps and use a table saw or a circular saw and a straight edge to trim down all sides to your desired opening size. Make sure to trim all sides smooth (so no tongues or grooves are showing).

Then, cut pieces of 1×4 tongue and groove to trim out around the edges of this piece. Trim the tongues off using a table saw. Then, cut to fit them around the top with the smooth side facing up. Miter the corners 45 degrees for a more seamless look.

Glue and brad nail these pieces into place like shown (ignore the ugly corner joint here, I was just holding in place for a picture) making sure the smooth sides (not the grooves) face upward. (NOTE: in hindsight, gluing this way may cause issues later with wood movement. I’ve not had issues with this in the past, but just note, over time, seasonal wood movement MAY cause some small gaps here.)

Allow glue to dry completely, then sand all the joints and corners smooth.

Step 5: Add Juice Groove to Stove Top Cover

At this point, you could stain or finish (don’t stain if preparing food on) if desired. But I like being difficult, so I added a juice groove haha. It’s mostly decorative just to make it look like a real cutting board, BUT could also come in handy if you spilled something on it. A juice groove is just like a little groove you cut along the edges to catch any liquids or spills from your cutting board.

To do this, I screwed some scraps together around the cover. Don’t screw directly to the cover, but screw the boards together TIGHTLY around the cover like shown.

This will be used as a routing guide. Insert a juice groove router bit into your router and SLOWLY and CAREFULLY run your router along the outside edge. Keep it pressed against the lip of the boxed edge all the way around.

Remove the router guide boards and sand the groove smooth.

Step 6: Finish Stove Top Cover

Finish as desired. I stained mine with Minwax Provincial and finished with a water-based clear coat. I was not planning to use this to cut on. However, if using to prepare food, be sure to use a food safe finish (not oil based stain), something like a mineral oil or butcher block oil. (Sometimes you can use a natural stain from coffee grinds or tea bags if you want a darker wood color.) If using as a cutting board, it’s best to use a hardwood as well.

Once you have your finish applied, simply set in place 🙂

It’s great for adding a little extra counter space when you aren’t using your stove. You could also flip it over to use as a wooden serving tray if you wanted.

This is a great weekend project or gift idea and is a simple way to add some extra counter space to your kitchen.

So if you’re ready to take back your counter space, get out there and get building this easy DIY Wooden Stove Top Cover 🙂 Then, check out these other favorite kitchen projects:

DIY Dining Table