On 25 Oct 2006 13:53:11 -0700, "rolsonDesign"
wrote:

I'm building a built-in office unit which is L shape. The computer
workstation will be in the corner (I'll have to build a corner piece).

I would like to know first what kinds of materials make good
computer/office desktops/kid homework surfaces?

Any suggestions out there are most welcome.

Also...How would a professional attach a desktop to the wall and
cabinets below to really make it look nice?

I had the opportunity of helping a guy make an L-shaped desk like the
one you're describing a while back, and the method seemed fine to me-
it looked great and it sold for an outrageous sum of money.

What we did was use butt-jointed raw 3/4" mdf to make the basic shape,
minus about 1.5 inches all the way around. This was the "core" of the
desk. The top was 3/4" furniture-grade cherry ply, mitered in the
corner. Instead of banding, we attached 1.5" thick solid cherry
around the perimeter of the top, with wider boards on the corners to
allow for the curves (about a 5 inch radius on each of the inside
corners). Sanded the top, and then glued the MDF core into the
bottom. The result was a giant mitered half-lap joint that was very
strong, and the top was finished with two coats of sanding sealer
followed by two coats of acryllic conversion finish (from Sherwin
Williams) all applied with a heated HVLP sprayer. Nearly bullet-proof
result, and the whole project took less than a single day start to
finish.

That particular desk ended up with simple metal legs, but it could
easily have been attached to a cabinet by removing the drawers from
the cabinets and attaching it with pocket hole screws or L-brackets on
the inside where they wouldn't be seen. With the MDF core, and the
plywood top, wood movement isn't as much of an issue, and you don't
need special fasteners. If you go with a solid-wood top, just make
sure the fasteners are slotted to allow the wood to expand and
contract across the width. And if it's sitting on cabinets, there's
no need to attach it to the wall, is there?

That's the current professional method as I understand it. If you
want to flip back a several decades, it used to be fairly common for
desks to have a section that was covered in leather for a writing
surface (presumably because it was easy to replace when it got worn
out), though I would imagine there is a reason that is no longer done
much. A modernized equivilent might be inlaying something like
formica or tabletop glass as a writing surface.

Regular polyurethane is bound to be disappointing on a desktop. If
you can't find the conversion finish, it's probably worthwhile to get
flooring polyurethane with a high abrasion resistance or clear epoxy.

Far as the kids' homework space goes, I'd make a separate desk for
them and laminate plywood with formica, no question. They probably
won't care, and it'll be cheap, tough and easy to clean. If they do
care, tell them they can make thier own however they like when they
get older.