For a workbench in my (home) garage. Work surface is sanded plywood. I’m looking for a degree of protection and to enhance the appearance.

I’d like to hear your opinions.

I use a mix of BLO, mineral spirits and Helmsman spar varnish. Basically a homemade Danish Oil blend and or a teak oil blend.

I used the contents of older cans of each, I mixed the 3 in about equal parts. For the first coat I added extra mineral spirits to get deeper penetration. It's basically a concoction that I use for most wood projects. Wait at least 24 hours before applying any additional coats of finish.

I used a water based polyurethane on my Ash workbench, and it’s held up for about 15 years. The reason I used water based was to preserve the color of the Ash and not darken it. Preserving the look and color of plywood is a different deal. For that I might use a light brown tinted oil based poly. Also part of the decision might be whether or not you want a water resistant film finish like the poly or a non water resistant non film forming Danish oil finish. The good news about the Danish oil finish is that it can be renewed easily and often.

Boiled linseed oil is sure easy to use.

DC, is this what you were talking about? Mixed in equal proportions?

That what I use.

No coatings on my work bench. I sand it from time to time to renew it.

I have a small work top mounted on my garage wall, folds up when not in use, I had an leftover piece of formica. glued it down and used a
router to trim edges. Worked out well.


MO