Bench top material ideas?

Built a new bench in the garage and I'd like to use something other than the two layers of 1/2" MDF.

The bench is 24" deep X 75" long and there's a seem running about 27" from one end that I'd like to cover.

Thoughts? I'm leaning towards a sheet of Aluminum or Stainless, but I thought I'd see if there were any ideas I hadn't thought of.

Steel. You can weld stuff to it (like fixtures for building something) then grind it off. It won't rust if you use it

In reply to Keith Tanner:

Yeah, I've been thinking of hitting the local metal scrap place to find an I-beam or piece of railroad track to hang the gantry crane the wife bought me a while back.

Would need to borrow the small trailer from Dad though as I don't think the wife would be pleased to try and haul something like that inside her car. This means adding a trailer hitch to a car as we sold the minivan that had the hitch.

Another number puzzle situation that I seem to live in. :)

I'm a fan of poured concrete or soapstone. Then again, that'd be for a chemistry bench. Both make awesome kitchens.

My favorite bench top was a 4x4 sheet of 1/4" steel. You just cannot destroy it, it's great for welding, keeps it's shape well, and you can clamp to it easily. It will not rust if you use it, but you can oil it down if you wish. I never had a problem with rust.

My plan is to get a couple solid doors from the local house recycler store.

If you want a sacrificial surface, use hardboard or Masonite. at 1/8" thick it will not change the surface height too much and can be replaced when it gets soiled, dinged dented or gouged. Not so good for welding, but for most other stuff not too bad.

A section of an old bowling alley lane.....heavy as all get out, but by far the best workbench surface I have ever had. The added bonus is you can beat the ever living crap out of things on it and not leave marks on what you're working on.

stafford1500 wrote: If you want a sacrificial surface, use hardboard or Masonite. at 1/8" thick it will not change the surface height too much and can be replaced when it gets soiled, dinged dented or gouged. Not so good for welding, but for most other stuff not too bad.

This is what I use. It's cheap and durable, looks decent, and if/when it gets too beat up you simply replace it.

Find some local colleges that are cleaning house and hang out by the dumpsters. I got 2 of the solid black, 1" thick Epoxyn tabletops that I plan to throw on a workbench pretty soon. Not sure how impact resistant it is but I know it'll do fine with heat and chemicals.

Next best would be steel, IMO

I've tried most stuff in this thread. For my general medium duty shop, I decided on a three layer top. Base of 3/4 osb underlayment, with 3/4 mdf glued and screwed to it. Topped with replaceable hardboard. Its the best compromise of cost, strength, and durability for me. And my bench is 28 in by 16 feet.

Not sure how much you are looking to spend or how fancy you want this to be, but Lumber Liquidators has 1.5" thick oak butcherblock countertops for about $160. Maybe that's overkill for what you are trying to achieve, but I plan on having those in my dream workshop someday.

Keith Tanner wrote: Steel. You can weld stuff to it (like fixtures for building something) then grind it off. It won't rust if you use it

^^^ This

SEADave wrote: Not sure how much you are looking to spend or how fancy you want this to be, but Lumber Liquidators has 1.5" thick oak butcherblock countertops for about $160. Maybe that's overkill for what you are trying to achieve, but I plan on having those in my dream workshop someday.

I was going to do this with IKEA butcherblock for an assembly table but they discontinued the island size that I wanted.

I used elevator doors to make the bench tops in my shop. Stainless sheet on the outside and hardwood on the inside. Not sure why elevator companies have them lying around, but they did.

All great ideas so far.

Since I don't have a welder, but want one, the steel idea is... Interesting.

The elevator door suggestion is very cool, but I suspect subject to "being in the know" as I'm sure some geek off the street would get quoted a "go away" price. I could be wrong though.

For those wondering about the elevator doors... we had one replaced in our building a few weeks ago because an edge was slightly deformed and it would occasionally do a little dance before closing.