Custom Desk - Hidden radiator

[mrgazer]

Hello all,

Great to join the community. I am new, so please go easy on me

I am getting a custom made desk and have the radiator hidden underneath it, i understand that I will need to have ventilation for hot air to raise.

The question is, what wood should I go for? Ideally I want the desk to have a glossy white finish you see from ready made stuff ie. stuff you get from let's say ikea

My builder recommend using oak as it will need better wood to withstand the on and off HEAT. But If i do go for oak and stick a piece of "white plastic" on top - sorry don't know the technical terms. Then wouldn't it be a waste of money?

So if you guys could shed some light, then that would be great.....

Best Regards
Gary

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I think if you go for any solid timber you will be courting trouble because of potential movement (caused by temperature and relative humidity fluctuations). For an application such as this I'd have said that a highly stable man made board such as MR-MDF, chipboard or marine grade plywood would be far better. High gloss melamine faced chipboard is an ex-stock product in a limited range of colours from firms such as Polyrey and matching ABS or PVC lipping can be obtained to finish the edges