I have to build a simple desk for a my teenage daughter. It will
consist of a drawer unit, which I have, a leg or two or three to
support the rest, and a top.

I'm a reasonably handy guy and have built a few simple shelf-unit and
cubbyhole type pieces, but I'm not an accomplished woodworker.

The desktop will fit into a corner. To maximize the desk space in her
crowded bedroom, I'm planning a sort of curved L shape. I'll make it
out of plywood, probably.

That leaves (at least) two questions.

1. How to finish the top. I'm thinking of some sort of laminate,
although I haven't tried that before. I'd love for someone to tell me
there was some other option that would look decent, be very flat and
hold up to the kind of wear that a teenager will subject it to.

2. How to treat the curved edge. I don't think glue-on banding would
hold up. I'm not sure I could properly cut laminate into a narrow
strip. T-molding is a possibility, although not so great-looking. I
have considered making some sort of complicated polygon instead of a
curve, in which case I might use some 1x2 oak and round the edges with
a router. I'm sure that's within my skills, and would look OK, but I
kind of prefer a curve.

What other options are available to someone at my level of
(in)expertise?

Greg Guarino