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PM2790 Workbench Top Finish
February 15th, 2006 10:22 AM
Oil treatments (no driers added) and oil finishes (driers added) offer a broad range of 'protection'. Short oils, referring to the length of their molecular chain, such as vegetable cooking oil, mineral oil, etc. are easy to apply and absorb well into the wood fibers. Down side to these is that the fibers will easily give up the oil when subjected to heat, leaving you with an oily mess. They can also combine with oxygen and other pollutants and turn rancid, giving off an unpleasant odor.

Moving to longer molecular chain oils such as raw linseed oil and raw tung oil- again easy to apply, a little better 'stick' to the wood fibers but will still move on you with heat. They don't turn rancid as easily, either.

Boiled linseed oil, tung oil 'finishes', etc. have driers added to make longer chains. Still easy application and when dry they are difficult to get to leave the wood. Turning rancid is usually not a problem. Easy upkeep with an annual reapplication. Downside is that the 'protection' they offer is at and below the surface. Minor impacts directly contact and damage the surface wood fibers.

Varnishes, lacquers, polyurethanes, etc.- These are combinations of resins and carriers that keep the resins suspended until applied to your surface. Once applied, the carrier evaporates and the resin molecules link up to form an (ideally) impenetrable barrier that repels water and is resistant to impacts. These require more involved appliction methods. Repairs vary in ease of application. Usually the 'protection' sits on top of the surface.

My pick for a benchtop would be a combination of some of the above. I like the protection of polyurethane. The 'poly' means that the oils have been polymerized making longer molecule chains, for longer lasting protection. The resins build on the surface for impact protection. To get good penetration with poly, cut the first coat 50% with the appropriate thinner (read the label), and apply a good wet coat. Keep the surface wet, especially end grain, for 15 minutes to ensure good penetration. Wipe off the excess and allow to dry for at least 24 hours. I usually follow this with 1 or 2 coats of full strength gloss poly. Gloss finishes contain more solids (resins) than semi or satin sheen products, therefore they 'build' quicker. If the gloss sheen is too much, I will knock the surface down with 320 or 400 grit and wipe off with a rag wetted with the poly to slighty fill the scratches and then buff off with a clean soft cloth. The above finish will take some pretty good abuse in the shop and still give a good long life.
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