What coating for shelf wood?

[toyotadriver]

I'm going to be installing some metal shelving with wood shelf surfaces. It'll just be for storage of various items....some oily/greasy stuff from time to time. I'd like to coat the wood shelves with something to keep them from absorbing oil. Thinking of either polyurethane or paint. I can use either. Which one would you use and why?

 

[Yankee2bbq]

I use rustolium. Oil based paint. Works good.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

HDPE sheeting-
Impervious surface, low friction coefficient, easy to clean.
Comes in just about any size, and thickness. For your situation, I’d just get 1/8” stuff to lay on top of the plywood.

Some paints and sealers may work on plywood- but not for long sustained exposure. Plus, you also have to prep, prime, and paint the plywood before it can be installed.

The HDPE is “cut-to-size” and install- Done!
Time is money!!!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Water based poly. Dries fast, multiple coats in one day, easy clean up. If it’s just for general use I use it frequently.

 

[nadogail]

I am a believer in Oil Based Paint, but in California it's sale for ordinary shelving is not allowed.

 

[mikedodge]

I use rustolium. Oil based paint. Works good.

Tremclad/rustoleum is my goto too. Unless you want to see the wood then some thick varnish.

 

[LeeG]

I have had great results with the Dunn Edwards Aristoshield paints for all types of high wear surfaces.

 

[csp]

I am a believer in Oil Based Paint, but in California it's sale for ordinary shelving is not allowed.

Is it allowed for non-ordinary shelving?

 

[Shiftless]

I am a believer in Oil Based Paint, but in California it's sale for ordinary shelving is not allowed.

I can buy quarts of Rustoleum here on the east side of San Francisco Bay. Paint vises with it or shelves, no restrictions.

I have quite a few shelves stocked with vises of various sizes. I have melamine coated shelves.
I wouldn’t use Rustoleum for shelves unless you want to wait weeks for it to fully harden.
The suggestion of thin sheets of HDPE over wood is excellent as long as you don’t mind the $$$ investment.

 

[slowtwitch73]

1) Don't worry about it.
2) Water based poly.

 

[toyotadriver]

Thanks for all the input. I’m actually leaning toward the paint. Thinking of buying floor and porch exterior paint.

 

[AldeanFan]

I used porch and Floor paint on my shelves and cabinets, it works great, cheap and easy to apply and has held up well.

 

[BillK]

Just curious. . . . how big are the shelves actually going to be and how many of them ? Do you already have the wood ?

 

[Shiftless]

Just curious. . . . how big are the shelves actually going to be and how many of them ? Do you already have the wood ?

That’s a very pertinent question.
I thought about the problem of scratching up paint when I was building my vise display shelves and bought 4x8 sheets of 3/4 inch thick Melamine coated MDF to cut up for shelving. MDF will sag if not well supported so plan ahead. If you want 3-4 feet of clear span, don’t use what I used. Or use framing lumber under it. Or steel.

 

[bwringer]

Contact paper? You want the heavy-duty shelf liner material, not the thin, crumbly kitchen shelf ****.

 

[BillK]

That’s a very pertinent question.
I thought about the problem of scratching up paint when I was building my vise display shelves and bought 3/4 inch thick Melamine coated MDF for shelves. MDF will sag if not well supported so plan ahead. If you want 3-4 feet of clear span, don’t use what I used. Or use framing lumber under it. Or steel.

The reason I asked was that I built some shelves in my attached garage many years ago. Build them out of 2x3 framing. At the time there was a countertop place right next door to my business and they would throw all of the sink cutouts from the countertops in the dumpster. I asked the to save them for me and I cut them down and used them for the shelving. I'll have to measure them tonight but I think they are 22" deep and about 30" wide for each piece. I cut them to length and and width and used them for the shelves. The did the cutouts after they put the Formica on so the cutouts have Formica on them They have been great.

 

[toyotadriver]

Just curious. . . . how big are the shelves actually going to be and how many of them ? Do you already have the wood ?

The racks themselves are metal. The shelf material will be wood. Longest length is 96 inches x 30 inches wide.

 

[toyotadriver]

I used porch and Floor paint on my shelves and cabinets, it works great, cheap and easy to apply and has held up well.

At this point, that’s what I’m leaning toward

 

[four.cycle]

My garage shelving is all dimensional lumber: 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8. It's all stained with Olympic oil-based exterior stain. On the shelves where there was a possibility of leaks of oil/gasoline/kerosene, I cut large pieces of corrugated cardboard to fit the shelves and stapled them down along the back edge - two layers thick. A major spill is easily remedied by the installation of a couple new pieces of cardboard.

YMMV

 

[James-W]

A guy I know has a couple shelves in his garage and he bought Plexiglas and cut it to the right size for the shelves. Then he drilled a few holes in the Plexiglas in order to hold it down to the shelves. He likes it, I am not a big fan of doing it that way, but as long as he is happy that's all that matters. Personally, I would go with some really good paint but I would use a good primer first.

 

[dumbster]

Not its intended purpose, but I used leftover (tan) 2-part epoxy garage floor paint from Home Depot on large/tiered floor-to-ceiling garage shelves + a wooden step leading inside my house from the garage.

It's been at least 15 years, and all of it still looks as new as the day I applied it. It covered the wood excellently (without primer) in one coat, and you can't damage the stuff once it cures. Engine oil, cleaners, metal tools sliding around it, shoes stomping on the step for over a decade -- none of it has so much as left a mark, no chipping, nothing. Super easy to clean, too -- oil just wipes off, waterproof. Don't think I'll ever need to reapply it, either, it's holding up so ridiculously well -- it'll outlive me.

An expensive option for sure, but if you want something that'll truly last, epoxy paint is vastly better than any paint / stain / sealant I've ever used. If I had to do it over again, I'll reapply it without hesitation. I think the 2-part epoxy used to be around $50 for a gallon kit -- spread out over 15 years, that's $3.30 per year. Not stupid expensive in that sense, granted it's surely more expensive now.

Just an idea, I'm sure the other suggestions are good too.

 

[no704]

Peel and stick tile.

 

[toyotadriver]

I picked up a “gallon” of porch paint tonight. Will be painting the wood this week. What’s annoying is they call it a gallon but then it lists the contents as 116 oz. Hidden inflation.

 

[toyotadriver]

For what it's worth, I went with the Valspar oil based porch paint. It took a rather long time to dry (as expected) but seems to be pretty durable. The frames are metal and I matched the paint for the wood to the shelves. Turned out nice.

 

[southpier]

spills may eat through coatings. why not oil the wood to begin? then the spills will just enhance the finish & build patina.

 

[toyotadriver]

The wood is a pressed wood product. Very hard and stiff but I suspect liquids might cause problems for it. The paint should seal it up well.

 

[Renegade1LI]

Just formica them, impervious to most chemicals and easy to apply, get cheap white.

 

[FredWanaker]

Is it allowed for non-ordinary shelving?

California subscribes to the English method of law, everything is illegal unless it is allowed.

 

[Wes Tex]

I have the same type metal shelf frames with the pressed wood shelves that came with the units from Sam's Club. I quit painting shelves because I always have something that leaks and eats part of the paint away.