Workbench finish options. But i think there are three main options when it comes to putting a finish on your workbench. It is less slippery takes all sorts of abuse and best of all can be easily cleaned and resurfaced when needed. I absolutely hate working on an unclean workbench which is why it was difficult for me to pick the best finish for my workbench. Exploring options available yes from the heading you have already well guessed what we are about to do for today.
I much favor a in the wood finish. The instructions recommend that the bench be finished with wood oil. A workbench is going to get dinged and film finishes will crack or craze or be otherwise damaged. Click picture to enlarge.
It puts a thin protective film down that will help keep glue paint and other gunk from sticking to the workbench top. Once a film finish is penetrated it looses its effectiveness and adjacent areas begin to fail. A workbench as its name implies is to work on and frankly the best surface to work on is raw wood. Option 2 finish your workbench with a high quality wax.
Here are andy margesons choices for a workbench finish and the one he chose for his recently built nicholson workbench. Im not that familiar with oil finishes and there are a lot of options including tung oil swedish oil and boiled or raw linseed oil to cite a few. Earlier this year i purchased a sjobergs workbench from highland. Its going to be a helpful and comprehensive guide for those who dont know much about finishes that look and also work good on plywood.
Enjoy the videos and music you love upload original content and share it all with friends family and the world on youtube. First is an mineral oil and wax finish. Here is his completed workbench sans vise with the finish on it. I would recommend a drying oil finish something like a watco danish oil.
What kind of finish would you recommend for a workbench top made of softwood. Let it cure completely. Option 1 finish your workbench with polyurethane.