Best sealer/protection for Workbench top

[Jerry Olexa]

I know there are many opinions on this but.....
I'm in process of flattening my workbench top ...I've heard many opinions on the best top coat for this from oil, wax, mixtures, BLO, wax only etc etc...

What is YOUR opinion on the best way to protect, seal, finish, preserve wooden WORKBENCH tops (the flat work surface)?
ALL answers are welcome....Love to hear your ideas, suggestions.....Thank you.

[mike stenson]

Nothing. At the very most, blo (or blo/turpentine mix). Anything else will make it slippery, or just get ruined quickly.

[Jim Becker]

Nothing is fine. My personal go-to is BLO as it's renewable and helps "a little" with glue release.

[Stan Calow]

BLO. I don't want it slick (wax). I try to use wax paper , parchment paper or whatever else on hand if its going to be a messy glue up.

[Brian Tymchak]

I used 1 coat of Watco Teak oil, let soak in as much as it will take, and wipe as much off as possible. Still good after 8-9 years. Some might think the varnish leaves the surface too slick, but I don't think so. And it gives protection against glue and even cat vomit....:mad:

[Rob Sack]

I've started using Arm-R-Seal with good results. For years I used Daly's Profin, but Daly's is no longer in business.

[Scott Clausen]

BLO here because its only there till the next flattening anyway. I like the flat non-slick feel.

[Frank Pratt]

I sand to 80 grit & apply 1 coat of BLO or some other penetrating oil. That leaves a surface that is not slick, yet glue can be popped off easily with a chisel. That, however has proven to be insufficient protection from a router bit set too deep :(

[Scott Clausen]

I sand to 80 grit & apply 1 coat of BLO or some other penetrating oil. That leaves a surface that is not slick, yet glue can be popped off easily with a chisel. That, however has proven to be insufficient protection from a router bit set too deep :(
Beauty marks they are.

[Jerry Olexa]

As expected, many different approaches to this...BLO seems to be the most often reco'd...I'll continue to follow this thread as I , meanwhile, continue to flatten the top..
Thanks much for your advice,,,,I'll read your responses...Thanks.

[Richard Coers]

The best protection is a sheet of 1/8" hardboard.

[Bill Dufour]

One half BLO, one half thinner of choice(I use Coleman fuel now) and a teaspoon of japan drier.
Bill D.

[Michael Schuch]

I used water based polyurethane on one of my benches when I built it ~35 years ago. It still has 98%+ of the finish left.

A thin sheet of hardboard is also a good idea. I use a thin sheet of hardboard as a sacrificial top for my radial arm saw.

[mike stenson]

Ultimately it may depend on what you're using the bench for. If you're using hand tools, that makes a different surface requirement than power tools IMO.

[Tom Bender]

On my thick Maple tops I use polyurethane varnish. It's hard and resistant to stuff, but it is slick. Not ideal. One day I'll do a bit of sanding and try BLO

[roger wiegand]

Nothing on my primary working bench. Formica on the one used for glue-ups and finishing. Not sure what advantage, if any, a finish on the working bench top would provide. I plane it every few years when it seems to be grungy. While the formica tops are badly stained at this point, glue drips still pop off easily and most excess finish comes off when scraped with a razor blade.

[Michael Cuthriell]

I finish mostly with shellac and save the remnants. When I plane the top every three or four years I use the leftover shellac and lightly sand the finish with 60 grit paper to reduce slips. This protects from water and oil. Old shellac works OK for this if not for your furniture.

[Will Boulware]

Another vote for nothing. Grip for hand tool work is more important than any benefits a finish offers, and it gets resurfaced every year or two, so no point in attempting to pretty it up.

[Kris Cook]

3-2-1 Finish is what I used on mine.

3 parts: paint thinner or mineral spirits
2 parts: oil based polyurethane
1 part: oil (boiled linseed oil)

[andy bessette]

The best protection is a sheet of 1/8" hardboard.

Actually my favorite bench tops are 1/4" unfinished tempered Masonite. By far the most useful and nicest to use.

[andrew whicker]

I use brown paper on top of my bench when gluing up. I never glue or finish without some type of paper between the project and the workbench top... and I don't use anything to coat the top. Works great, no clean up, just roll the paper back up to use again.

[Christopher Charles]

Nothing other than the ring marks from a cold beverage after flattening.

[Myles Moran]

Nothing. When it gets too beat up, or too much finish ends up on the top, I hit it with 80 grit on the ROS and it's good as new with a few quick passes. Glue drips get knocked off with a painters 5-in-1 that I keep next to my cans of finish.

I should probably check if it's still flat, but I've taken to using my tablesaw as the flat surface (really just for checking that tables and chairs don't rock) since "flat enough" covers 95% of my workbench needs.

Edit- also my workbench is SYP. Partially because I was cheap when I built it and ripped down 2x8s to end up with a nice thick 3" top slab, and partially because I want a workbench soft enough that when I inevitably smack a project board against it I damage the workbench and not the project. I've got numerous dents and dings to prove that a sacrificial workbench is a BIG benefit for me.

[Frederick Skelly]

I use shellac. It works fine for my pine bench. YMMV

[Jerry Olexa]

Hmmmm. Several votes for nothing (leave it alone).....Many different approaches.....Like doing a thread on sharpening....Most of us have a personal favorite.
One man's meat is another man's poison......Oh well...:confused:

[mike stenson]

Well, you could easily try nothing, blo, and a film finish. You might just have to re-plane in the end.

[Jim Becker]

Well, you could easily try nothing, blo, and a film finish. You might just have to re-plane in the end.
Yea..divide the surface into thirds and use each method on a third. Work on the bench for six months and decide which is preferred..

[mike stenson]

Yea..divide the surface into thirds and use each method on a third. Work on the bench for six months and decide which is preferred..
Or each for a couple months. It's not difficult to just plane off a surface finish, if you decide you don't like it. A whole lot easier than flattening in the first place.

[Jim Becker]

Or each for a couple months. It's not difficult to just plane off a surface finish, if you decide you don't like it. A whole lot easier than flattening in the first place.
True, but one advantage to side by side, as long as one distributes work evenly is to be able to compare them directly. I'd actually consider doing the thirds lengthwise for that reason...may be easier to divide the work evenly.

[mike stenson]

True, but one advantage to side by side, as long as one distributes work evenly is to be able to compare them directly. I'd actually consider doing the thirds lengthwise for that reason...may be easier to divide the work evenly.

Sure, but I use pretty much my whole bench frequently. I wouldn't be able to tell much.

[Jim Becker]

Sure, but I use pretty much my whole bench frequently. I wouldn't be able to tell much.
So for you, since you use the whole surface of your bench a lot, a simultaneous test of all three methods would work well in my mind! But Professor Dr. SWMBO would likely worry about what's in my mind... LOL

[David Stone (CT)]

I use a 3:2:1 mix of turpentine/mineral spirits, boiled linseed oil and oil-based varnish (a classic hobbyist finish option back in the 80s). Having some kind of finish makes it easier to keep the bench clean and this one's super easy--plus I have a bunch of left-over old BLO and varnish to somehow use up now that I don't put this stuff on actual furniture due to the proliferation of other options.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I use boiled linseed oil on my bench.

I do not share the idea to use anything that make the surface slippery, so, wax is completely out of my own considerations.

[Scott Winners]

A bit late, have been keeping an eye on this thread. I agree it depends on what you are doing, and what you are using for workholding. I only have one bench, I use it for power tools, hand tool joinery and glue ups and finishing.

I originally did the entire bench with two coats of 1-1-1 BLO-paint thinner- varnish. It is enough to keep the cat from using the legs as a scratching post. The first time I had to flatten the top I left it bare wood and find it works well for me. For glue and finishing I put down a sacrificial layer like parchment paper. Holdfasts work much better (for me) when the top is unfinished (mine is all Doug Fir, mostly edge grain). When I have room for a separate assembly table I will probably go with formica as has already been mentioned or perhaps a clear film finish like varnish or urethane, or perhaps a masonite type hardboard.

Try something. If you don't like it, plane it off. I have concluded I will never ever ever be completely satisfied with my shop. There will always be something that could be improved I think. I have lowered my expectations from having a perfect shop to having an adequate shop to do the work I want to do and it has been quite freeing.

Good luck and best wishes.

[mike stenson]

I agree Scott, since I use single point stops a good part of the time having no finish on it is great. I even like it if the grain's raised a bit from wiping off glue.

[Warren Lake]

id have no interest in hardboard on a cabinet bench. For a work bench car parts and other things maybe, I have an old oak door for that. I havent put finishes on the cabinet benches so far but one that sits near a wood stove like to put danish oil on it, Its had to be hand be hand planed a few times. Name brand not made right.

[Rob Luter]

Back in high school wood shop they had us wax the benches so glue drips wouldn't stick to them. They were like skating rinks. I used BLO on mine. It has protected well and isn't slippery.

[Warren Lake]

work bench is not for glue ups, likely done it enough times but its the wrong thing.

[Rob Luter]

In a High School wood shop, the benches were for everything but spraying finish.

In my tiny shop, the bench is for glue ups out of necessity. I protect it with sheet cardboard or wax paper. A dried glue booger can tear the hell out of a project that gets slid over it or clamped on top of it.

DAMHIKT :mad:

[Jim Becker]

work bench is not for glue ups, likely done it enough times but its the wrong thing.
For many folks, it's necessarily so, however. In some cases, a simple cover can protect it, but sometimes the bench itself has to be used for clamping, etc., so...you deal with the aftermath. :)

[Justin Rapp]

I use cut-to-length clear vinyl runners. My bench is 30x72 and found a 30" wide runner and bought 6 feet. Works perfect.

[Warren Lake]

I clamp on horses.

[Frank Pratt]

work bench is not for glue ups, likely done it enough times but its the wrong thing.

Not the wrong thing at all. A workbench is for glue ups, and is a great platform for it because it is a flat, rigid surface. Just have a strategy for dealing with the glue. A single coating of penetrating oil finish works well.

[andy bessette]

A single sheet of poly (Visqueen) works perfectly well to protect the benchtop during glue-ups.

[David Publicover]

I recycle the shrink wrap that they use to cover boats for the winter. I cut it up into tarps, drop cloths and bench sized pieces. It is tough stuff and ideal for my purposes.

[Charles Lent]

I'm not a neander woodworker, preferring power tools for most of my woodworking, so my workbenches tend to get made from soft woods, usually construction grade spf. The tops are 1 X 8 or whatever width looks the best coming off the pile at the yard. For the tops, I use 1/4" tempered MDF, attached with a flat head screw in each corner and sometimes in the center front and back. For the glue-up bench I'll put a couple of coats of poly on it. The rest I don't put anything on them. When the tops get rough looking or broken, I just replace them. Hardly any effort at all and my bench is like new again. I once came across a new solid wood 38 X 112" X 2" thick flat surface commercial door at a Habitat Store for $40 and brought it home. I trimmed it to 32" width to remove the door handle hole and used it for the top of my new workbench. What a solid top that it made. When I moved, I left it behind, as I had no shop at the new house until I built one 2 years later. I'm still regretting that decision. Since the door skins were rosewood, I used tempered MDF to protect the top surface, since it was "just too nice" to scratch and dent up. Used carpet tape to hold the MDF on. What an unbelievably solid bench that door made.

Charley

[fred everett]

I start with a mix of blo and varnish. Random refreshes are done with leftover topcoats from projects......typically an oil/thinned varnish concoction.