After 8 years of building, painting, staining, cement, glue, drills and holes, my garage workbench was in dire need of a clean-up. This quick and easy workbench makeover will have you looking at your workspace (or used workbenches online) in a different light.
I love my workbench. I love my workshop. Sure, there could be a few upgrades here and there – and maybe I will someday – but for now I’m beyond fortunate to have the space and the tools to do what I love.
I built my “Ultimate workbench” in 2015 with plans to upgrade as my tools arsenal and needs changed.
But I didn’t.
I had planned to included a flip-up planer in the long outfeed section…. but I didn’t.
I was going to add cupboard doors to keep the dust out… but I didn’t.
Well 8 years and a LOT of projects later and I finally got off my duff and it was time for a bit of upgrading and updating to my garage workbench.
This may seem like a make-work project and totally unnecessary, but after years of paint and stain spills, dried on glue and cement – my work surface needed a clean up. The bits and blobs made finding a level surface difficult ,and hardened glue will leave marks on wood if you work on them.
What’s worse, I spilled oxide tint all over the surface and the black got on anything that touched it.
Call me weird, but it bugged me. Four feet by 8 feet of dirt and destruction… when I build and refinish furniture for a living. Seems silly right?
So I got motivated and got the sander out and went to work. Just look at the difference in colour between the top section of the workbench and the bottom! I couldn’t get all of the stains out, but I think you’ll agree this garage workbench makeover is looking better already right?!
Once all the surface area was sanded down to 150 grit, I added a coat of Varathane triple-thick to protect the surface going forward.
Almost as good as the day I built it!
I also decided it wasn’t worth adding a flip-top planer to the outfeed side of the bench. I’d have to upgrade the framing on my little garage workbench to hold the weight, and I needed extra storage for a few tools that were clogging up my space. I whipped up these simple ½” shelves and inserted them where I had originally planned to house the planer:
I’ll paint them when I paint the entire bench – maybe in the summer?
It’s a simple makeover that took an afternoon, but makes my space so much nicer to work in.
That’s it – nothing too exciting today, but a simple “Spring-cleaning” sort of project that you can do to your garage workbench. Perhaps even give you a new take on buying a used workbench when you see how easy they are to clean up?
Now to get the rest of my “She-Shop” in order…
Have a a great one!