LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Workbench Finish Questions

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  SCOTSMAN 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Just finished my first of two workbenches. Kind of a multi-use bench, has a Mdf top. My question is what to finish the Mdf with? I would like something that would resist dirt, oil, grease and general grime. My workshop is in my garage so I have another hobby of John Deere garden tractors, lots of dirty greasy parts. Just curious if you guys know the best finish for this application. Thanks for your help.
 
#2 ·
polyurethane will resist oil, water, and dirt. it's creates a thin coat on top of the workbench, the only drawback (since it's a workbench) is that that coat is smooth and might be an issue when trying to hold your work pieces to the workbench is you use it for that purpose. personally for my workbench I just used Boiled Linseed Oil - which is a penetrating oil, it conditions the wood and prevents moisture penetration but doesnt really do much for dirt/oils.
 
#4 ·
I made my workbench top out of 4 layers of 3/4" MDF, which made it 3" thick.
I rubbed in 3 coats of Danish Oil, letting each coat dry for an hour, and when it was good and dry, I put 4 coats of a quick-dry poly over the oil, and let each coat dry between coats. Nothing gets through that top, and it holds down the scratches and scuff marks pretty good, and it gave the top a good-looking kind of brown petina. Hope this helps a little.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for posting this. I am in a similar situation. I don't expect to be working with oily or greasy parts very often, but it has been known to happen once or twice. I'm more worried about stray bits of moisture that tend to show up from time to time. It sounds like a lot of people simply use a thin layer of sacrificial hardboard over the top; quick, simple, effective.

What did you decide to go with? I'm thinking about giving BLO a try. Do you guys use it straight, or mix it with something like mineral spirits?
 
#9 ·
I used to work for a conveyor belt service company. In my mind nothing beats PVC conveyor belt for a bench cover. It comes (commonly) in White, Green or Black. It is shipped to the service companys in 6 ft wide rolls and they slit it to the required widths. Bottom line often 30 and 36" widths end up on the remnant rack.You can often get the length you need for a decent price. I made my own face moulding for my bench leaving a 3/16" raised lip that the conveyor belt flushes up to. The belt will uncoil in about 3 days at room temp, or you can stick it down with contact cement or mayeb even carpet tape. It cuts with a sharp utility knife.
PVC conveyor belt has an antifriction / antistatic back and a smooth PVC top. It is used for food, grain, general products, packages so someone in your backyard is probably selling the stuff.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top