1. When I wrap my cake in fondant.. should the cake board that it sits on be a little smaller in circumference? Sometimes when I wrap the cake you can still see some board hanging over.. and though I usually just put a border, this one wont have a border on the bottom.

2. How do I tackle covering my cake board in fondant? I tried this once.. and I was clearly messing something up.. because the fondant wasnt sticking to the board.. I think I actually tried folding the fondant UNDER the board.. lol like i was tucking in sheets. (Im definitely a beginner).. any suggestions on that??

hello ashley and welcome to CC.
i agree the cake board should be a bit smaller so you can make a clean neat covering.
you can try adding alittle RI or gumpaste glue to get your fondant to stick to your cake board. thats what i use. i mainly use the gumpaste glue but ive heard people on here do use RI.
HTH

by gumpaste glue, do you mean disolve gumpaste in a bit of water?

yes. i find that works for me. RI is good too, but i find if it hardens before i can manoover my fondant to the exact way i like it, then i have to start all over again. so ive been using gumpaste glue.
i also use press-n-seal to cover my foam core and i think the gumpaste glue adhears better to the press-n-seal.

I don't cover the bottom board with any kind of wrap, just roll the fondant directly onto it. It sticks itself down really well. I use the rolling pin to go past the edge of the board and that cuts the fondant off around the edges, then I glue a ribbon around the side of the board.

I never cover with plastic wrap for fear of someone getting a small piece across their wind pipe and asphyxiating....

i was under the impression the OP might be using a reusable cake board so i find it easier for me to use press-n-seal prior to adding the fondant so it doesnt ruin the cake board. i also cover all my foam core with it.
i know its food safe and it smooths out very nicely.
maybe i mis understood.

Hi Ashley,

1. I usually use the same size board as cake tin (ie. 8" tin = 8" underboard) - the cake usually shrinks a little, so after ganaching and covering in fondant it comes back up to size (or bigger) - so you don't see any board.
2. When covering my cake boards with fondant I use a damp chux to dampen the board and the fondant sticks really well - I roll the fondant really thin, slide both hands/forearms (carefully) under and lift onto the damp board, then use a smoother to smooth it all out, cut away excess fondant around edges, smooth edges with smoother then set aside to dry.

I hope this helps! I still classify myself as a newbie, but that's what makes it all fun, learning sooooo much each time I do a cake!

Thank you all so much for the help! I have actually done a couple cakes.. but I never seem to have a good camera handy to take good pictures.. they are all cell phone photos. I'll make sure I have a good pic to post when this cake is done.. thanks again for all the help!

When I want to cover a cake board with fondant I first roll out my fondant. Then I rub piping gel onto my cake board, on the side and about an inch in the back side of it. I put the cake board, gel side down, onto the fondant then cut the fondant just large enough to wrap around to the bottom of the board. I let the fondant covered board sit on anything that is a little smaller than it is so that the fondant, top and bottom, can set up and dry completely. (I do work to thin the fondant that is on the bottom of the board, just blend it a tiny bit)