A slide-out chopping board can achieve a completely seamless look in your new kitchen design. We look at the styles available in slide-out chopping boards for your kitchen, including benefits, cost and installation.

If you live by the adage ‘a place for everything, and everything in its place’, a slide-out chopping board might already be neatly filed in your book of kitchen renovation ideas as a handy way to save kitchen space. Avoiding the ‘precariously-perched-board-on-top-of-the-dish-rack’ syndrome is certainly an attractive prospect. Gary Cahoon, a kitchen products supplier, says the benefits of slide-out chopping boards are simple. "Having a dedicated spot for a cutting board maximises usable benchtop space and minimises clutter," he explains.

Slide-out chopping boards can also be used as an extra work surface and are a hygienic alternative to using pull-out table fittings, which often have a laminated surface. "Pull-out table fittings are not designed for food preparation," says Gary. "Food scraps can get caught and create a hygiene issue – especially if you’re cutting watery foods." Wooden slide-out chopping boards can be made to any size in a variety of hardwoods, with accents chosen in contrasting timber for a simple design statement. The sides and corners can be rounded, and a handle groove routed on either end.

Many boards can be built beneath the kitchen counter for easy accessibility, or incorporated into modular cabinets. Either way, you don’t necessarily need a major remodel or a contractor to install one. Some companies will take your specs and make a grooved pull-out board you can put in yourself. Corian models in numerous colours are also available to match your countertop. Hafele offers a slightly different version, where a wooden chopping board slides into beech drawer runners that are screwed to the side wall of a 500 millimetre or 600 millimetre cabinet.

Some stand-alone butcher’s blocks also have built-in chopping boards. Assuming you leave a space for installation, you can always retrofit a slide-out chopping board, but Gary advocates forward planning. "Renovating a kitchen is an expensive decision, and the design alone can take 18 months," he explains. "To maximise storage, it’s best to think about the concept and functionality of your kitchen first."

Careful forethought will also help you save time and avoid kitchen design mistakes like having your utensil drawer below the cutting board (a spoon or fork won’t easily be accessed when cooking). You may also like to consider adding a pull-out rubbish bin below the chopping board to make cleaning up a breeze.