RE: Fuel proof surface for work table (MDF)
I'm glad to find this thread without starting a new one. I have been wanting to tell what I discovered for some time.
I built a work table using a MDF top. Initially I used regular grey paint to cover the table.
We just moved into a new house, my shop is in part of the basement, and one of the first things we did was paint the floor with epoxy paint. I noticed after it set up that the paint is super hard. I tried scraping up a large drop that had dripped while painting, and it was as hard a concrete, I could not chip it off. Which started me thinking
Later We painted our garage floor and used an even higher quality garage paint. (if higher cost mean higher quality) After finishing the garage I had some paint left over and it hadn't set, so I took it down and painted my work table. (I painted over the regular paint, by the way) It turned out to be the exact same color as the paint I had used, so there is no break from the top and the legs.
After it had well cured I began working on my Ultra Sport. I have spilled CA and epoxy on the table at different times. I noticed after the glue hardened, and I actually took my exacto knife and scraped the glue off leaving no marks on the table. I have scraped hard metal objects across the table, and a wipe from a cloth and there are no scratches on the paint.
Of course, I can't advocate spending $60 to $70 for a gallon of paint for your shop table, but if you are painting a floor, it is a great place to use the leftover.
Someone should sell it in pint sizes.
Believe me, the two part Garage epoy paint is HARD. I'm sure I will find a way to mess it up eventually, but had I not used it my table would be a mess already.
And, No you can't push pins through it, but I use a balsa building board anyway. Another good building board I have used before is a large sheet of glass. Put your plans under the glass, tack the pieces on the glass with CA, and you can easily pop it back off when finished.
If anyone does use this, one more thing. The working life of the Epoxy paint is an hour. I was on about minute 45 when I painted my table top so it may have been a bit thick. It's not super smooth, like the garage, but left an "orange peel" type finish. That's really not a problem, and even kind of adds character to the table.