Shooting table top finish coating

[370bc]

I am a member of my local gun club of meager means. We have solid tables/benches, a couple concrete tops, but mostly plywood tops.
What is the preferred table covering for a plywood table tops? Paint with sand? Rubber?
Thanks for the advice!

 

[Terry]

We have a 3/8" rubber mat on one of ours.
I like it a lot. It's solid, and keeps the points of the rest from marring the wood.

I would not use sand.

The epoxy paint works good as well. It is self leveling, and tough.

 

[370bc]

What supplier handles 3/8'' rubber mats? Similar to rubber roofing?

 

[Intheshop]

Rubber is VG.An old,not discussed much,cheap as dirt method*;make a slurry of masonry "brixment",slathered on wood....then the mat on top.

*ever seen a masons scaffold board rot?Didn't think so.

 

[joshb]

Rubber is VG.An old,not discussed much,cheap as dirt method*;make a slurry of masonry "brixment",slathered on wood....then the mat on top.

*ever seen a masons scaffold board rot?Didn't think so.

Well,I never had them around long enough to see one rot!
Rubber roofing would be the best, glued down. Should go 10 years if guys aren't rough on it.
Varnish has to be done every year. Epoxy every couple.

 

[Intheshop]

Yeah,well if anyone doubts it,do like we do with ANY finish test.....shoot it(spray),rub it,dip it,whatever....and chuck it out the back door.

And for the record,we "shoot" epoxy.It's up there on durability along with 2k auto clears.....BUT,get your wallet out.

 

[284winner]

Lots of guys use spikes to hold there rests from moving. Take that into consideration before topping a gun bench. I have a solid 4x4 & 2x12 constructed bench with 3/4 treated ply covering the 2x12s. Varnished with multiple coats and recovered every few years. Nothing fancy but very heavy, solid and built for longevity. Not like concrete but a bit more mobile.

 

[370bc]

Rubber is VG.An old,not discussed much,cheap as dirt method*;make a slurry of masonry "brixment",slathered on wood....then the mat on top.

*ever seen a masons scaffold board rot?Didn't think so.

Cant argue with anything the brickies use! Wasn't that long ago they had beer breaks written into their contract! Seriously!

 

[KMart]

Here is a product that might work out depending on how many benches you have to cover. It is pricy.
http://www.eplastics.com/Marine_Board-SEABOARD
It is an HDPE sheet made for the marine industry. Comes in different thicknesses and sheet sizes

 

[Larryh128]

Here is a product that might work out depending on how many benches you have to cover. It is pricy.
http://www.eplastics.com/Marine_Board-SEABOARD
It is an HDPE sheet made for the marine industry. Comes in different thicknesses and sheet sizes

The Starboard will never rot, chip, peel. The price is the only downside to it, it's basically polyethylene. They make a MD nylon that would be better but hang on as it's about 3-400 a sheet.

 

[Larryh128]

The Starboard will never rot, chip, peel. The price is the only downside to it, it's basically polyethylene. They make a MD nylon that would be better but hang on as it's about 3-400 a sheet.

The + side of the Starboard is that you can use standard tools on it. It can be cut, routed etc.

 

[daniel brothers]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-JACK..._clickID=32445ea9-c13e-43d6-9f1a-7717a92a75cd

PUT this stuff on it and water will never go through it... and it's tough tough tough... yet it has a tad of flexibility. I use it on things other than roofs.... and it's way better than any kind of paint

 

[Intheshop]

Speaking of concrete....for onsey twosey

Make a form,out of whatever...put it into the back of a PU ,then either go to the plant or better yet,find a contractor pouring and get it filled right in the bed of truck.Drive home,trowel,next day or two...unscrew the form and slide the top right onto your foundation.

A twelve pack should cover your bill.

 

[DogBuster]

Speaking of concrete....for onsey twosey

Make a form,out of whatever...put it into the back of a PU ,then either go to the plant or better yet,find a contractor pouring and get it filled right in the bed of truck.Drive home,trowel,next day or two...unscrew the form and slide the top right onto your foundation.

A twelve pack should cover your bill.

'Restore' would work...........be would be a rough SOB....no slip..

this 15 yr old portable table just used stain & polyurethane...just keep outta the rain

 

[deepwater]

Rubber stall mats at Central Tractor/Farm & Fleet type stores have one of the lowest prices for thick sheet rubber. Farm Bureau stores also have this product. Sizes and thickness vary. Scrap may be utilized elsewhere or sold to members for personal projects.

 

[LHSmith]

IMHO, rubber is "live"....meaning it has the abilty to move i.e. resilient. Hands down best is bare unpainted concrete. Wood benches are a problem unto themselves. I know of no range venue holding BR competition where I could not detect any movement induced by a wood bench. Smooth and glossy, IMO, is NFG. You need a surface where the bags stay put under recoil if you want to get all shots down range in like conditions.

 

[dickn52]

We have a 3/8" rubber mat on one of ours.
I like it a lot. It's solid, and keeps the points of the rest from marring the wood.

I would not use sand.

The epoxy paint works good as well. It is self leveling, and tough.

Not sure, but you could use the garage floor paints with grit texture. Not quite sanded, but it has some texture to it.

 

[rkittine]

Granger has rubber matting too. I use a PMA Bench Matt on top of that for protection of brass, me, etc.

Bob

 

[Liven The Dream]

If you are around Farm and Ranch Country ? Say Farm and Fleet, Horse Stall Matts !

 

[Fast14riot]

Starboard (UV stable HDPE) would not be my choice. CTE is pretty high and being extremely chemical resistant it would have to be mechanically fastened. Also, it is slick, even with a hair cell texture. I work in the plastics industry and deal with tons (literally) of starboard among others every day.

Check out tireplast, it's .125" thick and comes in 48x96 sheets, made from recycled tires. Inexpensive, can be glued down, durable. Down side is its black, which gets hot. I won't post the link because I work for the company that sells it.

Personally, I'm a fan of fiberglassed wood tops. Some inexpensive polyester resin, 3/4 oz mat, a couple rollers and squeegee, it's going to last a long time.