Worksurface ... butcher block or stainless

[A1an]

How about Ikea butcher block top with 6 coats of polyurethane?!

Beautiful! Almost looks too nice to be in a garage. This is what I plan on doing only with a very dark stain.

The Ikea bb route seems to be the best cost effective route for a medium duty work surface. It will certainly hold up better than a cheap laminate countertop and it is cheaper than stainless.

 

[ET66]

I use a six ft. section of bowling alley lane. Heavy and strong.

 

[matty d]

Im just do home improvement and some gardening, not a lot of work around cars and grease. Soooo....Im going to have to go with butcher block. It looks warmer when the garage is cold, feels nice, is nice to look at, and it even sounds better when you drop something on it...not the 'clack' of steel. A dull thud instead. A friend of mine works with guns, and he prefers stainless...If I were working around oil and grease etc... I would go with stainless.

 

[bobforman]

I used to sell Matco tools. Stainless tops out sold butchers by 20 to one. I'd go stainless in a minute.

 

[brianpgriset]

Beautiful! Almost looks too nice to be in a garage. This is what I plan on doing only with a very dark stain.

The Ikea bb route seems to be the best cost effective route for a medium duty work surface. It will certainly hold up better than a cheap laminate countertop and it is cheaper than stainless.

Thanks! This is natural, no stain. I sanded with 500 grit between coats and put them on heavy. I am very pleased with how they turn out. I don't plan on banging on them super hard, thats what the welding table is for. I figure, if they scuff up in a few years, re-sand with 500 grit and recoat with poly and I'm back in business.

 

[ImportTuner]

I voted stainless but I have a butcher block top .. I keep putting dents in the wood

 

[tcianci]

Regardless of what work surface you choose I have been working on a plan to use LVL engineered lumber for the structural part of the benchtop. I am working with a local supplier to see about getting some offcuts from the long pieces they get and plan to glue up some 3 1/2" tops from that. Or, if i'm real lucky, I can score some of the 3 1/2" thick stuff that is 24" wide already at the local building material salvage yard. The material is cheap, flat, strong, durable and stiff (and ugly). Should work out well said the man who hasn't actually done it yet.

LVL material is ridiculously flimsy when used in a flat orientation. It is engineered to stand on edge and all the strength is in that direction. While it may suffice as a work surface support, I thought I'd just mention this in case anyone intends to use the stuff in the flat orientation for some project where strength is needed.