Hello, my friend's husband has kindly offered me an old workbench that he wants to get rid of. Only problem is the top is very destroyed. I would like to try and restore it. It's very pitted and discolored and has been very well used over the many years he has had it. It is actually a lot worse than the pictures make it look.

Obviously I am very grateful for the offer. But I want to use it for working with fabric and to avoid constantly snagging the fabric and getting it dirty from leftover glue and paint residues, I would like to clean or resurface the top somehow.

I also want to clean it up, so it feels new and neat and tidy. Unfortunately I am like that, and not being neat and tidy bothers me.

So can anyone recommend the best way to clean the surface of this workbench so it is back to flat and clean? I have thought I could either remove a small amount off the top surface. It has a very thick top. Or maybe it is better to try and sand it back to something neat? Or maybe I could put something on top of it and cover it all up.

Can anyone recommend the best way to proceed? I really don't mind the hard work, I actually really like doing woodwork and have done many little projects when I was younger. But I am currently on a sewing binge and would really like to set up a nice work area.

The workbench is a perfect size and gives me loads of room for larger sewing projects in my garage. It's just the workbench top is in terrible condition. I know it will be a lot of work, but you can't really turn down a freebie right?

Plus, I am not sure any other bench that has been used for woodwork or anything, is going to be in any better condition. Maybe slightly better. But any used workbench is still going to need some sort of work for the purpose I want to use it for.

I am not sure how I would take a little bit off the top surface? If you know an easy way to do that, please let me know. Also putting something over it might be the best solution, if I can just stick it down. I don't really want screw holes everywhere.

I have to say I'm a bit confused about this, is it even possible to revamp this old workbench? Or am I really wasting my time?

Thanks for any advice