I'm to the point now where I need to get some items in bulk, including cake boards. Covering with foil is time consuming, but the greaseproof boards I've seen online are not that pretty.

Plus, I'm all about reducing and reusing, so reusable boards make sense to me. Are they worthwhile?

When I do need to go disposable, is there a pretty yet economical greaseproof type of board you would recommend?

Are you talking about the boards that go under the cakes or the larger drums they sit on? For the ones that are directly under each tier and are the same size as the tier itself, I use tuffboards, which are plastic. They rock! I used to use the cardboard rounds but they get soggy unless you wrap them, and it's not worth the time. If you go to tuffboardcakeboards.com you can buy them directly from the manufacturer, and they usually have some odd lot kind of things on sale.

If you're talking about the cake drums, I get those from cakedeco.com, but the last few that I've gotten from them have a few warped ones included in some of the sizes. I was going to look around to see what the prices are from other suppliers. Those are cardboard, though, so they could be recycled.

I personally wouldn't bother with reusable boards unless you put a decent deposit on them. Customers and reception venues are notorious for throwing away pieces that should be kept for a refund, and most of my customers don't want to deal with them.

Sorry, I'm all for recycling and re-use, but the logistics of getting back a board for every single cake is actually too wasteful for me. It invariably involves someone using gas (driving) to pick it up or deliver it. It involves time tracking in/outs/returns, and resources (water, soap, bleach), to clean it. Also, no headaches or arguments about deposits, returns, condition, etc. I don't want to spend my time chasing down a few dollars from every cake that I make.....

In the end, I see it as an environmental wash and choose to use disposables.

I cut 90% of my decorative boards from 1/2 foamcore. I cover those with all kinds of things topped with clear Contact paper (I also have a board under the bottom tier so there is a barrier between the cake and the contact paper). As for cost, probably similar to foil covered cake drums, but very customizable.

My under-tier boards are 3/16 inch foamcore, wiped down with a mild bleach solution and clear vanilla extract before use.

Rae

so TuffBoards are considered disposable??

I use reuseable and charge enough deposit to replace the boards plus driving around to find the, My clients understand that here in China, not everything is available all the time. I try and educate them and tell them, that if they do not return i will use the deposit to buy new boards. I buy Bamboo cutting boards, that they can keep on using for years, if they so choose to. Some keep, others return, it's no problem to me. Every half year I go shopping for 5-6 new boards, usually when I am grocery shopping, so I don't waste time and money

Oh have to say, that I rarely have tiered cakes, up to now, still hoping though, but untill then, no need for dowelling trough anything

I have always used stacked cake boards and made my own drums. I see people using foam core but i'm terrified the weight of the cake would bend or crack the foam during delivery. I stack my cakes at the shop and bring the cake on site. I would love to experiment but i'm not willing to screw up a real cake to see if it would work. Anyone have experience in this?

Under each layer I use one cake board and use wooden dowels (Wilton)between the layers. I use bamboo skewers down the center of the stacked cake. Someone said there cake boards got soggy but in 20 years that has never happened to me. I don't use the more expensive systems because i've never had a problem. You just have to make sure you cut the dowels EXACTlY the same height.

I use plain old Wilton cardboards between the tiers & 1/2" thick Masonite for the decorative board on the bottom, and have never had an issue with either! The masonite is so strong, there's no give at all, and it's the perfect thickness for ribbon.

I use masonite throughout my cakes (under every tier, and as my presentation board), and I build the cost into the cake, so I do not get the boards back.

I use the simple white cake boards (disposable) under each tier. The cake under each tier gets wooden dowels cut to size to help support the one on top. And that's it. Never had a mishap (knock on wood). For the bottom, I'll either take a couple white cake boards, ccover them in silver foil and be done. OR, I'll take a cake drum, cover the top only with fondant and the edge with ribbon to match the design. Pretty simple. Carved cakes get the dowel down the middle.

disposable you mean cardboard?

I dont mean to hijack the thread but what can I use to cover a round gold foil cake drum? I am making an ivory tiered cake and both the gold and silver drums dont seem to look right.