The workbench I bought last year at Home Depot was very affordable [$70]:
And I LOVE it. But I have been having issues lately using it for stained glass work [which is what I bought it for]. The cutting oil soaks in and makes ugly marks, which you can see in this picture:
And when water from my glass grinder gets on it it swells up:
Leaving permanent ugly marks. So this week after work I stained it – just the top, I will probably do the legs & shelf at some point in the future. I also stained the 2 work boards I use – one for copper foiling and laying out projects & one for cutting and soldering on. Here’s my workbench and 2 work boards before I started, and my workbench after a coat of stain:
I let it & the 2 work boards set overnight, then added a coat of polyurethane sealant:
My polyurethane is the consistency of hot caramel – I have no idea if that’s how it’s supposed to be… I can’t remember. The last/only time I used it was to finish the TV cabinet. But it worked fine and looks nice & shiny:
I let everything cure overnight then added a 2nd coat of polyurethane. By yesterday after work my workshop was ready to be set up again. It’s amazing how good MDF & 2x4s look when stained!
I tested it out by creating another stained glass project which I’ll share later. The oils and solder didn’t stick or harm the polyurethaned surfaces at all. Score! So shiny & beautiful:
One odd thing was that when a drop of hot solder landed on my work board the burning polyurethane brought back instant memories of my old nursery school… random and disturbing! Just like whenever I give one of our rats a bath their wet fur smells exactly like my freshman dorm at URI… also disturbing! But wet rat actually smells kind of good, kind of like how sun-warmed cat fur and dog feet can also smell good…
Here’s the stain & polyurethane I used – same stuff I used 2 years ago for the TV cupboard topper:
In May 2017 I stained the rest of my workbench 🙂
The stain and poly give the bench a worked-on/vintage look. It goes so well with your art. Jo @ Let’s Face the Music
Thanks so much, Jo!
I was showing my husband your conservatory bathroom today – we both love your frost subway tile and penny tile border in the shower – we want to do something very similar with our shower!
Looks so good!! You have a nice art space and a view!
I am very lucky to have the girl cave! The views are amazing, especially out the 2 south windows which you can’t see in this post – they look right out at the river, dam and fish ladder. The 2 east windows you can see in this post are nice, too – they look out over our shared driveway, the main road, and the field and pond beyond. Very lucky!
Your workbench looks incredible. What a difference!
I will definitely stain the legs and shelf, it will look even better!