For this project, we used a single 4 x 8-ft. sheet of 1/2-in.-thick red oak plywood covered with wood veneer. It can be tough to find locally, so call around before you shop, or choose different ...

I would inevitably suffer with ultra-thin veneers on the top, ugly cores, unfinishable edges, warping, voids, and other maladies of the common plywood. One day I said enough is enough and bothered ...