Laminate office desks come in many shapes, colors and sizes.

The core construction of a wood desk is generally a particle board, fiberboard or some sort of other wood. More often then not it is a particle board.

Then a layer of laminate is put over the particle board for the finished look. One of the keys to make sure that you get a long lasting laminate office desk that does not peel is to assure it is a high quality manufacturing process. Laminate office furniture has come a long way over the last few decades, and the process that is used to make the desk is the key.

Another important aspect of a laminate office desks the edge detail. Around the top of the desk, you can get many different edge styles.

One type of edge is the self edge, which is a band of laminate that surrounds the edge of the office desk and makes a square edge. The problem with this is that there is a seam between the top of the desk and the edge, which can come apart or peel over time.

Another edge is a t-mold edge which is a rubber like edge that has a flat or rounded side to it. On the back side is a strip that comes out of it to form the T. The work surface top is routed on the edge and the T part of the T-Mold fits into that routed slot. This make it easy to replace in the field if needed, but this can come apart as there is a seam as well. However it can be pushed back into place.

PVC edge is perhaps one of my favorite edge styles from a durability standpoint. PVC edge is generally thermally fused on to the work surface and comes just slightly over the top of the office desk and seals the laminate under it. A PVC edge does not peel, and it holds the laminate in place and provides a durable long lasting edge. If you had a choice to pay a little more for a PVC edge over a T-mold or Self Edge then I would say go with the PVC edge.

Wood Edge is another favorite of mine, but you need to make sure it is a hardwood. A wood edge adds to the aesthetic value of your office desk or work surface by providing a natural look. It will be durable, but keep in mind that as with any wood you can damage it. Again, if I had to pay extra for a wood edge, I would go for it because the aesthetic look combined with the durability is what makes this one of the best choices.

Today we are going to focus on wood desks.

I often get asked do you sell real wood office desks? I think that what people are asking me if we have solid wood office desks. Meaning was it all built from a block of wood such as pure maple or cherry wood all the way through. A real solid wood desk is very expensive.

That is why you will most likely be looking at a wood veneer desk.

Wood veneer is a thin layer of wood that you see on the outside of an office desk. Underneath that wood veneer could be particle board, fiberboard or some sort of layered wood such as plywood.

The wood veneer on an office desk comes from real wood, but it is a thin layer of wood, that will show the natural variations of the tree.

The wood veneer finishes are an important component on the office desk. Since it is real wood on the top you want to make sure that you have a hard stain coat to assure that you have proper protection of the veneer. Then you want to make sure it is topped off with a varnish application, and then that it is cured to assure you have the best protection possible. Ideally you want this done for all exposed surfaces.

While a hard cured finish is essential, having a desk pad and coaster is still a must to assure that your wood office desk keeps it original look as long as possible.

The main advantage of using the carpet tile option over your typical “broadloom” carpet roll is that as they wear out over years of heavy use, you can easily replace them, without having to redo the whole reception area space.

As you can imagine, the carpet where you get all the traffic will wear out much faster than in areas without traffic. As these get worn out and dirty, you can easily remove those existing tiles and place down new ones.

Carpet tiles come in various sizes and styles. They are offered in circular, square and rectangular overall shapes with thousands for patterns available. Sizes can vary from 12″x 12″ to 36″x 36″- depending on which sizes would best fit your reception space. When these tiles are laid out for installation they can be laid to various patterns customized to your space (without the custom costs).  This really gives your space an unique designer touch!

One important thing to remember to if you are going to be using modular carpet tiles is to order extra tiles when you plan your reception area flooring.  The typical suggested overage is about 5-10%. This allows you to have an easier convenience when the carpet tiles are in need of replacement years to come.