Replace Glass Picnic Table Top

[wrogers509]

The glass top on a new picnic table we bought last summer shattered from an accumulation of ice and very cold weather. The frame of the table is aluminum and is in great shape so I'd like to use it. I'm trying to come up with a replacement for the top that is not glass. I've thought of sheet aluminum with a grid pattern punched through it (like a radiator cover) but don't know where to get the sheet goods. Also thought about a wood top possibly using cedar planks glued together.

Anyone else done this and can offer any advise???

Thanks in advance for any replies!!

[maxparot]

How about a sheet of plywood and then tile it.

[messmaker]

I used some sanded plywood and painted it. It worked fine but does not look right. I put it under the deck in the kids area

[Pappy]

Lexan, Maybe?

[Raymonator]

Why not a sheet of polyethelene (white). Comes in 4' x 8' sheets and various thicknesses. No paint, no shattering, and will last a lifetime. You can cut it, shave it, even plastic weld it with polyethelene rods and a good heat gun. Not much more expensive than a sheet of 3/4" plywood. Butchers use this type of material to use as a cutting surface for triming meat etc.

[jdschulteis]

The April 2006 Fine Woodworking includes an outdoor table made from ipe.
That would resist dings and dents much better than cedar.