workbench surface

[gearmonkey]

i built a workbench with a 3/4" plywood surface. i wanted to cover it with resin. what i wanted to know is how strong is resin and is there stronger covering that i can put on it. i am not planning to beat on it my vise is seprate and i have a different table for welding. but there maybe have things on it like heads and engine parts. i want a surface i can wipe off and not stain the wood. thanks guys.

 

[AndrewHR]

I use ply for my surface, 3 pieces of 1/4" stacked. I use yacht varnish and just put on another coat when it gets too scratched. It keeps the ply easy to wipe clean.

 

[TagMan]

I built a couple of 36"x80" workbenches using solid doors for the top and 4"x4" for the legs. The doors were purchased from a store called "Mr. 2nds" and had minor cosmetic flaws and were pretty cheap. They are 1½" thick and have held up well for the last 18+ years.

 

[drmoonshine]

I think resin will work fine.

 

[DavidTK]

I have 2 alternatives to consider, especially for a table that isn't going to see welding or a lot of abuse. You could install formica, which comes in many colors. It's the same stuff used on kitchen countertops before granite became so popular. It's probably more expensive than the varnish you have in mind though.

Another simple, cheap solution that I've used before is self adhesive floor tiles. They're usually $1-$2 each, are easy to cut, and simple to install. If you damage a tile, pull it up and replace it with another one. And they wipe clean, as they should since they're meant to be used for the floor. The only thing I didn't like is that the surface isn't 100% smooth because of where the tiles meet each other.

 

[T1320T]

I picked up a 4'x8' sheet of plastic from the local home improvement store... cost like $10 & has served me well for almost 10 yrs. I can't remember what it technically called. It's on my bench that I use for engine part assembly, etc., anything that needs to be clean. It cleans up easy w Simple Green or Brakleen.

 

[AMCguy]

10 gauge steel. $80. Bending $20.

It sits on a sheet of 3/4'' MDF.

 

[rickycobra]

Tiles, you can buy really cheap one and store a bunch of extra ones in your attic when they need to be replaced. Get large square ones so their easier to clean and you can use clorox to clean the grout.

 

[mmhouse]

Mine is 1-1/8" plugged and touch sanded plywood (commercial subflooring) that I've painted with deck enamel. When it gets a little scratched up I put on another coat of paint.

 

[swharris]

10 gauge steel. $80. Bending $20.

It sits on a sheet of 3/4'' MDF.

This in stainless. Can't hurt it, and it cleans up with just a wipe.

 

[Jim S]

From my experience, plywood is not very good, even if it's coated. If you put something sort of heavy, like a cylinder head, on it and slide it around the plywood starts to get ripped up and little pieces start sticking up. Covering it with a fairly heavy plastic material would be good, or steel even better. I would think tiles would keep lifting at the corners. I have a bench with a top made of real thick planks, and covered it with thin masonite. It's cheap and probably won't last real long, but it can be wiped off, (sort of).
It doesn't look nice and it 's all oil stained and full of paint spills.

 

[fflintstone]

On my old bench I had a left over piece of standard countertop. It worked great for clean up. I was hoping to find some discontinued countertop at a box store. Unfortunately I need 24’ now, and without any miters or sink openings.
I also have two welding tables, a moveable stainless workbench and a solid (3" thick) wood top bench as well.

 

[jabberwoki]

i built a workbench with a 3/4" plywood surface. i wanted to cover it with resin. what i wanted to know is how strong is resin and is there stronger covering that i can put on it. i am not planning to beat on it my vise is seprate and i have a different table for welding. but there maybe have things on it like heads and engine parts. i want a surface i can wipe off and not stain the wood. thanks guys.

I used bend to shape sheet metal on mine and i love it!

 

[Boyd Who]

My workbench top is 3/4" plywood covered with 1/4" masonite. Nice smooth surface and nearly indestructable!

 

[evintho]

I built my top using 3/4" plywood but left it 1/4" shorter than I wanted. I then bought a sheet of 1/4" hardboard and ripped two lengths to size. I screwed one length directly to the plywood with countersunk wood screws and framed it in with 1"x2"s. That was in 1999. I build cars and rebuild motors all the time. This is what it looked like after 10 years of abuse

Last year I decided it was time to replace it. I drug out the second length I cut 10 years earlier. Removed the 1"x2"s, removed the woodscrews and hardboard, screwed in the new hardboard, cut new 1"x2"s and installed them. Total time to R&R...........1/2 hour. Total cost..........zip!

 

[Daniel Dudley]

A couple of coats of Urethene on Masonite is pretty tough, and seals the masonite.

 

[Cwood8656]

I've had several workbenches covered with 1/4" masonite held on with counter sunk screws over plywood. Worked great and cheap to replace.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Get a solid-core steel door and use the plywood for something else?

 

[cdottrot]

For what it's worth, I was once doing fibreglass work and spilled a bunch of resin on my parents' garage floor (and being the wonderful child I was, didn't clean it up). It turned out rock solid. However, when I did eventually get around to cleaning it up, a few hits with a hammer and it shattered pretty easily.

I would not do a resin top unless you get something that is designed for impact. It would probably have some sort of rubber polymer or something in it. (I have no idea if this even exists)

 

[BlindViper]

For what it's worth, I was once doing fibreglass work and spilled a bunch of resin on my parents' garage floor (and being the wonderful child I was, didn't clean it up). It turned out rock solid. However, when I did eventually get around to cleaning it up, a few hits with a hammer and it shattered pretty easily.

I would not do a resin top unless you get something that is designed for impact. It would probably have some sort of rubber polymer or something in it. (I have no idea if this even exists)

The resin is absorbed by the masonite, just like the fiberglass you used.