Shop Tips - Covering Your Work Tables

**Maintaining a Clean and Organized Shop**

When it comes to maintaining a clean and organized shop, one often overlooked aspect is covering work tables to prevent damage from materials such as epoxy, resin, and plastic. This simple yet effective technique can make a huge difference in keeping your workspace tidy and efficient.

In the author's experience, papering work tables is an essential part of their cleaning routine. They use a heavy-weight roll of paper, which they order through Uline or purchase from a local distributor such as Home Depot. The paper is designed to be used on large surfaces, making it perfect for covering tables that measure 48 inches wide.

To cover the table, the author recommends starting by removing any existing paper and ripping it off. This is often easier said than done, especially when dealing with old or stubborn residue. To avoid this, the author suggests applying a layer of tape to the edges of the new paper before taping it down. This ensures that the paper lies flat and smooth, preventing wrinkles and creases.

The author uses a 2-inch wide masking tape for this purpose, which they find to be reliable and easy to work with. When taping the paper down, the author makes sure to start at the straight edge of the table and work their way around, ensuring that the paper is tight and smooth. By doing so, they can avoid any wrinkles or air pockets that might form in the middle of the paper.

Once the paper is in place, the author suggests taking a step back to admire their handiwork. A clean and organized workspace not only makes working more efficient but also reduces stress and frustration. The author takes pride in keeping their shop tidy, often going out of their way to ensure that every surface is spotless and organized.

**Tips from Frank's Shop**

One of the most valuable tips the author shares is the importance of using a heavy-weight paper specifically designed for covering work surfaces. While it may be tempting to use lighter weight paper or even alternative materials like plastic bags, these options can lead to problems down the line. For example, thinner papers may not lie flat or provide adequate protection against spills and messes.

The author also recommends using a simple yet effective technique when taping down the paper. By starting at the straight edge of the table and working their way around, they ensure that the paper lies flat and smooth, preventing wrinkles and creases.

Another tip from Frank's shop is to use a piece of tape paper as an impromptu drawing surface. The author suggests laying the paper on top of the covered table and using it for brainstorming or sketching out ideas. This not only keeps their workspace clean but also provides a convenient and portable drawing surface for projects.

**Keeping Your Shop Clean**

In addition to covering work tables, there are several other ways to keep your shop clean and organized. One of the most effective techniques is to regularly wipe down surfaces with a damp cloth, removing any dust or debris that may have accumulated.

The author also recommends keeping a supply of cleaning materials on hand, such as rags, paper towels, and disinfectant wipes. By having these supplies readily available, they can quickly clean up spills or messes before they become major problems.

Another way to keep your shop organized is to assign tasks to specific areas of the workspace. For example, the author designates a particular area for materials and supplies, making it easy to find what they need when they need it.

Finally, the author stresses the importance of taking pride in their work and keeping their shop tidy. By doing so, they create a positive and productive environment that inspires creativity and efficiency.

**Conclusion**

Maintaining a clean and organized shop is essential for any creative professional or DIY enthusiast. By covering work tables with paper, wiping down surfaces regularly, assigning tasks to specific areas of the workspace, and taking pride in their work, individuals can create a productive and efficient environment that inspires creativity and innovation.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey everybody it's Norm from tested.com and Frank from tested and we are back with another episode of shop tips here at Frank epo's shop uh we got nothing on the table today no nothing at all and that's the point uh one of the things you do in your shop is you have work work tables yeah and you cover them up with paper yeah this helps keep the surfaces a little bit longer um and helps reset the surface in between projects this isn't the messiest table that had but sometimes when I'm doing epoxy molds or resin castings there ends up being resin or plastic all over this thing and I want to clean it up because I like to keep a clean shop um so a super basic thing is papering your table papering your table I imagine a lot of people everyone has their own way of papering their your table from you know from having the the roll on the edge of the table and like like a doctor's office and pulling it over and you actually tape all the edges I tape all sides so that way you're not getting stuff underneath and you're not ripping it it's just it just makes it nicer and cleaner and easier all right well let's demonstrate that for you guys out there Step One Frank got to get rid of the old paper rip it off so this table is about 5 years old so you can see how beat up it already is I mean you you don't care that much about the surface or beating up the surface but you don't want all that residue on there well I don't want this to become an unusable nonflat surface so it's nice to covered up and if I know I'm going to be doing a lot of resin castings I'll actually put a plastic bag down first oh cuz it'll seep through yeah take a big giant plastic garbage bag and tape that down but the easy way is paper you you have a pretty giant roll of paper back there uh where do you usually get your paper um I think I order this through Uline there's also a paper distributor up the street I think I've picked it up from it doesn't really matter I get the heaviest weight that I can also at Home Depot have this like Roofing paper it's kind of a reddish brown color that stuff's great but the problem is is that it's not 48 in wide and most of my tables are 48 in wide whether it's these little short guys or the long ones um it's you know then I end up having to put two pieces to cover a a big table and that's something you can also consider if you're building your own tables yeah what size paper you have what size paper if you just want to get the stuff at Home Depot which is great it's really heavy paper build your tables a little narrower so you just do in one strip when we were working at tippet Studio on Star Wars they had narrow tables and I changed them out from using 48 in wide paper to the Home Depot stuff and they saved a lot of paper awesome all right next up next up tape regular masking tape yep and you got the the ultra wide yeah I almost always buy the 2in wide uh I can't remember the last time I've needed the thin stuff um so what you want to do is since when these things rip off sometimes it's crooked start with your straight side and just tack it on in corners and when you do that you want to make sure to pull it tight so that way there's not big wrinkles in the middle of it and then this Edge is hanging over so if you just do this you can tuck it back underneath and then it's a straight line Frank is it as simple as that that's it it's silly it's simple I've seen people take way too long to do this simple little job you just tack it on tape the edges move on and you have a nice clean work surface I love having a clean shop an organized shop and part of that is cleaning up your table in between projects and you also mentioned you could put a garbage back underneath here is there any specific way you want to cut that up so it out I do it the exact same way I'll just lay it over there tape the corners that's it and then put a piece of taper paper on top of it and also with this paper millions of times I've had people over here and we just start drawing and plotting out ideas or designing things I have a whole bunch of these paper table papers saved in my office of drawings that people have done and Concepts and design so this is also a great drawing surface also if you have a party you can just have a box of crayons out that's what I do at my birthday party ah little bit inside from Frank's shop well that's a cool tip I hope you guys found it useful we'd love to hear your tips as well whether you're working on a small shop a big shop a garage uh please post them in the comments below and we'll be back in the future with more tips from Frank's shop until then I'm Norm Frank see you next timehey everybody it's Norm from tested.com and Frank from tested and we are back with another episode of shop tips here at Frank epo's shop uh we got nothing on the table today no nothing at all and that's the point uh one of the things you do in your shop is you have work work tables yeah and you cover them up with paper yeah this helps keep the surfaces a little bit longer um and helps reset the surface in between projects this isn't the messiest table that had but sometimes when I'm doing epoxy molds or resin castings there ends up being resin or plastic all over this thing and I want to clean it up because I like to keep a clean shop um so a super basic thing is papering your table papering your table I imagine a lot of people everyone has their own way of papering their your table from you know from having the the roll on the edge of the table and like like a doctor's office and pulling it over and you actually tape all the edges I tape all sides so that way you're not getting stuff underneath and you're not ripping it it's just it just makes it nicer and cleaner and easier all right well let's demonstrate that for you guys out there Step One Frank got to get rid of the old paper rip it off so this table is about 5 years old so you can see how beat up it already is I mean you you don't care that much about the surface or beating up the surface but you don't want all that residue on there well I don't want this to become an unusable nonflat surface so it's nice to covered up and if I know I'm going to be doing a lot of resin castings I'll actually put a plastic bag down first oh cuz it'll seep through yeah take a big giant plastic garbage bag and tape that down but the easy way is paper you you have a pretty giant roll of paper back there uh where do you usually get your paper um I think I order this through Uline there's also a paper distributor up the street I think I've picked it up from it doesn't really matter I get the heaviest weight that I can also at Home Depot have this like Roofing paper it's kind of a reddish brown color that stuff's great but the problem is is that it's not 48 in wide and most of my tables are 48 in wide whether it's these little short guys or the long ones um it's you know then I end up having to put two pieces to cover a a big table and that's something you can also consider if you're building your own tables yeah what size paper you have what size paper if you just want to get the stuff at Home Depot which is great it's really heavy paper build your tables a little narrower so you just do in one strip when we were working at tippet Studio on Star Wars they had narrow tables and I changed them out from using 48 in wide paper to the Home Depot stuff and they saved a lot of paper awesome all right next up next up tape regular masking tape yep and you got the the ultra wide yeah I almost always buy the 2in wide uh I can't remember the last time I've needed the thin stuff um so what you want to do is since when these things rip off sometimes it's crooked start with your straight side and just tack it on in corners and when you do that you want to make sure to pull it tight so that way there's not big wrinkles in the middle of it and then this Edge is hanging over so if you just do this you can tuck it back underneath and then it's a straight line Frank is it as simple as that that's it it's silly it's simple I've seen people take way too long to do this simple little job you just tack it on tape the edges move on and you have a nice clean work surface I love having a clean shop an organized shop and part of that is cleaning up your table in between projects and you also mentioned you could put a garbage back underneath here is there any specific way you want to cut that up so it out I do it the exact same way I'll just lay it over there tape the corners that's it and then put a piece of taper paper on top of it and also with this paper millions of times I've had people over here and we just start drawing and plotting out ideas or designing things I have a whole bunch of these paper table papers saved in my office of drawings that people have done and Concepts and design so this is also a great drawing surface also if you have a party you can just have a box of crayons out that's what I do at my birthday party ah little bit inside from Frank's shop well that's a cool tip I hope you guys found it useful we'd love to hear your tips as well whether you're working on a small shop a big shop a garage uh please post them in the comments below and we'll be back in the future with more tips from Frank's shop until then I'm Norm Frank see you next time\n"