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What material do you cover your bench/desk/worktop with?

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  • pjgtech
    SMF Supporters
    • Dec 2023
    • 761
    • Peter
    • Swale Kent UK

    #1

    What material do you cover your bench/desk/worktop with?

    Hi, as per the title, what material do you generally use to cover and protect your work area, be it a desk, bench or a worktop or even the kitchen table?

    Just asking as I stupidly knocked my bottle of micro sol over this morning and half the bottle flooded out onto my work area!
    Luckily I have my desk quite well covered, so did not cause too much mess.

    My model making work area is in our small spare bedroom, my old working from home "study". Which basically has my desk, a small sofa bed, a small wardrobe, a bookcase and a small filing cabinet with a printer on it.

    I have an old white canvas sheet that is my initial covering on my desk.
    NB: The desk is just a cheap Ikea type bog standard Formica type material.
    I use the white canvas sheet so that if I drop any small parts they are (hopefully) easier to see.

    But then on top of the canvas sheet I also tend to have a large cardboard sheet. So any glue, paint, thinners etc is soaked up by the cardboard, plus I find I can mix little pools of paint on the carboard too, and/or place little nobs of super glue to then use with a cocktail stick etc.
    I also have a large self healing cutting matt, but I keep this to one side just for cutting, my main work area is on the large cardboard sheet.

    One of my other hobbies is airgun target shooting, and I stick/staple targets to card, (so they don't flap about in the wind) so I tend to keep any spare card that I come across, eg: cereal packets, Amazon packaging, old cardboard boxes, etc, so I always have a pretty good "stock" of carboard to use.

    When I spilt the micro sol, most of it soaked into the cardboard, and the excess I just wiped up with paper towel, which I always have handy anyway, so very little went on the canvas sheet, and none went on the desk, so lucky escape!

    In my garage, which is also my workshop, and where I keep most of my main tools (not model making tools, they are in the study!), I have a long bench, about 2m in length and topped with 18mm MDF. I have a variety of coverings on that bench, eg: couple of self healing cutting matts, some more canvas sheet, some rubbery type non slip sheets, so screws, etc don't roll off the worktop/bench.

    Anyway, interested to hear what coverings are on your benches?
    Cheers ?
  • Jim R
    SMF Supporters
    • Apr 2018
    • 15636
    • Jim
    • Shropshire

    #2
    I just use a couple of A3 self healing cutting mats. Useful to have the printed lines. They are not expensive and when they get too tatty I just replace them.

    Comment

    • pjgtech
      SMF Supporters
      • Dec 2023
      • 761
      • Peter
      • Swale Kent UK

      #3
      My model working area, as of today, and my cardboard "stash" in the garage... ?
      Sorry for the "misty" pics, think my camera lens fogged up a bit? Lol
      Click image for larger version

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      Click image for larger version

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      • Tim Marlow
        SMF Supporters
        • Apr 2018
        • 18881
        • Tim
        • Somerset UK

        #4
        I just have a couple of cheapo A2 cutting mats, which, like Jim, get replaced when they get too tatty.

        Comment

        • spanner570
          SMF Supporters
          • May 2009
          • 15376

          #5
          Same as the lads.
          A cutting mat. The rest of the work surfaces are liberally covered in hardened glue and paint. Also a bit of grease from the odd bacon butty!

          Comment

          • pjgtech
            SMF Supporters
            • Dec 2023
            • 761
            • Peter
            • Swale Kent UK

            #6
            Originally posted by spanner570
            Same as the lads.
            A cutting mat. The rest of the work surfaces are liberally covered in hardened glue and paint. Also a bit of grease from the odd bacon butty!
            Lol, nice one, ? currently on a bloody diet, so no bacon butties for me for a few weeks! ?

            Comment

            • Andy T
              SMF Supporters
              • Apr 2021
              • 3239
              • Sheffield

              #7
              Another vote for cutting mats here.

              On my paint area I got a silicone mat from wish/temu/cheap as chips Chinese retailer. Meant to go under a resin printer I think but pretty much anything just wipes off it, or I can dunk it in the sink for a good scrub.

              One problem - don't forget you aren't working over a cutting mat when trimming decals... ?

              Comment

              • pjgtech
                SMF Supporters
                • Dec 2023
                • 761
                • Peter
                • Swale Kent UK

                #8
                Originally posted by Andy T
                One problem - don't forget you aren't working over a cutting mat when trimming decals... ?
                I do have a cutting matt, just to one side, so any cutting is done on that. TBH with decals I have a vey nice, small, slim and sharp pair of Tamyia scissors and tend to cut/trim transfers with those as can get quite fine little cuts with it.

                Comment


                • Andy T
                  Andy T commented
                  Editing a comment
                  I normally do the same, but forgot one time and now have a neat slice in my lovely silicone mat! ?
              • rtfoe
                SMF Supporters
                • Apr 2018
                • 9065

                #9
                I have a thick quarter inch glass that covers both the tables I work from either upstairs or downstairs. On top of that are double A3 cutting mats. Any paint, glue or solvent spills are easily cleaned off the glass. It also acts as a quick brush cleaner in between color changes with just a drop of thinner from a pipette and a rolling motion of the brush bristles. The residue is then wiped off the table. Haven't tried it as a pallete yet but can be in an emergency for tiny bits of paint mixing. For sharper cuts of masking tape, the glass surface is used. Great for rolling two part putty on and removing left overs with a blade or steel ruler.

                Cheers,
                Wabble

                Comment

                • minitnkr
                  Charter Rabble member
                  • Apr 2018
                  • 7504
                  • Paul
                  • Dayton, OH USA

                  #10
                  Polished granite 3/8"x9"x18" cutting board & a couple 3/8"x 6"x8" thick clear glass tiles.

                  Comment

                  • Geoffers
                    SMF Supporters
                    • Jan 2017
                    • 1675
                    • Geoff
                    • Shropshire

                    #11

                    I have a cutting mat on the modelling bench and puppy training pads covering where the spay booth is ?

                    Geoff.

                    Comment

                    • Nicko
                      SMF Supporters
                      • Apr 2019
                      • 1394
                      • Nick
                      • East Anglia

                      #12
                      Just to add another alternative to this, towards the end of my time using the dining table, I bought a piece of mdf about 10mm thick, covered the back of it with some self-adhesive backed felt and put a couple of cupboard handles on it. Quite handy to preserve the tabletop and make it easy to shift everything when needed.

                      These days it mostly lives in the garage, but it comes out whenever the wife needs some company if she's sewing and I've also brought it out when building something with my Grandson.

                      Nick

                      Comment

                      • adt70hk
                        SMF Supporters
                        • Sep 2019
                        • 10400

                        #13
                        Nothing for the main table but the inside of my spray booth is always lined with a fresh sheet of the white paper fish and chip shops use.....whenever I get a chippy I keep the outer sheets that aren't contaminated with any excess fat. They are surprisingly durable!

                        Comment

                        • Richard48
                          SMF Supporters
                          • Apr 2018
                          • 1886
                          • Richard
                          • Clacton on Sea

                          #14
                          I only have dining room table to work on.Ive got a bit of board to put on top and use cutting mats and tiles for cutting etch on etc.When i lived at home i had a lovely lined out shed to work in and airbrush.My little Mancave and spent hours doing stuff with my music on.
                          Richard

                          Comment

                          • BarryW
                            SMF Supporters
                            • Jul 2011
                            • 6009

                            #15
                            Just an A2 cutting mat that I replace every now and again.

                            In the airbrushing area I use an A1 artist foam board but on top of that I will lay down A2 black paper. The paper I change for each project and the foam board every two or three projects.

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