L shape office table made from OSB

[HawkEye244]

I wanted an office table without haivng to buy one so out of a scrap piece of OSB I've cut an L shape approximately 180cm X 110cm at maximum length and width. I've rounded the corners off and fitted a frame underneath, in about 4 inches from the outside edge, to stop any sag.

It is OSB and not luxury birch ply, but that doesn't mean I can't try to make it look more presentable.

What products can I use to make the wood look nice ? I would like it to be relatively hard-wearing and easy to clean as it will be a computer/ office table.

Do I sand it down before applying any products ?

How do I go about treating the edge grain ?

Many thanks

 

[RandomGrinch]

An epoxy coating?
Big messy job, but very nice finish.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

What products can I use to make the wood look nice ?

A box of matches and a can of petrol?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I think the problem with OSB is that it contains loads of voids, so it simply cannot be edged conventionally (any edging, solid or tape would fall off) making epoxy resin or the like the only way to go for a smooth edge. However, resin is expensive and might well make "luxury" birch plywood prices look quite reasonable.

Similarly unless the surfaces are sealed with a very hard wearing material (such as a resin) the wood fibres in the OSB will start to detach and may form splinters.

All of which may point to why it is that furniture manufacturers use chipboard, MDF, plywood, blockboard and laminboard as core materials - but not OSB. Or, I think it wan't necessarily the best choice for this application

 

[Munroast]

I used bit of OSB this summer to cover part of my wood store (it was free) cut it to size slapped some black bitumen on and thought jobs a good'n (esp being 100% free)

Everytime the sun comes out bits pop off - so much for a quick fix (and yes the OSB was dry)

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Drawing board lining makes a good desk top.

 

[lynchnigel]

It would probably cost you more in filler and a finish and time as it would to buy something half decent.

 

[SFK]

How about "self adhesive vinyl"
Lots on eBay.
But might need a seam as normal width is 600mm.
Sfk

 

[foxhole]

Check free cycle etc for someone discarding laminate, then use to cover desk and add a lip to edges .

 

[HawkEye244]

Thanks for the content guys. I decided not to use any treatment options and opted to sand the OSB to get as smooth a finish as I could, especially at the edges. Yes, it's not the best quality wood but it's saved me the cost of buying a new table. I think this is me rebelling against painting everything with Leyland primer with two coats of water based gloss as I usually do.

A friend of mine uses floor varnish from Toolstation on bare timber and it gives a really nice gloss finish and brings out the beauty of the grain. Lots of options I suppose and I appreciate your views.