I have been having fits with my table top, even though I could wax it that might last a few minutes if was lucky to couple hours, and was also leaving the gray coating rubbing onto the back of my wood, its sands off easy but still didn't like it. I would end up waxing the top twice during a project to try and keep it slick. I had to do something it was bothering me, so i did a research for making metal slick that didn't help, looked up anti friction coatings, no help at all. I remember reading on another forum alot of folks complaining of this, and used formica laminate taped down on there table. I thought too about a thin plastic like lexan or plexiglass even just any thin plastic like material like a milk jug. So on to lowes I went on my hunt.
Now one would think formica be easy to find not so, with all this marble and granite counter tops now, lowes had a basic white formica score, but not for long they wanted 42 bucks for a 4x8 sheet! Really its formica and it was white, so I thought nope gotta find something else, went to the plexiglass, right thinest they had was 1/8 and the sheet I needed was 10 bucks thinner sheet was 20! Wow plastic is high too for what I am going to do with it.
Well I walked by a clearance cart and they had some self stick tiles, yeehaw they were 18inx18in perfect and at 1.75 I couldn't pass it up bought two incase I messed up, wouldn't be at much of a loss, even tested it with a piece of wood slide easy. So for about 4 bucks I was set. Then thought what the heck check home depot maybe get lucky, nope! they don't even carry formica sheets have to be ordered, come on speacial order a small square no way, checked there plexiglass about the same, so skip it, head home try the self stick tile, oh did grab some carpet tape incase the tile don't want to stick any more.
Ok took table off, flip tile upside down to mark on the paper side, flip table upside down as when its flipped over will lined up right, trace table, using a utility knife being careful and going slow taking multiple passes cut out the shape of table even the blade hole, test fit perfect. Oh wait, bolt holes covered up, so out comes the drill bits, get my 4 holes drills, test fit, trim a little now its perfect, checked lines, holes lined up. cleaned table off, stuck tile to table top, put top on wood on floor and step down make sure is stuck good, useing knife again trimmed the ends and around the holes. Mounted top, tested it out works fine, thought why not add a little wax, even better. Did a little project quick cut and its awesome. Even have extra tile when this one gets messed up.
Oh forgot to say, with my luck I did manage to drop or rather it slide the top to floor with a loud bang, aaahh crap, yup ding the end of course its the end that at the front, got out the metal file smoothed the edge, yes paint chipped, of ocurse my luck spend big money on a saw and I ding the table, at least the tile covers it.
So will see how long this last, see if I need to keep waxing the tile top or how often I have to wax the more I use, if don't work then its back to square one, maybe check out some local cabinet shops for bits of formica which is what I should have done but didn't think of it. The tile is about 1/16 to 1/8 thick which ok wanted it thinner but will see how it holds up.
Sorry for the long winded run, it was a heck of idea but hoping it works, and being its tile to be walked on maybe it will be tough and last a long time.
