Bench top surface covering?

kmw1954 · Apr 4, 2019

This will be a quick simple question. I just finished cutting and gluing a new 2'X4' plywood bench top. Also on top of this bench will be a pc. of 3/8" steel plate permanently bolted to the bench top. Now I want to finish off the top so that it is flush with the plate and thought about routing it into the plywood then had a change of heart. I am now thinking of adding a pc of 1/4" MDF and then topped off with either a pc of white dry erase board, pc of black smooth chalkboard or hardwood panel. https://www.menards.com/main/buildi...2-c-13337.htm?tid=4834190771172558463&ipos=36

What would be your choice?

Hokie_PhD · Apr 4, 2019

I have my bench top of 3/4” plywood then MDF. On it I have a rubberized mat that a good friend gave me

RMH · Apr 4, 2019

+1 on the rubberized mat. I use tool box drawer liner from Home Depot.

Blue68f100 · Apr 4, 2019

I have the Hard Masonite on my bench tops. Added a sealer so water does not damage them. Screwed on so it can be replaced easily. I've used some of the dry eraser board, not a good idea. It chips and crumbles along the edges real bad, very very soft.

kmw1954 · Apr 4, 2019

Rubber mat is nice but it is not going to cover the whole top. I have 2 pcs of 1/4" rubber that is actually gasket material. I want something very smooth to make cleaning up powder spills easy. My thought on the Dry eraser board is it would clean well and the edges will not be exposed which leaves the concern for scratching the surface. Anyways a 2'X4' pc is only about $10.00 so it's nor really very expensive.

ColtPythonElite · Apr 4, 2019

I put 7/32 or 5mm underlayment on mine. I used a set to set the nails. I put on a couple of coats of poly.

glc24 · Apr 4, 2019

My benchtop is 2 pieces of 3/4 MDF. I used Minwax high build polyurethane as a finish.

enine · Apr 4, 2019

I used the white countertop laminate that places like lowes and home depot sell.

Allen One1 · Apr 4, 2019

I would use the 1/4 hardboard like you have in your Menard's link. I put it on a bench I made 30 years ago because it would be easy to replace when it gets damaged. I still have the original piece on that bench and it gets used hard. It wouldn't hurt to replace it but it is still working.

HDMontana · Apr 5, 2019

I also use the masonite(hardboard) on mine.

Waldog · Apr 5, 2019

Use Tempered Masonite not the standard masonite hardboard. It is really hard and durable, practically indestructible.

rfwobbly · Apr 5, 2019

While completely understanding your desire for a nicer bench top, I've gone back to simple A/C plywood with an oil finish. The reason is simple. My last bench was a professional piece of furniture with a beautiful Formica top, which sounded like the best idea ever. It was the exact opposite. Anything spilled on that hard, glassy surface went skittering off to Never Never Land.

Tools, primers, powder... any handling errors made over that bench top disappeared forever !

kmw1954 · Apr 5, 2019

So I just had another revelation to this question. VYNIL sheet flooring. Inexpensive and should be very durable. I've seen some woodgrain patterns that look really good.

Tilos · Apr 5, 2019

Whatever you decide to use I suggest that it be white or painted white.
Small parts disappear on dark colors or woodgrain finishes.
I paint everything white on my bench after caulking all the joints/corners, including shelves, so small parts cannot hide there.
Narrow shelves discourage storage of small stuff 2 deep, one behind another.
My scale is under the ice cream box/dust cover:

RodII · Apr 5, 2019

I have Formica on mine and have never had a problem. I am a amateur woodwork/cabinet maker so I built my own reloading setup.

kmw1954 · Apr 5, 2019

So just to clear this up the bench has already been built and I will just be changing the bench top as the pc. I already have I want to save and not hack up and drill full of holes.. It will be going back onto another workbench. The old one is also an oak Formica pattern and is fine, not too dark or too light!

9mmepiphany · Apr 5, 2019

kmw1954 said:
So I just had another revelation to this question. VYNIL sheet flooring. Inexpensive and should be very durable. I've seen some woodgrain patterns that look really good.

The problem is applying it...really just getting it to lay flat and stick.

If you like vinyl, you'd be better off using peel-n-stick tiles

kmw1954 · Apr 5, 2019

indeed. Menards Home Improvement carries this stuff and I will be making a visit there tomorrow to look at all options.

.308 Norma · Apr 5, 2019

Seeing as how I retired permanently in 2005 it’s been awhile, but the place I used to work had 4ft wide rolls of what we simply called “red rubber.” It was about 1/8” thick, pretty hard, and we used it for covering the work benches in the electrical and instrumentation shops.

When I started handloading back in the late ‘70s, somehow a 6ft long piece of “red rubber” followed me home from work, and ended up on my loading bench. It’s still there.

Texas10mm · Apr 5, 2019

I used inexpensive laminate flooring to top both my benches.

stillquietvoice · Apr 5, 2019

I am getting a butcher block table with a drawers under the top it's 30 in wide, 48 in long and 2 inch thick.

Catpop · Apr 5, 2019

Geez, I can’t remember the last time I saw the top of my reloading bench! :what:

I’ll have to get it cleaned up to see what is down there :neener:

Jesse Heywood · Apr 6, 2019

I vote for the dry-erase board. Then you can write notes and erase them later. Just don't use permanent markers.

CraigC · Apr 6, 2019

I found that you can order butylene rubber and hard plastic cutting boards in just about any size from Amazon. I don't use them for my loading bench but I do use them for my leatherwork bench. Rather than having a small cutting board, my whole cutting area is a 36x24x1/2" black cutting board. I also use a 1" thick rubber mat under my granite slabs and 1/4" for other stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006H7EOR0

My loading bench is a table made from two sheets of 3/4" oak plywood and solid red oak 4x4 spindle legs. Finished in polyurethane.

kmw1954 · Apr 6, 2019

Today I bought the 1/8" hardboard Masonite and a oc. of 1/4" MDF along with a nice pc of decorative molding to finish the front edge. I'm thinking of just spot gluing the Masonite so if it ever needs to be replaced I should be able to pull it up easily.

Have been under the weather fighting a cold this past week so not a lot has gotten finished.

Bench top surface covering?

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