Ikea is discontinuing their ButcherBlock counter top. A great deal at $169
Whatever they have is stock now is the last they will have. I bought 2 8-footer and a 6-footer for 22 feet of workbench!
Well done!! I love IKEA clearance. Was it $169 for all that you bought? Tried the link and they may have sold out.
I used the IKEA Beech counter tops. ...
And then I clad them in 14 gauge SS.
This is excellent! Any secrets to doing this? What kind of costs did you find? I couldnt quite tell how you did the front, are those bolts helping to secure it?
Don't overlook laminate flooring. You can make the benchtop look a many number of ways....
..... I built a 4'x8' rolling bench, ....and put I fastened the laminate down with a pin nailer. You couldn't see the nails/pins at all. I only nailed them at the ends to keep things in place.
This is a great idea and (frankly) I'm a bit pissed I never thought of it. I've been trying to figure out what to do with a box of clearance bamboo flooring I got at Lowes... Thanks!!
.... I have one bench that has a galvanized top. Nice, easy to clean, don't weld on it. Dents easy with heavy objects like a transmission or cylinder heads. I have a steel top bench 30" x 60" that is good for welding and general use. It's well used and the top is pretty rough, someday I'd like to top it with a sheet of 11 or 8 gauge CRS.
I like the multiple tops you have, the Cold Roll Steel (CRS) is interesting, how would you treat the surface? Any good options you thought about?
I'd almost be tempted to go with the ABS, but then again if you do much hot work like soldering or torch use it may not be the best idea.
as a base you want something that won't dent like MDF. You can then top it with steel sheet, S/S sheet.
Excellent call, do you have experience with SS over MDF? What gauges?
Since you make reference to "workbenches" (plural), you might consider using a couple of different materials. l have 3 benches with tops made from solid core doors, 2 with bowling alley tops, an old lab bench with a butcher block top and another bench with plywood wrapped in stainless steel. Pros and cons for each material but nice having options.
I think you hit the nail on the head with this. Multiple tops. So here is where I come clean... I bought 20 of these doors. They were on a pallet at our local Habitat for Humanity RESTORE and I asked how much? "Well if you buy them all, $3 each." ... Done!!
I am partial to steel workbench surfaces:
Looks good in the picture!! How about rust from humidity and seasonal changes? I know a person can just grind it clean, but I am hoping to avoid that. What gauge metal do you think?
Good idea!
