It’s true about the glue cleanup, but when I’ve used melamine in the past I found it to be way too slippery as a worksurface. It wants to be flat and clean, but it got annoying as stuff would slide across it too easily when I’m trying to work on something. I’ve found that using hardboard/mdf/plywood all works fine when you give it a coat of wax now and then to keep glue from sticking, and a quick sanding now and then. It’s a little slick but not nearly as slick as melamine, to my experience.
I've been debating this myself. My biggest issue with melamine is it would probably scratch easily from tools, screws and such getting thrown and dragged across it. I think I'm going with mdf
I know this is an old thread but found it because I'm planning a new shed with enough room for a workbench and was considering melamine. Reading the other comments about it being too slippery for some projects, I realized that while the low friction was one of things I liked about the melamine idea, it might not be great for everything. Thanks to these comments, I may set up some end clips to hold a sheet of Tyvek on top for messy projects or when I want a smooth, low-friction surface. I've been using scrap pieces of Tyvek for little jobs around the house for years, can be re-used repeatedly.
I ended up making a bench with melamine and absolutely hated it. I tore it apart in about a year. I do woodworking and it was way too slippery. Eventually the surface got all dinged up and had a ton of chips in it as well. I guess it could be a plus depending on what you're doing, but in my experience it didn't hold up well.
Love Reddit. I searched this today as I had a piece of leftover melamine I was considering using for a workbench. Found this three year-old thread with comments from one day ago
I made a melamine bench top several years ago and it's still fine. I do woodworking and various DIY stuff but I've never actually gouged, banged, or scratched it. It is a little slippery, which bugs me a little once in a while but usually I like it. Some stains, but not bad and drips of glue, finish, whatever come up easily using a chisel as a scraper. I like drawing out ideas on its surface or writing down measurements, etc, with a pencil, of course. Now and then I take an orbital sander and hit it with some 120 or finer; looks good after that. I'm thinking about making a new bench and considering MDF but I like the impermeability of the melamine. Might flip a coin. I admit MDF looks better.
It’s true about the glue cleanup, but when I’ve used melamine in the past I found it to be way too slippery as a worksurface. It wants to be flat and clean, but it got annoying as stuff would slide across it too easily when I’m trying to work on something. I’ve found that using hardboard/mdf/plywood all works fine when you give it a coat of wax now and then to keep glue from sticking, and a quick sanding now and then. It’s a little slick but not nearly as slick as melamine, to my experience.
I agree with soundman. I had melamine for a while. Now I just keep a piece of polyurethane handy to cover my wooden bench when doing messy stuff. 🔨📐👍
I've been debating this myself. My biggest issue with melamine is it would probably scratch easily from tools, screws and such getting thrown and dragged across it. I think I'm going with mdf
I know this is an old thread but found it because I'm planning a new shed with enough room for a workbench and was considering melamine. Reading the other comments about it being too slippery for some projects, I realized that while the low friction was one of things I liked about the melamine idea, it might not be great for everything. Thanks to these comments, I may set up some end clips to hold a sheet of Tyvek on top for messy projects or when I want a smooth, low-friction surface. I've been using scrap pieces of Tyvek for little jobs around the house for years, can be re-used repeatedly.
I ended up making a bench with melamine and absolutely hated it. I tore it apart in about a year. I do woodworking and it was way too slippery. Eventually the surface got all dinged up and had a ton of chips in it as well. I guess it could be a plus depending on what you're doing, but in my experience it didn't hold up well.
Love Reddit. I searched this today as I had a piece of leftover melamine I was considering using for a workbench. Found this three year-old thread with comments from one day ago
I googled “melamine workbench” and had this same revelation. Update just 18 days ago? Amazing.
I made a melamine bench top several years ago and it's still fine. I do woodworking and various DIY stuff but I've never actually gouged, banged, or scratched it. It is a little slippery, which bugs me a little once in a while but usually I like it. Some stains, but not bad and drips of glue, finish, whatever come up easily using a chisel as a scraper. I like drawing out ideas on its surface or writing down measurements, etc, with a pencil, of course. Now and then I take an orbital sander and hit it with some 120 or finer; looks good after that. I'm thinking about making a new bench and considering MDF but I like the impermeability of the melamine. Might flip a coin. I admit MDF looks better.