Ideas for workbench top ?

[mfive]

Hey all - finally finished my workbench this weekend.

I may have gotten ahead of myself with the top. It's basically going to be for working on car stuff. No woodworking on top.

I'm looking for some type of durable top cover that can withstand spilled oil/grease/light dings/scratches better than the plywood that's on top now.

Any suggestions on how I could cover the top with either a durable liquid (left-over epoxy coat, perhaps?) or stainless steel (not even sure where to buy something like this or how to cover the board).

Anyway, I'm a bit of a rookie, but the bench turned out nice.

Any advice?

 

[Steevo]

Measure the outside dimensions LxW and take them to a local steel place or sheet metal shop and get a price for a metal cap that will fit over the wood. Permanent, durable, easily cleaned.

 

[mfive]

Measure the outside dimensions LxW and take them to a local steel place or sheet metal shop and get a price for a metal cap that will fit over the wood. Permanent, durable, easily cleaned.

WOW! does that look awesome!

Any ballpark on what something like that would set me back? dimensions are rougly 99" x 23".

I take it it comes as a sort of "shell" that just fits over the top of the workbench?

 

[AMCguy]

Yep! Steel is the only way to go.

It doesn't have to by 10 gauge like mine. The problem is most steel sheets are 96'' long. That means you'll have to shorten you bench.

 

[Jack Olsen]

The poor man's solution? You could get a 24"x120" roll of galvanized roof flashing for about $15. It will probably last as long as you live. You can conform it to the edges and probably have a pretty decent looking bench top. Most hardware stores carry it, but call first to make sure they have 24".

It's also available in aluminum.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I've been very happy with a new or second hand formica countertop. You can get them on CraigsList or in places like the scratch and ding sections of Lowes or Home Depot for $50 or less. They hold up very well to chemicals, and take a beating.

Jim

 

[Stuart in MN]

I use a piece of 1/4" tempered hardboard on the top of the bench. It resists oil and spills pretty well, it's hard so it stands up to use, and when it finally does get beat up it's cheap to replace.

 

[Steevo]

Any large steel place (look up STEEL in the yellow pages) will have sheets that are 144" long they can cut from.
Sheet metal shops sometimes have up to 16ga in stock in galvanized metal, also often up to 12' goods.

The cap in my picture above is 24" x 72" and was right at $100 and is 12ga steel.

 

[GirlnAgarage]

I've been thinking of topping my 10'x2 with the left over 16ga sheet I've got on the floor. But it won't cover the entire thing. Only a 48x42" square...err, rectangle

The steel tops are nice all.

 

[PCO6]

I agree that steel is the way to go. Mine is 1/8" thick and it's held up well for the last 35 years or so. In your case with your bench up against the wall I would consider a back splash. Mine goes up 4" at the back and down 4" at the front.

 

[K4luf]

I thought about doing mine with 1/2" plywood or OSB then coating it with truck bedliner. Any thoughts?

 

[Falcon67]

You an go either way - paint or steel. I covered a 22x48 bench with a galvanized overlay for about $30. That was 3-4 years ago. I use it for transmission work since it's easy to catch and clean up oil. BUT - I also had an 24" x 8' bench that was a single layer 3/4 ply top. I painted it with a light gray porch/floor paint from Lowes (not epoxy). It held up very well to engine assembly work, trans work, carbs, fuel spills, etc. It also would wipe clean. In 12 years I never did have to repaint. It gets dented up, but so does the gal top when you're rolling 100 lb transmissions or 55 lb cylinder heads around on it. My old lathe bench has a 1 1/8" MDF top painted with the same floor paint. No problems with oils, WD-40 or misc fluids. I would use 3/4 ply as a minimum top and OSB as an underlayer/stiffener (not a top). There is also masonite, but not sure how that handles paint.

 

[KyleQ]

Steel is nice, but it's loud, cold and SLIPPERY.

My father went with 3/4" plywood that came sanded one one side. Gusset the bottom with 2x4's to keep it super rigid and then he coated it with floor paint and let it setup for two weeks. It's rock solid, smooth and very nice to work on.

 

[Northstar]

I agree with the comment on steel being loud. My workbenches usually get 3/4 ply woth a 1/4" tempered hardboard top-smooth side up and I use ringshank nails to keep it in. It's quite tough and won't hold liquid if you wipe it off quick. I do have a metal topped one too, but it usually just collects stuff.

 

[baldredhead]

now is a good time to leave a section recessed so you can find a stone countertop remnant to put in said recess, and make a removable cover that is flush with the rest of the workbench?

why countertop remnant? well you can often find good size sections for pretty cheap, if not free, and it's FLAT to within about .001" which is plenty good for lots of things. i use mine for removing that last bit of baked-on-never-coming-off gasket by spray gluing sandpaper to the stone, and working the part in a figure 8.

 

[AMCguy]

A steel top need not be loud. Mine sits on top of a sheet of 3/4'' MDF. I must admit. My first bench of this design had the top welded down to the frame with no MDF. It was loud.

 

[Steevo]

Mine give only the slightest metallic "tink" sound due to the 1-3/4" thick doors underneath them.
The lathe bench in my earlier post above is over a 1-1/2" thick laminate counter top, and is also silent.

 

[Sunnfjordingen]

I used some heavy duty vinyl flooring ment for commercial use, worked fine for 10 years now, drilled a couple holes in it but thats all

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[Jack Olsen]

The not-such-a-poor-man's solution. Nice, quiet, inch-thick steel plate.

 

[Mandres]

Mine is 3 sheets of MDF topped with a 1/4" piece of hardboard. If I were going to use it for welding I would use steel, but this has held up great for the last 5 years. I cut a second piece of the hardboard to use as a replacement back when I built it, and it's still sitting on my lumber rack waiting ...

 

[John in OH]

Mine is 3 sheets of MDF topped with a 1/4" piece of hardboard. If I were going to use it for welding I would use steel, but this has held up great for the last 5 years. I cut a second piece of the hardboard to use as a replacement back when I built it, and it's still sitting on my lumber rack waiting ...

My workbench tops are similar to Mandres' ... only I use the 2x6s for the actual top (layed flat, not on edge) and then cover this with 1/2 MDF. Beat on it, slop stuff on it, gouge it, (OK, don't weld on it!) and when it gets nasty I pull it off and install a new sheet cut to fit. Each sheet has lasted 6-10 years.

 

[Nick DL]

I also need a top for my bench, keep the suggestions coming.

 

[Raze]

I had the same issue, I built a bench with a plywood top, spilled brake fluid and oil on it and hated how it looked, cleaned. I am also concerned with damaging or scratching parts so I went to Home Depot, bought heavy duty ribbed vinyl for under showers, some 3M 90 spray adhesive, some aluminum trim edging and a flush cutting drill bit, for $30 in 'stuff' I turned my top into:

Bench:

Close up: (sorry for the turbo, don't have a pic of just the surface)

I don't weld in my garage as it's under my house so this is bad for welding/sparks/flames, but then you built a bench out of wood so you should know that . The upsides are it's very tough (I haven't gouged it yet working on engine parts, brake parts) but will cut tear if pushed hard enough, at that point though I would expect you'd be using a vice or clamps. It's insanely easy to clean, stands up against all chemicals, I've thrown gasoline, oil, coolant, brake fluid, acetone, paints, degreasers, stains, polyurethane, nothing sticks or seeps in, everything wipes up or can be solvented off without damaging the vinyl. Best part is if something gets damaged a leftover piece of 3/4" plywood and $7 of more vinyl and I have a brand new top...

 

[Theo911]

26 guage galvanized sheet metal (from HVAC shop) over 1" plywood with 1 1/8" aluminum angle covering corners attached with countersunk 3/8" screws. Benchtop is 24" x 96".

 

[Steevo]

The not-such-a-poor-man's solution. Nice, quiet, inch-thick steel plate.

Now THAT's a bench top!

 

[PCO6]

A steel top need not be loud. Mine sits on top of a sheet of 3/4'' MDF. I must admit. My first bench of this design had the top welded down to the frame with no MDF. It was loud.

Mine give only the slightest metallic "tink" sound due to the 1-3/4" thick doors underneath them.
The lathe bench in my earlier post above is over a 1-1/2" thick laminate counter top, and is also silent.

I agree. My 1/8" metal top sits on 2"x10" lumber and I don't find it loud at all. I've never found it to be cold or slippery either.

 

[NorDel Garage]

I had alot of hardwood flooring left over, so I installed it on two work benches that I have. I sanded and varnished the tops. It looks good and is tough.Can take a real pounding. I thought about using high grade smooth plywood , but I think hardwood flooring was a better choice.

 

[mfive]

How hard is it to drill through the steel to attach a vice to the bench-top? I'm liking the steel idea and if I can get it for less than a couple hundred bucks that's even better.

Longevity and durability are important to me.

 

[Steevo]

Pretty easy to drill, as it is only 1/8" or less thick. I used a smaller drill bit first, then stepped up in two increments to get to the 7/16" bolts used to mount my vise on the 12ga steel over 1-3/4" wood bench top.:

 

[Kent Skinner]

Cheap option - MDF with a layer of replaceable tempered hardboard over it. Pilot holes and use small finish nails to hold it down - the heads can be slightly countersunk for a flat surface.

More expensive option - IKEA sells "butcher block" hardwood countertops. I have a 30" x 72" piece on my bench, and it's great. They apply a heavy duty finish, and it's held up really well. It takes a huge impact to dent solid maple - think of what a bowling alley goes through.

 

[matt151617]

I think I actually read this idea here, using vinyl floor tiles. The heavy commercial duty ones are $.79 each. Just glue them down. Easy to replace if one gets damaged.

 

[olytdi]

Pardon the dumb questions but what is MDF and what is 'hardboard?'

 

[formek]

Pardon the dumb questions but what is MDF and what is 'hardboard?'

MDF

Hardboard

 

[olytdi]

Great, thanks!

 

[Rory Bellows]

I like steel for out in the garage. My current welding table is 30" x 60" x .5". It is big and very heavy. I have it on wheels. It's actually too big for now I'm planning on building a smaller 30" x 40" x .375 table and selling the big one. Bigger is not always better.

Another idea some might like is a butcher block top. I just bought a table off craigslist for $90 and the top is 36" x 60" x 1.75". I plan on using it for my lathe bench when I get some cast iron legs I have cleaned up.

 

[Steevo]

I like steel for out in the garage. My current welding table is 30" x 60" x .5". It is big and very heavy. I have it on wheels. It's actually too big for now I'm planning on building a smaller 30" x 40" x .375 table and selling the big one. Bigger is not always better.

Another idea some might like is a butcher block top. I just bought a table off craigslist for $90 and the top is 36" x 60" x 1.75". I plan on using it for my lathe bench when I get some cast iron legs I have cleaned up.

Nice butcher block table top, Rory. That will make an awesome bench.

 

[Falcon67]

The poor man's solution? You could get a 24"x120" roll of galvanized roof flashing for about $15.

Just for grins, I looked yesterday at McCoys. A 24" x 25' roll was $40. Not a bad idea.

 

[Jack Olsen]

You can use it as a backsplash on a bench you're using for welding, too.

 

[Krokodil]

I've got a steel plate on MDF and recently added the best top ever! A slab of conveyor belt. It polishes up very nicely with floor wax. I'll post some pics when I get time tomorrow.

 

[CrashTestDummy]

After working for several years in a friend's shop that had formica counter tops, I went that route with ours. The cool thing is I got to pick out a 50's retro boomerang pattern like we used to have in our home in California in the mid-60's.

It takes a beating, takes a lot of chemicals without a blemish, and is easy to clean up.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland Texas