Type of wood for a desk

Riggy

Riggy

Riggy

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1 Mar 2010
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Morning,

I'm currently redesigning my office so I can cater for two people, rather then selfishly hogging it all :)

Now, I'm looking to make a desk, but I'm not sure what wood to use.

Has anyone got any suggestions? I was thinking 18mm MDF?

But I suppose MDF is tough to get a good finish on?

Craig
 
Oak, Teak, Mahogany, Maple, Pine, Walnut

Take your pick.

Better still, see if you can slavage some old solid external door, sand it down. Then get a piece of glass cut to size and put it on top.
 
Depending on budget, have a look at worktops on ebay. I'm doing something similar at the moment after getting inspiration on here and putting a 2.6m oak worktop in off ebay- wood arrived last week so currently getting a few coats of danish oil on it to soak it. Making sure it doesn't fall off might be more problematic.
 
Marine ply would be what I'd use, having made my work top from MDF. It's cheap and you can achieve a decent finish without too much hassle, but it looks and feels a bit cheap IMO.
 
Depends what 'finish' you are looking for, seeing as MDF has no grain you might struggle with that one :p Sprays up well though.

Tbh, the easiest option is to buy a pre-fabricated worktop and stick it on legs from Ikea :cool:
 
Depends on your funds. But if I wanted something long lasting it would be a good hardwood. My next desk I will probably build with plumbing pipe and a hardwood table top.
 
petrified wood it's the toughest there is

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burr walnut

Any time I'm in an Antique shop my I always gravitate to the bur walnut writing desks and tables. If only I could afford them :)

Really depends on budget but pine or oak can be picked up cheap enough and can be brought up nice enough for a desk.
 
Most pine is not hard enough for a good table and will get scratched and dented. you need a better hardwood like oak, walnut, cherry.
 
Lol @ people recommending expensive timbers like Cherry and Walnut when the OP asked if MDF would do :p.

I'd love to build myself a solid Walnut desk, but the price of the timber alone was coming to £900 for the one I had designed. Wish i had built a nice desk when I was doing cabinet making at college as the timber cost was heavily discounted.

If you have to go the cheap route, then at least use some decent plywood with a hardwood edging. Personally I think a solid kitchen worktop is well worth the investment if you're willing to pay a bit more. It'll last forever and you could even flog it on ebay for a decent amount if you ever want rid in future.
 
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