Sheet material for a simple workbench for various small tasks (2025)

I'm building these saw horses https://egenbyggt.com/sv/shop/ovrigt/enkel-sagbock-diy-guide/ and I'm wondering which board material I should buy to use as a work surface to place on them. It will be used for lighter tasks such as painting, planting, screwing, etc. The board will be clamped when needed and the bench as a whole will be stored disassembled in the garage when not in use.

Which board should I buy? Plywood? MDF?

Plywood or laminated wood panel maybe?
https://www.byggmax.se/barrtra-plywood-15x1200x600-p100570
https://www.bauhaus.se/hyllplan-limfog-gran-18x600x1200mm

F Funcadelic said:

I'm building these work trestles [link] and I'm wondering which board material I should buy to use as a work surface to place on them. It will be for lighter work such as painting, planting, screwing, etc. The board will be fastened with clamps when needed and the bench as a whole will be stored disassembled in the garage when not in use.

Which board should I buy? Plywood? MDF?

The problem with plywood etc., occurs when you get water on them since you want to plant on the bench..
I would recommend a cheap oak board that is lacquered so that it can withstand moisture..

Rejäl said:

The problem with plywood etc. is when you get water on it since you want to plant on the bench..
I would recommend a cheap oak slab that is lacquered to withstand the moisture..

What happens when it gets water on it? Does it warp?

I would primarily suggest a second-hand stainless steel sink; I don't think you can get a better and more durable surface for free or under 500 SEK.

An alternative might be a regular pallet?

F Funcadelic said:

What happens when it gets water on it? Does it warp?

Plywood delaminates if you expose it to moisture.

We have a leftover piece of OSB board that we place on sawhorses when needed. The advantage is that we don't have to worry about it when sawing, drilling, etc. It was already cut when we saved it from construction waste.

If you want a smooth, neat board and don't plan to drill or saw into it, you can check out pre-cut laminate countertop boards for kitchens from places like Ikea. As long as they are intact, they can also withstand spills.

I'm mostly looking for something I don't have to worry about and can get fairly cheaply. How does a particleboard handle if it gets wet, etc? Used tables were also a good idea.

Oak boards actually feel best, but they are quite expensive from what I could see.

F Funcadelic said:

I'm mostly looking for something I absolutely don't need to be careful with and that I can get pretty cheaply.

Europapall

F Funcadelic said:

I'm mostly looking for something I absolutely don't need to be careful with and that I can get fairly cheaply. How does an OSB board handle if it gets wet etc? Used tables were also a good idea.

Oak boards feel best actually, but they are quite expensive from what I could see.

I built low benches for the pots in the greenhouse out of OSB. I painted them with some random white paint we had at home, might have been bathroom ceiling paint. There was no problem with water and soil regularly spilling on them. The unpainted one we use as a carpentry surface has never gotten wetter than a few raindrops, so I can't comment on unpainted boards.

The biggest problem with OSB is that it is uneven, but you can put a piece of MDF or something similar on it when you need a completely smooth surface. I wouldn't use MDF as a surface if it can get wet.

F Funcadelic said:

I'm mostly looking for something I absolutely don't have to worry about and can get pretty cheaply. What happens with an OSB board if it gets wet, etc? Used tables were also a good idea.

Oak boards actually feel the best but they are quite expensive from what I could see.

You can paint an OSB board or cover it with construction plastic and staple it on the back. One aspect to consider is the weight of the board if you are going to assemble and disassemble as well as move the table.