Sort of a reloading question; Paint for reloading bench?

TheGerman

TheGerman

Oberleutnant
Full Member
Minuteman
    • Jan 25, 2010
    10,607
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    the Westside
    #1
    Just had a brand new bench built by someone I know what's awesome with wood. Only thing I'm stuck on with right now is what to finish/paint it with?

    The bench is made from mostly pine and from my past experiences, it doesn't take in stains too well. I tried this in the past and just never liked all the light spots and it just never looked right. Besides that I had painted a bench before but didn't like multiple coats of latex as no matter how much you painted it, it would find a way to come up and was still tacky to paper 2 years later.

    What about enamel paint? Any other suggestions?
     
    #4
    The primary purpose of coatings is to facilitate cleaning. Appearance is second. Wood tables ,etc. do not "need" finishing. Paint is decorative. Why decorate a work station?No coating will supplement the qualities of a poor wood species selection.
     
    #5
    smschulz said:
    What kind of wood?
    Are you going to do a lot of stuff that will scratch it up?
    Got a picture of the bench to be finished?
    Click to expand...

    No pics, its in his garage right now.

    The wood is mainly pine from Home Depot but the top sheets were something else and were expensive apparently.

    I don't plan on scratching the shit out of it, just usual work and the usual spills. Only real reason I wanted this to look decent was because its coming into the house as I have a bedroom as the 'reloading room' and everything is already painted in the room and nice wood floors; wanted it to not look like shit in there so wife didn't whine about it.
     
    #8
    I used knot-free 3/4" pine plywood for the top of my bench. I sealed it with sanding sealer, then applied 2 coats of good varnish over the top. Didn't go with any stain, as the wood was a light color to begin with. I wanted to seal and protect it, but also wanted the lighter wood color to reflect as much light as possible. If it does get scratched, and it did, a light sanding, followed with a once over with my shop vac, and a wipe down with tack cloth, and it's ready for another coat of varnish.

    A self leveling epoxy resin is another option, but it's a spendy way to go.

    I'd recommend sealing, followed by varnish and use that thing. Just my personal opinion, but while a stain that brings out the grains of the wood may look nice, it will also darken your work surface. With my clear coated pine, I can literally see single grains of powder or a stray primer. This would be much harder to see in something like say stained oak.
     
    #9
    IMO, the problem is yellow pine is so soft. Fantastic wood, especially for siding (radial cut !) but not the stuff I would use as a work surface unless it's beneath something else.

    1st Choice: Laminate. No matter what you do, paint will come off. Look around for some surplus places where you can get laminate inexpensively. Out here we have Restore, the Habitat for Humanity outlet where I can always find unused rolls of laminate.

    2nd Choice: Stainless (does not generate spark), expensive as hell but can't beat the durability.

    Mine is stainless with a laminate on top.
     
    Last edited:
    #10
    Poly doesn't recoat well. No bonding. I used, and would again, epoxy garage floor coating. White. Hard as hell. Few solvents bother it. Not too expensive. Light sanding after cleaning will bond a second replacement coating. JMHO
     
    #11
    I used a piece of marlite, the stuff put on the walls of cheap shower stalls. It's coated masonite and I used aluminum edging material on the front edge. It resists all solvents, over twenty years old and it's a clean surface, easy to clean except for the stray kernels of powder that hang up on the edge. It's far better than plain wood and cheap, quick and dirty, and easy to install. BB

    edit: I used panel adhesive. Very serviceable.

    edit: my table is rock solid made of flat 2X4's (like on a picnic table) so I had to cover it with something smooth.
     
    Last edited:
    #15
    Not sure how Pure Tung Oil will soak into pine but my bench is maple and I use oil. Any scratches I just oil them up. Gun goo doesn't seem to penetrate, it just wipes off the oiled surface.

    If you go with oil it is not a chore to touch it up or rub it down every once in a while. Especially easy if you have GI oiled stocks and you are cleaning them up I just hit the bench when im done.

    FinishedBench001.jpg
     
    #16
    milo 2.0 said:
    Buy this stuff, then stain, natural, then poly. You don't want unprotected wood.

    Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner - Preparation - Minwax
    Click to expand...

    Me too. My workbench is in my office, so it had to look good as well as be functional. I have a sheet of 3/4" plywood for the top, with furniture grade veneer facing up. I went the poly route as a final finish. Makes it much easier to clean up the inevitable powder spill.
     
    #19
    I covered the top of my bench with a 3X8 piece of particleboard underlayment so I have a nice smooth surface across the whole top. Went around the entire top with some small finishing nails and secured it and when it has seen better days, I can simply spend another 20 bucks and replace the entire top with a new piece without damaging or staining the main structure of the table.
     
    #20
    For the top surface, I did mine in Matt White laminate. Over a plywood top.

    The matt white makes it easy to see small parts and things.

    The laminate is easy to clean.
     
    #21
    I built my reloading bench a few years back and was struggling with the same issue. I ended up using floor and stair paint. The stuff dried like concrete and looks fantastic. I used an entire gallon on this bench.

     
    #24
    The thing about staining pine is you need to use a conditioner before the stain or it will look like shit


    TheGerman said:
    Just had a brand new bench built by someone I know what's awesome with wood. Only thing I'm stuck on with right now is what to finish/paint it with?

    The bench is made from mostly pine and from my past experiences, it doesn't take in stains too well. I tried this in the past and just never liked all the light spots and it just never looked right. Besides that I had painted a bench before but didn't like multiple coats of latex as no matter how much you painted it, it would find a way to come up and was still tacky to paper 2 years later.

    What about enamel paint? Any other suggestions?
    Click to expand...
     
    #25
    Outside the box here but i didnt go with paint at all. I bought some laminate wood floor and glued/nailed it to the top. You can get it cheap. i think i bought two boxes. Mine is a light pine color but i have used dark oak on another bench. Snaps together and takes years of abuse without damage. You can even get matching trim for it if you want to be real fancy. My .02.
     
    #26
    I really really like my laminate countertop bench.... it works great when you spill powder all over the place and is easy to clean up! LOL ;)

    IMG_6513_zps8eacecc4.jpg




    LawDog101 said:
    Outside the box here but i didnt go with paint at all. I bought some laminate wood floor and glued/nailed it to the top. You can get it cheap. i think i bought two boxes. Mine is a light pine color but i have used dark oak on another bench. Snaps together and takes years of abuse without damage. You can even get matching trim for it if you want to be real fancy. My .02.
    Click to expand...
     
    #27
    A steel top and some hammer tone was my first thought. I have some marine epoxy paint that is a two part mix that is the toughest stuff I have used but there are tons of paint choices out there.
     
    #28
    My reloading bench is made of 2x4 frame and the top is 3/4 oSB subfloor. I painted it with Sherwin Williams marine grade industrial enamel and it has held up fairly well. It allows me to wipe down the bench with a wet rag when needed. I have no doubts that a two part epoxy would be better, but also more trouble and more expensive. One thing about the enamel I used is that hoppes #9 turns it yellow. I don't know if it would epoxy as well or not, but I now lay down a rag when I am cleaning my guns on the bench.


    --Daniel
     
    #29
    Years ago I made a shooting bench top out of two 3/4" pieces of plywood that were glued and screwed together. I used a deck sealer/ stain, wiped the excess off, then went over it with three costs of satin urethane sanding in between each coat. It is ten years old now and has held up excellent.
     
    #30
    I spend a lot of time on my bench, I had a 1/8 steel place cut to cover the entire bench top, it is drilled and bolted to the wood- Prior to installation I painted it enamel WHITE. It gives me the best lighting when loading, if I drop Anything, it is easy to find and easy to clean up. When mounting your presses, drill and bolt, they become solid as a rock. One other benefit I found (not by design) is magnet based extras, such as lights etc work where ever and when ever you like. Keep your top smooth and bright, easy to keep clean-and kept well lit.
     
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