Bench Finish Recommendation

[Tim Boger]

Hey folks,
I just picked up a used Ulmia bench for $250.00 and after some sanding this afternoon I want to put a finish on it to help protect the surface from glue and what not. I'm also considering getting a 1/4 inch piece of Plexiglas cut to fit the exact dimensions .... but for the time being I want to apply something on the top.

What do you think would be quick and easy?

Thanks,
Tim

[Steve Schoene]

Since flattening workbench tops is important, better to plane rather than sand unless very large sanding blocks are used. If any finish is needed, I'd recommend an oil/varnish mix, an in-the-wood finish. You don't want a film finish, which will get beat up, look bad, and be a bear to repair.

I can't imagine wanting something so slick as a sheet of plastic on a workbench. That has just about as much appeal as putting clear plastic slipcovers on the sofa and chairs in my livingroom.

Workbenches are tools not furniture. Scrape off any drops of glue that might stick, ignore any stains, and nail down a jig if that helps. That's my take.

[Tim Boger]

Hey Steve ... thanks for your feedback, I appreciate it.

After thinking it over I have to agree with you regarding the Plexiglas .... can you elaborate a bit about the recipe for an oil / varnish mix?

Tim

[Prashun Patel]

Others probably have better benches than I. However, after 3 of them, my personal favorite is shellac. It does it's job superbly, is easy to apply and repair. Plus, it's cheap.

BLO and wax is another popular choice, but I find it too soft; shellac's easier to sweep off.

[David Christopher]

+1 on shelac

[Tim Boger]

Thank you Prashun, I'm embarrassed to say that I've got no experience with shellac, perhaps now is the time to become familiar with it.

Thanks again!
Tim

[Jim Becker]

Tim, I use BLO on my bench. Nothing else. It gets "refinished" every so often and a film finish just wouldn't work for me in that respect.

[Tim Boger]

Tim, I use BLO on my bench. Nothing else. It gets "refinished" every so often and a film finish just wouldn't work for me in that respect.

Hey Jim,

How does the BLO work to keep glue drips from sticking?

Most of my work is segmented stuff so I spend a lot of time gluing pieces and naturally making a bit of a mess .... Wiping on BLO is about as easy as it gets.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Tim

[Steve Schoene]

A typical recipe is eqal parts BLO, varnish, and mineal spirits. You can also buy products such as Watco Danish Oil. They are applied allowed to penetrate for a short time and then wiped off thoroughly. A couple of coats is probably plenty, Looks the same as a BLO finish, is as easy to apply and repair, but more protective.

I definately disagree with using shellac, or any film finish, on the top of a work bench. For one they are too slick. Yes, easy to apply and repair but they would need lots of repair. Shellac is very hard, but consequently scratches relatively easily.

[Prashun Patel]

It's a matter of preference. My current bench does have an o/v blend on it. It's 1/4" hardboard on top of an MDF core. It gets just about as beat up as my previous bench - which was finished in shellac. They both look beaten up and used.

I had no problem with the bench being too slick. I was able to clamp things to it just fine.

And I don't mean to build a shellac film thick, just a thin film.

[Howard Acheson]

Here are the traditional and best treatments for work benches.

A film finish (lacquer, shellac, varnish, poly varnish) is not the way to finish a workbench top. A workbench is going to get dinged and film finishes will crack or craze or be otherwise damaged. Once a film finish is penetrated, it looses its effectiveness and adjacent areas begin to fail. No treatment is going to make a soft wood benchtop harder. I much favor a "in the wood finish". Here are two that lots of folks find effective.

First, is an boiled linseed oil and wax finish. Sand the surface to 180 grit. Mix paraffin or bees wax into heated boiled linseed oil. USE A DOUBLE BOILER TO HEAT THE OIL. The ratio is not critical but about 5-6 parts of boiled linseed oil in a double boiler with one part paraffin or beeswax shaved in. Take it off the stove. Thin this mixture about 50/50 with mineral spirits to make a heavy cream like liquid. Apply this mixture to the benchtop liberally and allow to set overnight. Do it again the next day and again the following day if the top continues to absorb it. After a final overnight, lightly scrape off any excess wax and buff. This finish will minimize the absorbsion of any water and you can use a damp rag to wipe up any glue excess. Dried glue will pop right off the surface. Renewal or repair is easy. Just use a scraper to remove and hardened stuff, wipe down with mineral spirits using a 3/0 steel wool pad (a non-woven green or gray abrasive pad is better), wipe off the gunk and apply another coat of mineral oil/wax mixture.

My personal preference is for an oil/varnish mixture treatment. Either use Minwax Tung Oil Finish, Minwax Antique oil or a homebrew of equal parts of boiled linseed oil, your favorite varnish or poly varnish and mineral spirits. Sand the benchtop up to 180 grit. Apply the mixture heavily and keep it wet for 15-30 minutes. Wipe off any excess completely. Let it dry overnight and the next day, apply another coat using a gray non-woven abrasive pad. Let it set and then wipe off any excess. Let this dry 48-72 hours. To prevent glue from sticking apply a coat of furniture paste wax and you're done. This treatment is somewhat more protective than the wax and mineral oil as the varnish component adds some protection from not only water both some other chemicals also. The waxing makes the surface a little more impervious to water so you can wipe up any liquid adhesive. It also allows hardened adhesive to be scraped off. Repair and renewal is easy. Just go throught the same scraping, wiping down with mineral spirits and reapplication of the BLO/varnish/mineral spirits mixture and an application of paste wax.

Both of the above treatments are quite protective but are easy to maintain and renew. They do not fail when the surface takes a ding.

[Prashun Patel]

Tim, keep in mind Howard and Steve are experts. I'm a wannabe. Their experience trumps mine any day...

[Jim Neighbors]

Hey Tim,
I'm at the point of putting a finish on my bench as well. The recipe I've found was equal parts bees wax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil mixture. I mixed up some this weekend and applied it to the base which seemed to work very well. It left a smooth finish but not too slick and supposedly, glue will not stick to it. Now, on to the top as soon as its sanded.

[Tim Boger]

First I want to thank everyone that took the time to make their suggestions, what I have done thus far is to mix Turpentine and BLO 50/50 and apply liberally. It went on easy and 95% absorbed. Sure looks better so far!

I will probably apply a coat of wax next weekend, I'll post some pics this evening.

Tim

[glenn bradley]

+1 on BLO. You do NOT want a stiff or brittle finish on a workbench. Otherwise we'd all just cover them with formica and move on.