I'd stop, at this point, worrying about boards, until you have a functional circuit.

As it stands, you, Mike, don't know how to design circuits, and you don't know how to build circuit boards. You're never going to learn either one until you learn to isolate your faults. You need to learn how to design and construct a circuit that functions properly, that's for sure. However, you are encumbering this process with the PCB production problem, which involves drilling holes precisely, applying proper chemical mixtures and maintaining them throughout processing by means of proper agitation and temperature control. While many people have used an aquarium pump and an aquarium heater and thermometer to do this, you've given no indication that you're doing it at all, or whether you're even concerning yourself with such details.

I'd suggest you back away from the kitchen-PCB project until you have a working MCU circuit, and then teach yourself how to build a PCB that actually works with a properly designed circuit. You'll get what you want a lot sooner that way, IMHO.

RE