Sealing wooden workbench top. Epoxy? Polyurethane?

[yjWrangler]

I know, I know, a workbench is meant to be used and abused. I got a used wooden butcher block topped bench for my dad that's got varnish on it now, but I'd like to put a pretty tough finish on it. What's GJ recommend to seal in that nice patina? A poly top coat maybe? Those 2 part epoxy kits look awesome, would that be a better choice?

This thing is never gonna get used too hard, mostly light duty work. What's a guy to do?

 

[ItsNemo]

I used spar urethane on mine since it's a little more water resistant and stays flexible. It has held up extremely well and I clean with spray nine and pretty much everything just wipes off easily.

 

[yjWrangler]

I used spar urethane on mine since it's a little more water resistant and stays flexible. It has held up extremely well and I clean with spray nine and pretty much everything just wipes off easily.

It stays flexible? Would be nice not worrying about any cracking

 

[GrayFlattop]

Personally, I'd use a Danish Oil. It won't make the top waterproof or stain-proof, but it looks better (in my opinion - YMMV) and can be readily touched-up. In the old days I would have used boiled linseed oil - which is still viable.

 

[ItsNemo]

It stays flexible? Would be nice not worrying about any cracking

Yup, that's the difference with spar urethane, it's designed more for outdoor use which makes it a good choice for work surfaces. The other advantage is it's fairly water resistant to the point of almost being waterproof. I have had grease, oil, brake fluid, coolant, penetrating fluids and other mess of **** on my workbench and it's all just wiped off without any damage to the surface. Mind you I haven't left any of it longer than a few hours on the bench before wiping it up.

Either way, for wood tops it's by far my fave coating so far. Bench is going on a couple years and looks as good as it did the day I did it short of some dents/dings from heavy items (just a fact of using plywood).



Oh, also worth mentioning that I used 1 side good sanded plywood for the top and did 5 or so coats of the urethane with light sanding between to build up a fairly good thick surface.

 

[ItsNemo]

https://www.minwax.ca/wood-products/exterior-clear-protective-finishes/minwax-helmsman-spar-urethane

That's the product I used. I can't remember what sheen I went with though, can check tonight.

 

[Skiff Builder]

If your going to use spar varnish try one like pic below. Quite a difference in quality from Helmsman which uses polyurethane resin.
Epifanes uses Tung Oil/ Phenolic and Alkyd resin/ naptha and xylene. If going from bare wood I thin the first coat 50% and than graduate by degrees to a 90% final coat.
Can get it from an online marine chandlery like Jamestown Dist $$$.

 

[GLFlyer]

Keep it simple... Linseed Oil.

Here's mine:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6323970&postcount=53

The best part is... if you nick or mark it up, then you simply sand it down a bit and apply a bit more oil. Mine still looks awesome after over a year of use.

It's easy, it's economical, and it looks good.

 

[Gummi Bear]

Instead of treating my top, I used whiteboard.

Buy it in a 4x8 sheet, and stick it down with some contact cement so it can be peeled up when it is damaged. It’s pretty cheap, $13.24 each.

It gives me a smooth top, it’s bright for working on stuff and I can write on it with dry erase markers.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[ez-duzit]

A finish will make the top slippery--not what you want on a workbench. Leave it bare.

 

[PugetDude]

A finish will make the top slippery--not what you want on a workbench. Leave it bare.

+1 on this ^

You can run an Orbital sander over it when it gets grungy.
It's a workbench, not a coffee table.

 

[66Caprice]

A finish will make the top slippery--not what you want on a workbench. Leave it bare.

If you leave it bare and spill fuel or other flammables on it. it will act like a candle and burn. Especially oil. It should be sealed one way or another.

 

[climb.on]

I used Bona "mega" water based poly floor finish. It's really good stuff. I wish it was a little more slick actually....then maybe the piles of **** sitting on it would go away

An old school finish that a lot folks have used over the years (for many purposes) is making a linseed oil, turpentine & beeswax mixture. I'd add that to your list of choices. Google it and you'll get lot's more info on it.

 

[bczygan]

1/4" steel plate?

Bill

 

[ItsNemo]

+1 on this ^

You can run an Orbital sander over it when it gets grungy.
It's a workbench, not a coffee table.

Not after it's soaked with oil and all sorts of other ****. My old bench I used untreated plywood and it was filthy in no time. Fine for mechanical work but when I want to bring something else outside to work on the bench it was dirty and lousy and no amount of sanding would ever clear it. With the finish on the top, I just wipe it off and keep going. I actually don't find it very slippery either, like white board would be excessive but this is a good balance between grippy and slippy.

 

[theoldwizard1]

For outdoor wood that you want to be fairly water proof and good looking, start with "3-2-1". 3 parts mineral spirits, 2 parts boiled linseed oil, 1 part (oil based) marine spar varnish. This is very thin and will dry very quickly. You can probably re-coat in about 4 hours.

After 2-4 coats, you want to use "2-2-2". 2 parts mineral spirits, 2 parts boiled linseed oil, 2 part spar varnish. This will take longer to dry and you should do at least 2 coats.

Last, just BOL and spar varnish mixed 1:1. This will take even longer to dry, possibly 48+ hours especially on a second or third coat.

 

[bob15]

I would leave it unfinished. Not sure what you will use it for, but gas, brake/carb clean, brake fluid and many other chemicals could be harsh on your sealant.

What that said, if you really want something durable, take a look at Waterlox (it is also used for wood floors). https://waterlox.com/original

 

[Socket Pounder]

Use a waterbase polyurethane floor finish. I know, I hated them for years but they've come a long way. Now they are nearly odorless and fast drying.

 

[ItsNemo]

I would leave it unfinished. Not sure what you will use it for, but gas, brake/carb clean, brake fluid and many other chemicals could be harsh on your sealant.

What that said, if you really want something durable, take a look at Waterlox (it is also used for wood floors). https://waterlox.com/original

I've had all of that **** on my bench with the spar urethane, hasn't been a problem at all.

 

[Larryjones]

Mine is topped with masonite and its finished with atf, 5w30, WD40, brake fluid Liquid Wrench and other fluids.

 

[raddksn]

“its finished with atf, 5w30, WD40, brake fluid Liquid Wrench and other fluids.”
Sounds like mine!