What to use for a workbench tabletop?

Question

Good day everyone.

I was just wondering what you guys would use as a workbench tabletop for my garage.

I am actually looking for some budget tabletop which I find quiet thick pine desks, but I am not sure if pine would be the best for bench tops.

I also have an acces to formwork plywood which was recommended by some guys, but my concern is that would be too slippery and would look weird too.

Thanks for the advices.

I'm sharing picture of the frame I built myself from off cuts and with very little tools and on the ground (therefore I am building bench finally :D) so please dont judge me about it not being perfect :D

Noyade · Answer

I like those specrite boards…

SpecRite 1800 x 1200mm 17mm Formply F17

Dave-1 · Answer

Good Morning @Jay1992

I would go with plywood top, mainly becuase its available to you (so therefore cheap :) ) but mostly because its you first bench that you are building :) Mine wasnt a bench but a shelf on slopped ground. It was good but later iterations were steps above what I did first time around.

If the ply you have access to is thin, double it up. Its hard wearing, will help lock the bench together and really it is a workbench so it will gain character as you use it.

Nice work on getting the feet level :) Way better then my "wobbly" outcome.

Looking forward to seeing it completed!

Whoops almost forgot, Id also like to say Welcome to the Bunnings community pages :) Definently the right place to hang out.

Dave

MitchellMc · Answer

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Jay1992. It's splendid to have you join us and many thanks for your question on workbenches.

Well done creating your workbench. I'm sure it will be fantastic creating your next project off the floor.

Pine will work perfectly fine as a workbench top, especially for a garage setup and on a budget. Plenty of people use pine successfully. Just keep in mind that it’s a softwood, so it will dent and mark fairly easily. If you’re planning on doing a lot of hammering, metalwork, or rough abuse directly on the benchtop, it will show wear pretty quickly. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for a workbench, but it’s something to be aware of.

If your budget allows, it’s worth considering stepping up to a hevea benchtop. Hevea is noticeably harder than pine, holds up much better to knocks and impacts, and still offers good value for money compared to many hardwoods. It’s a popular choice for ready-made workbenches for exactly that reason. Beyond that, you’ve also got options like merbau, which is harder again and extremely durable, but at that point the cost starts to climb quite a bit and may not be worth it unless you really need the extra toughness.

Formwork plywood will also work structurally, but as you mentioned, it can be quite slippery and isn’t everyone’s favourite visually. It’s great if you want something flat, stable, and cheap, but it doesn’t have the same feel as solid timber. Ultimately, pine is absolutely acceptable for a DIY bench, especially given the effort you’ve already put into the frame, and you can always upgrade the top later once the bench is in use and you know exactly what you want from it.

Let me mention @Noyade , @r23on and @Dave-1 to see if they have any thoughts.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell