Cheapest way to top large area of work benches

[reb78]

I've been searching a lot on line for sheet material to top a fairly long run of work benches that I want to put up in my workshed. Going round the corners etc, the total length of space I want to bench up will be approx 48 feet, potentially a bit more. I would like the benches to be 3 feet deep (a bit of a pain when most of the boarding is 8x4! but i can make it work).

So far i have looked at MDF, chipboard and ply (all 18mm thick), but its going to cost a fair bit in any of those materials. B&Q of all places come out cheapest with 8x4 chipboard sheets at £18.75 per sheet if you buy five or more, but, I don't have one locally and they wont deliver the stuff!

Has anyone got any innovative ideas of what I could use and where I could get it to keep costs down? I need to factor in timber for the legs and frame as well, so the sheet is just for the tops.

 

[gaz1]

use scaffold planks or 2" beams joined up to create your top

i have the 3ft top myself and its a pain to reach to the back of it

 

[Burdekin]

Old road advertising signs. Normally galvanised steel.

Go round to your local refuge places and see what you can get.

 

[reb78]

2’6 would probably be best but leaves an off cut from an 8x4 sheet thats harder to use. Scaffold planks would make it easier to use a different depth. Trouble is they are more expensive still unless im looking in the wrong places!

 

[gaz1]

£11,90 (INC VAT)

LENTH 3900MM

WIDTH 225MM

THICKNESS 40MM

a better thickness than your board

better way to join lengths up also if you do 3 boards out off cuts can be used in the middle section

oh and thats new price kiln dried

 

[reb78]

Where is that from Gaz?

 

[Mattuk]

£11,90 (INC VAT)

LENTH 3900MM

WIDTH 225MM

THICKNESS 40MM

a better thickness than your board

better way to join lengths up also if you do 3 boards out off cuts can be used in the middle section

oh and thats new price kiln dried

Wheres that from Gaz ?

 

[Mattuk]

Offcuts of kitchen worktop. 40mm thick.
Your local kitchen shop probably has quite a few decent lengths of colours that no one seams to love at the moment ( I know I have some here ), that you could do a deal on.

 

[gaz1]

its within my own area

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NE...780483?hash=item3af6be7683:g:b10AAOSwbtNaAiCD

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SCAFFOLD...852914?hash=item33f3a29e32:g:F9MAAOSwFmxaVbTL

 

[8ob]

I rescued a load of 3/4 ply that was backed up with 1"thick sawn timber, its from packing crates in about 8x6 sheets so lends itself to being chopped up for worktops. I am using it for pallet racking boards. This lot was free and came from a machine importer that just wants rid, cant get any cheaper than that but its very cruel on the tct saw blade

May pay to have a phone around.



Some of it comes with a double layer of planks and thin ply.



Not much wastage

 

[postie jon]

Offcuts of kitchen worktop. 40mm thick.
Your local kitchen shop probably has quite a few decent lengths of colours that no one seams to love at the moment ( I know I have some here ), that you could do a deal on.

snap mines all worktops.

 

[winchman]

My first one was a piece of sterling board as it was free, but it flakes and starts to sag with weight on it.
A local Carboot sale has a wood off cut man who has the resin impregnated ply used for lorry floors, I got an off cut 8ft x 2.5 ft for £10.
Screwed it to the bench and covered it in vinyl floor covering the industrial stuff used in shops kitchens etc ( free from a skip), then edged in ally strip at £1 a length.
Took me a bit to find the stuff but it was cheap and I feel it looks nice and will last

If I didn't have the ply I would use scaffolding boards, wooden shelves from racking or Pallet collars.
Last time I wanted cheap but good timber I used Pallet collars. I think I paid £2.50 each via Ebay, they had only been used to deliver parts from Eastern Europe to Liverpool so apart from dust they are brand new.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pallet-collars/163237357588?hash=item2601b46814:g:2p0AAOSwU1hbhEGe

 

[winchman]

As Bo8 said.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pallet-R...666179?hash=item2601f62683:g:2BkAAOSwLVFbkE-p
If you can find second hand racking boards are good, I could live in some of the packing cases I have seen thrown away, just have a good look around and ask at building sites when the hoardings are coming down

 

[frank horton]

over in Luton thre is a direct importer of plywood, I bought 5 pallets of 1/2 and 6@3/4.......very cheap....a lot of ply tho...it's taken nearly 10 years all but a few are gone now......
built everything from chicken sheds etc etc .....all resin bonded.........
just sayin......

 

[rikrobson]

The cheapest way is to find kitchen fitters or shop fitters throwing out old counter top Or old work tops

I got an old bar top for my workshop 40mm oak.

Cost. Buckshee

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

over in Luton thre is a direct importer of plywood, I bought 5 pallets of 1/2 and 6@3/4.......very cheap....a lot of ply tho...it's taken nearly 10 years all but a few are gone now......
built everything from chicken sheds etc etc .....all resin bonded.........
just sayin......

Got a company name boss.
Ply is a bugbear cost wise and only 15 miles from luton.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

The cheapest way is to find kitchen fitters or shop fitters throwing out old counter top Or old work tops

I got an old bar top for my workshop 40mm oak.

Cost. Buckshee

Too narrow.

If you want worktops worktop express do cheap ones for between 60-80 new.

Will have a few old bits spare next week amd a few more the week after and your reasonable local.

 

[knighty]

mezzanine floor boards are great for worktops, 2400x600 and 38mm thick

you can support each end (2.4m apart) and stand in the middle, there's hardly any bend in them... few mm at most

they're tongue and grove... you could cut a sheet in half and but it up against another for a 900mm wide worktop... use the other half of the cut one with the next sheet?

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Too narrow.

I read it as depth.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I read it as depth.

You've lost me slim. A narrow road.
A narrow boat a narrow shelf a narrow bench.