Doing another thing with hairpin legs. Last time I used a solid core door as the top, but I have grown unhappy with its orange color and obviously veneer surface.
The door 'top' is nearly 2 inches thick, and the option I am looking at right now is this pine top by IKEA for about $60. Its only an inch thick so I am kind of hesitant to use it as a desk top.
Are there any alternatives in this price range? I know there are some good options for mdf with a fake wood color but I would like to avoid that entirely. Not a fan of particle board.
I think you'll be hard-pressed
to find anything suitable that can compete on price with the offerings from IKEA. At least not if you are unable to do some of the work yourself. With some searching, you might find a local millwork shop willing to glue up a custom panel for a reasonable cost depending on wood species and size if you can do the final finishing.
I don't especially like pine for a work surface due to its relative softness and susceptibility to dents and scratches. Some pines are harder than others, though, depending on the particular species. If your holes and screws are appropriately sized, and the desk is not intended for heavy use, one-inch of thickness in pine might be structurally adequate if not pleasingly proportioned. You could always reinforce the top by attaching battens to the underside and mounting the legs to those if you're worried.
Your idea of using solid-core doors is a good one, too. Again, with some looking you might find some available with book-matched or flitch-matched veneers that might be more to your liking. Or you could use one as a substrate for a veneer of your choice. They make paper-backed veneers in long sizes now that are easier for novices to use and can be applied much like laminates such as Formica.
I'd vote
for those IKEA solid-wood tops, too.
The caveat is that they arrive oiled, so it would be unlikely that you could, for instance, stain them -- or apply a urethane finish, as I hoped to do when I bought one to use as a sink-vanity top. I was told the panel would be raw, but that turned out to be incorrect. The top is well-oiled and wrapped in a plastic film -- presumably to stave off warpage on the long voyage from point of origin.
Otherwise, an excellent buy. Check it out.
surplus salvage...
Most cities have salvage recycle places. We have a few in NYC.
I have only donated so far, but i do check here first if i need something surplus.
(good places to look for round marble tops and glass table tops as well)
http://www.bignyc.org/inventory/item/astoria/various-wood-table-tops
Ikea wood tops
SDR:
Interesting that you have have received oiled ones. I've purchase two of those for table tops, and they were raw beech, straight off the sander. And I've seen another two that were raw oak. That was a good few years ago, though.
I will keep that in mind for next time as I've thought of getting them shipped and I'd not like to receive an oiled top that was supposed to be raw.
Zephyr
Leif, which
side of the Atlantic do you live on ?
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the IKEA manufacturer(s) involved found out the hard way that coating and wrapping their tops was a necessary precaution. As you probably know, even an hour or two of unbalanced exposure -- one face covered, the other not -- can warp some panels. I would guess that trans-ocean shipping, in a cold and damp ship's hold or a container, even with the wood tops boxed in cardboard, wouldn't protect them from certain kinds of exposure ?
Thank you
Here is a picture of the same table top being used as a desk.
Thank you for the suggestions, but IKEA's Numerar series has too much of a busy appearance for me, as it uses many strips of wood. The Pine top however uses a series of long strips as well, but there are far less and they blend in well.
As far as strength goes, it definitely will not compare to the solid core door I am currently using. Another disadvantage is that these top look very absorbent, and I am prone to spilling coffee often.
The pine
looks nice. Apply film finish to make cleaning easier. This will, however, bring out the differences in the boards, the knots, etc -- perhaps making it too "busy" for you.
1" pine will be as strong as your 1 3/4" solid-core door -- or at least, plenty strong enough for a desk. Don't worry.
Or -- get a new door, and pick a nice color of plastic laminate ? Be sure to laminate or finish both sides . . .
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