in order to get my buttercream smooth on a cake, i use water on my spatula and it always seems to drip onto my white cardboard which makes it all wet and ucky looking... i know there's foil covered boards out there, do those cost much more? or could i just cover my cardboards with foil? what does everyone else do?

If the board I'm using isn't water/oil resistant, I cover it. To cover my boards, I use anything oil/water resistant that's food safe.

Try using waxed or parchment paper around your cake. Also, wipe the water off of the spatula with a paper towel before you smooth the icing. This is how I do it and it seems to help. I had problems with the water dropplets before also., as you can see on my dorothy cake in my pictures. Hope this will help.
TAbby

Are you talking about cakes that you eat at home or that you take/serve to other people?

You should never use a plain cardboard cake circle if any guests or anyone other than your own family will see it (and even for my family's cakes, I always dress out the cake board). I only use embossed or decorated foil, or Reynold's freezer paper, which is really thick, solid white, and is coated one one side so there are never grease marks.

I've seen people take cakes to others on bare cardboard (or egads, even worse, use them under cakes that they just set on separator plates for weddings -- yes, cardboard circles 2" larger than the cake!!!!) and it's just plain tacky, IMO.

You can buy the Wilton "Show and Serve" cake boards that are coated with wax on one side if you're not into dressing out your cake boards.

Either way, water droplets won't matter...they'll bead up on the wax and you wipe them off with a paper towel. I always spritz my cakes with water to smooth them.

Sherri

Dang straight on spending more on foil-covered cardboard cake circles....I hate spending that money so I do it myself. LOL Buy a roll of Reynold's freezer paper from Wal-Mart the next time you go there...you'll love it! You can cover dozens and dozens of cardboard circles for under 4 bucks.

I use TUF boards. You can wipe them of and reuse them. Especially good if you are practicing. But if I am taking the cakes someplace then I use a board that is covered.

I use ordinary cardboard and cover it with freezer paper. 99 percent of my cakes are rectangular, so it's easy to cover. I do cover circles with the freezer paper too, but I have to cut several slits in it.

I cover mine with tissue or wrapping paper, then put clear contact paper over that. It's nice because I can match the paper to the theme.