best wood for surfacing a workbench?

Hardboard works well.

-- I don't make mistakes, I have great learning lessons, Greg

I thought about MDF, but if I’m going to sacrifice the durability and convenience of vinyl, I think I’d at least like it to look nice. Any ideas in solid wood?

-- M. Zimmers, central CA

I agree with Greg. You could make a hardboard top with a solid wood edge look nice.

Hardboard (masonite) is not MDF, technically, although it is all sawdust, I guess…

-- Randy "You are judged as much by the questions you ask as the answers you give..."

I built a workbench and used old 2×4 for a top foundation and then used 3/4 MDF screwed on top of that.. then a sheet of hardboard screwed down on top of that with the screws counter sunk of course and used a router to ease the edge all the way around. This way if the top ever gets damaged to the point where it has to be replaced I only have to spend the money for the hardboard…
kinda like changing a shirt! :)

Paul

I know I am bias, but I don’t think anything beats bamboo. In my case, I use bamboo flooring. Bamboo is so tough and it can withstand anything,

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Yeah, bamboo sounds good. Do the flooring planks butt flush, or is there a little V groove between them at the top?

Now I have to find some that are at least 80” long; the ones listed at Lowe’s seem to be 75”.

Thanks for the idea.

-- M. Zimmers, central CA

Engineered flooring works good. Easy to install,easy to repair or replace.

-- Life is good.

I’ve had 3/4” ACX on my workbench/outfeed table for the past five years and – although it will never win any beauty pagents – it’s holding up just fine. I drag a paint scraper over it every year, or so, and slop on a fresh coat of whatever leftover poly I have sitting around.

My benches take too much of a beating to try for the furniture look. – lol

-- Adversity doesn't build character...................it reveals it.

In solid wood, an american beech, hard maple or an ash top surface could be utilized as a top
and potentiall sides depending on what you would like to have. Pin or Bur oak could also work.

-- Phil

I like cork flooring

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Re bamboo – My bamboo flooring has tongue and groove sides and no special treatment at the end.

I put down 2 layers of MDF, then the bamboo on top of that. I also ran 8/4 oak around the perimeter. It’s VERY heavy, which is what you want . You can see it in my workshop pictures.

It’s not as clean as in the picture any more. It’s been used a lot. It’s is VERY rugged.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

Pretty much all prefinished flooring has a vgroove on the edge, which would drive me nuts on a bench top.

I second the hardboard with a hardwood edging. Easy on cutting tools, cheap and easy to replace. A coat of linseed oil will help prevent glue sticking, water absorption, etc. I tacked mine down with brass screws, set flush, over a solid core door.

So, where would I get a hardboard panel to screw to my existing workbench? Everything I see on Home Despot and Lowe’s is in completed doors.

Home Despot does have this:

MDF with vinyl

Though I wonder about the durability, the price is right, and installation would be pretty easy. Thoughts?

-- M. Zimmers, central CA

HD has hardboard. It’s in the plywood/MDF/particle board aisle. Look for pegboard (same stuff, but with holes); it will be right next to it.

Whatever is 1) Local, 2) Inexpensive, 3) Hard. Google for Chris Schwarz Workbench. He wrote the book on traditional workbenches. For newer ones, the design is different, but the material qualifications are the same.

-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--