How Many Cake Boards Are People Using
Decorating By mandze Updated 26 Jun 2007 , 7:49pm by christielee
I'm sure it depends on the size of the cake. I use double boards for 10" or smaller (though sometimes just a single board), at least triple for anything bigger. Some of the giant cakes probably have 4 or 5, and some of them use plywood or MDF bases.
I usually triple mine if it is 10" or bigger. It gives me stability and then I get to put a nice ribbon on the side to finish it off.
You wouldn't believe it but, the other day I got a 12" cake from a local bakery and they only gave me 1 14" board!!! The cake almost buckled in half when transporting from fridge to counter. I was soo mad! So yes, at least double your boards!!
I just bought waxed cake boards for my 12 x 16 pan. Can I hot glue some foamcore board to the bottom of it for better stability? I hate to waste 2 waxed boards and I hate to tape them and have to cover them up since I bought the waxed boards.
For my 9 X 13 cakes, I glued 2 foamcore boards together and then I covered them in contact paper. It definetely makes carrying the cake easier and I like sitting my cake on it also while I decorate for stability. I just ask for it back because I only do this for fun. I needed a bigger pan (12X16) for things such and church and bigger family gatherings.
Thanks,
darkchocolate
I go to home depot and get the 12 inch round 1 inch thick boards and cover them with plastic tablecloth and then I ask all my "clients" to give me my boards back. Even though they are only $1.25 I want them back. I also have different sized boards from Home Depot. And another I have is the huge round table top (you know the ones with the little cheezy legs that people use next to their bed with the fru fru table cloth) I just took all the hardware off and that serves as a huge cake board. So I only use real wood boards if I can. If I dont have the exact size I need then I use the thick foam core boards and cover them in plastic table cloth. Hope this helps!
They are back in the lumber section. There is an area that has rectangle, square and round boards in all sizes. THey are that pressed wood that is about 1 inch thick. They used to have the rounds in all different sizes, 12 inch and larger. I also go to their scrap wood section and get smaller boards for free since they are tossing it. And I have some really big square boards and long rectangle ones that come in handy on the odd cakes like my baseball duffle bag, bat, hat and ball. I just love the boards b/c they dont bend. I hate using the cardboard, they have collapsed on me before. Hope this helps!
Where are you all getting your cake boards? They are EXPENSIVE... If I use two 11x15s (or is it 10x14) from Wilton, they are a bit more than a dollar a piece!
My local cake supply shop has precut mdf boards and I use those a lot and ask for them back (I charge a deposit for them, and will give $ back when I get them back). I just hate wasting resources (money and earth resources) for disposable ones!
I never thought about using tablecloths for covers though! HAS to be cheaper than that SUPER expensive foil!
Melissa
I just received my cake boards 13 X 18 from Country Kitchens. I am over an hour away from a cake decorating store )-that isn't that big by the way. I also am about 45 minutes from a Hobby Lobby and I wasn't sure if they carried cake boards that big. I happened to order my boards when I purchased my pan. I knew I needed them, so I just bit the bullet. The waxed boards were $9.95 for 12. Of course, I had to pay shipping and handling but I would have had to pay gas otherwise and I couldn't have gotten my Magic Line pan where I shop.
I want to get some boards from Home Depot or Lowes. I need to go to a bigger city tomorrow and I want to go buy some, then I will only need 1 board per cake.
berryblondeboys, Do you have a Michael's or Hobby Lobby near so you could use the 40% off coupons for your boards?
darkchocolate
I used to buy the Wilton cake boards, and what? You get like, 10-12 boards/pack for like, $5 (this is for the 10-inch size.) That's 42 cents/board. I just went to Papermart.com and bought a case of 100 (10-inch) boards for $16-something. Granted I had to pay like, $7 shipping but even with that it comes out to be like, 20-something cents per board! I also decided to get some cake boxes from them (in pink of course!) because I used to loan out my plastic cake carriers but it was always a pain to get them back. I got a case (100) of pink boxes (10x10x5) for like, $45 plus shipping (you don't want to know how much - it was quite a lot 
) BUT all-in-all, between the cake board and box, it is a total of about $1/cake. I am just going to figure it into the cost of the cake and since it will take me a LOOOONG time to sell 100 cakes, I am set for awhile on paper supplies.
P.S. If you DO want cardboard (for smaller cakes), they come in a variety of sizes and TONS of box sizes!!!
I agree, Iuse masonite that my dh cuts for me- so I have several 1/2 sheet sizes and several rounds etc
they don't cost anymore in initial expense than cardboard cake boards, aree sturdy and if they dont het returned they are not horrible to replace. One customer carries the initial cost and after that they are additional profit as they are not throw aways- it has worked out super for me . The only time i use cardboard is if it is to impractical to get it back which for me isn't very oftem!
sweetviolent,
What do you cover your masonite boards with?
darkchocolate
usually freezer paper with the shiney side up- sometimes wilton foil!
I get cake board foil from Oasis Supply (cakes, its local but also online) and its only like five bucks for a HUGE roll of it that lasts forever. I'm working on gradually collecting all the colors. I found its cheaper than wrapping paper or anything else and looks really nice.
I use three Wilton boards stacked or sometimes wooden boards (I'll have to check out the Home Depot thing!). Once in awhile foamcore. The nice thing about the boards is that you can dowel a cake down into the board for extra stability. I generally try to charge enough to cover the boards and stuff so I don't have to make people worry about returning them...although I'll be looking for a cheaper way to do the wood boards because the cake supply charges alot for them.
My husband made me a copper tubing stand (we are both learning alot!) for a hot air balloon cake this weekend and it ended up costing quite alot. I'm still making profit but now I know that next time we have to build something like that to charge quite a bit more!!!
I only do sheet cakes, and I cut my boards out of heavy cardboard boxes that I scrounge up. I cover them in freezer paper.
We just recently had DuraCeramic tiles installed and each box of tiles comes with a 16"x16" MDF board at the bottom. They are wonderful for cake boards. They are light but strong, 1/2" thick and can easily be cut with a band saw. The installers said that they just toss them, so I'm going to ask them to save some for me if/when I run out of the ones that I have! I do ask for them back, but if I don't get them back, I'm not out anything.
I use the English drums under wedding cakes and I buy them either from CK products (www.ckproducts.com) or BakeryCrafts (www.bakerycrafts.com) I "save up" my order until I get enough for CK ($100) and Bakerycrafts does not have a minimum order. I order enough now that I have accounts set up with both of them, so the pricing is much better than retail!
We just recently had DuraCeramic tiles installed and each box of tiles comes with a 16"x16" MDF board at the bottom. They are wonderful for cake boards. They are light but strong, 1/2" thick and can easily be cut with a band saw. The installers said that they just toss them, so I'm going to ask them to save some for me if/when I run out of the ones that I have! I do ask for them back, but if I don't get them back, I'm not out anything.
Good idea. I'm sure they will be happy to save them for you!
I get mine from:
http://www.honeymoonpaper.com
They have been great to work with.
Also, when you use multiple boards together, alternate the direction of the corrugation for added strength.
Good tip! I wouldn't have thought about it!
For those of you that use foam core, Is that much stronger, and where do you get that??
Just a note about covering boards. For several cakes, I took wrapping paper in a design that complimented the cake, covered the board, then covered that in clear contact paper. I got the wrapping paper at a store going out of business 
and the contact paper from a local store that buys closeouts. (think Big Lots but on a smaller, junkier scale. A place to go and just rummage). They really did look nice.
For those of you that use foam core, Is that much stronger, and where do you get that??
I get mine at Michael's. They come in 2 thicknesses: 3/16" and 1/2". For small cakes, I use the 3/16" and for bigger cakes, the 1/2".
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