So my gf has a really sweet antique baker's table top. It has what I believe is a porcelain but may be ceramic finish. I've never tried lifting it (it was here before I was) but she tells me it weighs a ton, or more precisely: "You'll need another man or my sister to move it. I can't possibly lift it," which I estimate means it weighs at least 75 - 100 lbs (my gf is small and not the strongest, but she can carry a 30 - 40 pound box if she needs to, so I know it must be pretty heavy if she can't even co-carry it).
The table supporting it is not so impressive. While the craftsmanship of the corner beams is impressive (by my low standards), this table has clearly seen better days and wasn't built to last. All points of contact are separated and there is clear stress marks all over.
So, we're not up to building a new table from scratch (I've never done it and I don't want to be to blame if her table gets scratched if the new one collapses), so we're going to post an ad for a carpenter to come out and build us one. But I want to get a really nice wood that might hold up better than the last one. The tabletop is the real prize here, but I think it deserves a better resting place than whatever lumber is on sale at Home Depot.
Having said all that, I know that oak would be a bit much (both price and need), but even if I were to consider something that high-end, she's determined to paint the table some nifty color, and I know that it's just rude to paint oak.
So what wood meets the requirements:
Sturdy, hard, strong enough to hold up a 100lb+ slab
Not so expensive that I'll feel silly but not so cheap that I won't trust it to last more than a few years
Industrial enough in the sense that it's not offensive/de-valuing to the wood to paint it turquoise (or whatever she goes with).