The deposition of 1-3 monolayers of Ni or Ag on benzene adsorbed on a W(110) surface at 90 K was studied by XPS, Auger, work function, UPS, and thermal desorption measurements. It was found that Ni penetrates benzene multilayers to some extent but shows some vestiges of ordered growth underneath benzene. Ag penetrates more than Ni and does not grow layer by layer-but forms clusters. It is hypothesized that the differences between Ni and Ag arise from the much weaker interaction of Ag with benzene.