ORIGINAL: MinnFlyer

For what it's worth, if anyone is building a new table and looking for a good top, I use Melamine from Home Depot. This is particle board with a white, eggshell type finish.

The white top has a nice, clean look to it and it is impervious to any chemicals I have used on it so far (But it doesn't resist razor blades and you can't stick pins into it).

A 4x8 sheet will run about $35, but the coating is on top and bottom, so even after a few years of wear and tear, you can just flip it over and have a new top.