When you cover a cake board or drum with fondant, what do you use to stick the fondant to the board ?

If you are then going to place a cake onto the fondant, do you still cover the entire board with fondant, or do you miss out the part which will be covered by the cake ?

I use a thin smear of butter cream.  I have used piping gel before too.  I only cover first if the design is special...like I did a washing machine cake sitting on a "tile floor".   I did the tile floor first..and cut out the fondant out of the center where I was placing the washing machine.

If it is a normal covered board...I cover after I ice the cake.   I use a very long piece of fondant cut the width I need ,then I roll up and just go around the cake..pushing it to the bottom of the cake. The border will hide any inperfection.

I cover the entire drum with fondant, but I have seen tutorials where only the edges are covered after the cake is in place. That technique has never gone smooth for me.

I don't use anything to attach the fondant to the drum, I have had excellent results with it sticking on it's own.

AI'm always worried the cake will sink or go crooked if I cut a big ole hole in it. I'm sure I'm just being paranoid. I cover the whole board.

I rub a bit of crisco on the board before covering.

I usually thinly brush piping gel on the drum (especially the sides) and cover the top and sides of the drum with the fondant.

I smear vegetable shortening on the drum to adhere and trim off the excess with my spatula. 

If the shape of the cake is regular--round, square, etc.--I'll then cut out the center to the size of the board I'm using under the cake. 

I never cover the edges of the drum with fondant as it has a tendency to look bulky and chip off easily when dry.

I put ribbon around the edge of the board.

I use a mist of cooled boiled water or a mist of brandy , whichever I have on the table at the time.( I use these to stick the fondant to the ganache as well ) I have also used sugar syrup . I think the water sticks the best though. 

I try to cover my board a couple of days in advance if I can so it is dry and easier to work with once you are placing the cake on. 

I'm not 100% sure if the cake boards in the UK are the same as what you use in the US?  We use foil paper covered boards....  The ones that are about half an inch thick we call cake drums.

I brush it lightly with water and then cover.

I personally don't get on with the 'bandage' method of covering around the cake, so I just cover the whole board and I place my cake on a very thin cake card so that the bottom of the cake doesn't make the fondant go mushy!  I stick the cake to the thin card with a few blobs of buttercream and then I secure that to the covered drum (I cover at least a day ahead so that it's dry and hard!) with a blob of royal icing.

Suzanne x
 

just water. I dab it on wit paper towel. I cut a hole in the middle once I've laid the fondant on the board but not big enough to sit the cake in. I just don't like to waste that much fondant, so I cut a hole in the middle, smaller than the cake. I don't wet that part of the board.