what to do about my workbench....

[Yankee]

I built my 9ft long workbench at my new house about a year ago. Built it with standard lumber (2x4 frame with 2x10 top) This is how we've built our benches on the farm years ago, they age and look good over time with constant use.

With this being at my house (instead of an equipment building) it hasn't gotten the "worn in" look due to obvious less use.

I was looking at seeing if I could make it look a little nicer.

Had a wild hair and stained it yesterday.....

Not sure now if that was the right thing to do... It seems like it now needs some type of sealer instead of just leaving it raw like it was.. I've read online to use wax instead of poly. Some say the other way around.. Some say leave it raw (but that's usually the case if it wasn't stained...)

Any ideas? I've attached a before and after...

 

[bob15]

I wouldn't put any type of stain or sealant or coating on it. It is a workbench.

I would though, put a sheet of plywood on the top to cover your gaps between the boards. Or get some rough cut 1x's and ship lapped them for a tight fitting top. Those gaps between the boards will make for excellent screw/nut lost forever black holes.

 

[kaymccampbell]

If you want to age it, beat it with tire chains and rub it down with dark wax. It'll look cool.
If you want a more utilitarian installation, go the plywood route above and rebuild a couple small engines on it.
If you want industrial, screw a sheet of steel to it and rebuild the engines.

 

[pablo94sc]

I put deck stain/sealant on mine. I figure that's good enough for the occasional spilled beer. It's a workbench, after all.

 

[iminocca]

My workbench top is MDF and I stained it with ebony (black) stain. Ebony looks really good on plywood and oil or whatever just blends right in...

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

You might try a coat of floor wax (Johnson's wax, whatever). It'll help repel water or fluids from soaking into the bench, is easy to apply, and won't show wear like poly would.

 

[Cyberbear]

Building a work bench top of Douglas Fir is easy and economical, but I've found that covering it with typical T&G oak hardwood flooring makes a great and durable top when done. I sealed mine with a floor sealer and polyurethane clear without stain. Oak will take on a nice medium patina over time.

 

[slip knot]

Boiled linseed oil. put a lite coat on and let it dry. old school clear coat.