Concerning the finish i assumed the bench was going to be exposed to sun and rain all year round in which case no finish will hold up for more than a few years because there won t be a way to keep water from getting underneath and causing the finish or paint to peel.
Best finish for wooden work bench. It is less slippery takes all sorts of abuse and best of all can be easily cleaned and resurfaced when needed. We cover how to plan your build from choosing the best wood through to understanding your vice needs. Hard woods such as oak and maple are more expensive but less easily damaged during the course of your work. Option 1 finish your workbench with polyurethane.
Option 3 don t use anything to finish your workbenc. In my own case i built my current benchtop more than 35 years ago. A workbench as its name implies is to work on and frankly the best surface to work on is raw wood. If you are really going to do actual work on that workbench top then it won t look pretty very long.
I have used watco danish oil natural color one some wood projects including my workbench base and i like it pretty well. You can finish the other surfaces of your bench however you like with whatever finish you prefer. It s easy to apply and looks good. I have a bunch of questions.
Not much will stick to poly and you will certainly have spilled glue oil nondescript goo and other things on the bench over the years. Option 2 finish your workbench with a high quality wax. Best finish for plywood workbench top. You can t caulk a bench like you do the framing around windows.
In his article on flattening workbench tops chris schwarz mentions finishing them with a wipe on varnish and oil finish. What is the best wood for workbench tops. Soft woods such as pine and birch are relatively inexpensive but are less durable than hard woods and no. You need a practical workbench but don t want to spend all year building it.
For a shop workbench i would put on a thinned coat of polyurethane varnish.