Working on a dark work bench?

[BellyUpFish]

Thinking about staining the bench top of my recent workbench build, but I'm not sure about working on a dark bench. I kinda like the lighter/brighter color top..

Anyone with .02?

 

[jay8s]

It is easier to find small bits on a light colored work top

 

[Wood'nMetal]

Gotta agree with jay8s, go bright or go home. Even bare metal can be hard to find screws on. Nothing wrong with a nice bright white or light grey.

 

[Exceller8]

Gotta agree with jay8s, go bright or go home. Even bare metal can be hard to find screws on. Nothing wrong with a nice bright white or light grey.

How bout orange?

 

[Dale Leeds]

Paint it whatever color you want. Anything can be hard to find on any color as far as I am concerned. If you drop something white- it's going to be hard to find on a top that is white. Correct. Just put in a couple of flood lights or flouresant lights overhead and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[wesalexleft]

Covered one of mine with some Formica. A 4' x 8' sheet doesn't cost much. I can write on it, marks for length, etc. and it washes off when I'm done. This isn't so much a pounding bench though, just a spot to work at for smaller projects like carbs, assembly, and the like. I used an almond color.

 

[steve308]

Painted my counter top gloss black and I use a couple of cutting boards painted red or yellow to work on and have the wall equipped with magnetic tool holders. Keeps me from spreading sh*t all over the place and I don't worry about damage to the tops with the cutting boards. The black looks great against the white walls and red and yellow cabinets.

 

[kbs2244]

Mine is white.
Cheap seconds (bent corners) of the cheapest bathroom siding from the local big box.
Two or three dollars for a 4x8 sheet.
Stands up to everything except acetone and three years of use.
Then it gets replaced.

I could never find anything on a black surface.
Sometimes function has to trump style.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I went from light to dark on two of my big benches. I never noticed the change. So long as your workspace is well-lit, I think you're fine.

I don't think the same is true for a floor, however.

 

[SweetD]

...I use a couple of cutting boards painted red or yellow to work on...

That seems like a really cool idea - thanks!



Dave

 

[NUTTSGT]

I painted my top black so it doesn't show the dirt as much. I don't have a problem with seeing stuff.

 

[zoomzoomjeff]

Mine is a 4x8 sheet of white formica type MDF. I would never switch to anything else. Yeah, it shows some scratches, but it also reflects light from around the room to make it a nice area to see on. Plus, I usually write notes on it with my carpenter pencil throughout various projects and just brake clean it when I'm done.

 

[Responder]

Mine is a 4x8 sheet of white formica type MDF. I would never switch to anything else. Yeah, it shows some scratches, but it also reflects light from around the room to make it a nice area to see on. Plus, I usually write notes on it with my carpenter pencil throughout various projects and just brake clean it when I'm done.

How is it holding up after using brake cleaner on formica?

 

[nehog]

Most of my benches are covered with floor tiles (white with gray flecks or splotches) and things show up well on them. The white is now dirty, which helps.

 

[herbet99]

I have dark formica on one of mine.. never noticed a problem.

 

[kentenn]

Can we see some pics of these?