Slate backing vs slate thickness

[nukedpharmd]

I've been offered the following options on a golden west table at a dealer. 1.25" slate with mdf backing or 1" slate with a solid wood backing. No additional cost for either option. Which does everyone think is better, thicker slate or a wood backing? Table will be in a finished basement with humidity control. It looks like Connelly, brunswick, and olhausen all use particle board or mdf as their standard backin but the BCA recommends solid wood. If it is so critical then why aren't the big boys using solid wood?

[DeadCrab]

MDF should not be confused with particle board. I do not see any problem in using MDF for slate backing. At least at the outset, it will be milled to a much tighter tolerance than wood. What type of wood is it? I would certainly take MDF over pine or plywood.

I would be more concerned about the quality of the slate and how it is installed than the backing.