# The "best" kitchen table



## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

What's the top made of? I want a kitchen table that can take a lot of abuse and it has to be on the bigger side, like seating up to 8 would be ideal. I thought about getting this painted wood table http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=881&f=26291 but will I have to worry about rings from water? Help me find a practical, durable table!


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## annekevdbroek (Jun 5, 2005)

I don't think you need to worry about rings on a painted wood table. The paint covers the wood, KWIM?

I have a butcher block table that is 30 years old. It looks fantastic. I refinished it once about.. 20 years ago.. and a second time 10 years ago. It still looks fantastic. Ikea sells a similar table.

I would definitely get a solid wood table, not one with any veneers. Veneers just are bound at some point to bite the dust. Solid wood and always been repainted, restained, sanded down, etc.


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## Delicateflower (Feb 1, 2009)

I don't think that would cope with much abuse.

I like something you can sand down when it gets really battered.


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

So where can I find a solid wood table? Everything has a veneer these days, it seems. The table I linked is solid wood...w/ a veneer. Which makes no sense but whatever.


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## 99lauren (Sep 1, 2006)

If you are near an Ikea, you can get a butcher block table there. We have this one:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50116871

I just noticed that you can actually order it online!

You do have to oil it like you would a cutting board. Give it a couple of coats when you first get it, and then it's like once a year. We are not good at keeping up with this, so ours feels a little dryish. Applying the oil makes the wood feel really smooth, and darkens the color a little.

I love it! Plus it gets huge when you add the leaf!


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## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

I have friend who has tile on her table. She says it makes clean up really easy.


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## greenmansions (Feb 16, 2005)

I recently saw a table in a magazine that had a top made of corian - I think that would have to be one of the easirest surfaces to take care of,


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## SuzyLee (Jan 18, 2008)

We have tile countertops and they make me want to shoot myself. DO NOT get a tile table. Food gets in the little cracks between the tiles, in the grout. It is impossible to get clean, and you can't do stuff like roll out cookies on it.

The disadvantage with anything painted is that your kids *will* chip the paint by driving bikes into the table and whacking it with toys and things like that. You can paint the chipped area but there will still be a little divit there.

A solid wood table will be expensive. You may have the best luck online or with "amish made" places. I know my undle ordered their large solid walnut table (they have 6 kids) directly from an Amishman and it was baout half the priec of a similar one from a furniture store. He did have to wait several months to get it though.


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

We have this table from World Market and I love it. The top is textured so dings from DS blend right in. Some of the chairs have a few scratches but I think it would be pretty easy to fix as it is all wood. We have six chairs at the table but eight would fit around it. I like a lot of the furniture from World Market and I don't think it's really expensive compared to some places.


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## MomInFlux (Oct 23, 2003)

It's not the most frugal option, but we ordered a custom Parson's table from Room and Board. It's a steel frame table with various tops. We made ours 60" square, which seats 8 and I absolutely adore it. I got a solid white oak top, but you could do a butcherblock top. That, with the steel base, and it will be practically indestructible









Custom Parsons Table


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## crl (May 9, 2004)

I'm personally a fan of antiques. Mostly because I like the look and partially because, hey what's one more scratch. We have a table that we bought at a flea market, made from old wood, but new. It looks like an antique and it was considerably cheaper than a true antique would have been.

I would look around for an antique or second hand table that's sturdy. I agree that solid wood is a good bet. I would not get an old table with paint unless I was sure it was so old it was milk paint, because I worry about lead in paint.

Catherine


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## limette (Feb 25, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *beanma* 
I have friend who has tile on her table. She says it makes clean up really easy.

I have a tile top table and it's the worst purchase I've ever made. I find it very hard to clean. It may look clean, but as the light passes over it, new dirt spots appear that you didn't see the first time and didn't get cleaned up during the first scrub.

Will be doing wood next go around.


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## Whistler (Jan 30, 2009)

We have a big, battered wood table that I got at a thrift store and I love it to pieces! It's like a big, comfy old friend that you don't have to walk on eggshells around! If I need to dress it up, I toss on a nice tablecloth.


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

Wow, these are some great ideas! And yes to no to tile, lol. My mother had those tiny tiles on her counters and she is completely OCD and she still had a hard time keeping them clean. I don't want any cracks or crevices for food to get into, which is a problem w/ tables w/ extensions. I'll look into Ikea, there's one down the street from us, thanks for that idea!

Whistler, you have the kind of table I want. A comfy old friend, preferably one I can hit w/ toy hammers, grind play dough into and paint with glue when no one is looking.


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## flowmom (Feb 3, 2004)

For $399 you can get IKEA's NORDEN dining table in solid birch that seats 8-10. We have an old round/oval version in the same series (don't think it's sold anymore) and I love it. It's solid as a rock -- you could dance on it. With my kids, I love that. We eat on that table, but also craft and do all sorts of projects -- it's the everything table. It has a very tough finish, but any abuse that we inflict on it can be remedied by a sand and refinish. With a natural wood finish, marks made by rowdy kids aren't that noticeable anyway. I think that we'll be using our table for decades. The one that's currently available is a great value IMO. IKEA also has several other solid wood tables. With a hard-working piece like a dining table, durability is a priority.


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## newbymom05 (Aug 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ksenia* 
For $399 you can get IKEA's NORDEN dining table in solid birch that seats 8-10. We have an old round/oval version in the same series (don't think it's sold anymore) and I love it. It's solid as a rock -- you could dance on it. With my kids, I love that. We eat on that table, but also craft and do all sorts of projects -- it's the everything table. It has a very tough finish, but any abuse that we inflict on it can be remedied by a sand and refinish. With a natural wood finish, marks made by rowdy kids aren't that noticeable anyway. I think that we'll be using our table for decades. The one that's currently available is a great value IMO. IKEA also has several other solid wood tables. With a hard-working piece like a dining table, durability is a priority.

I just got back from looking at the Norden! But correct me if I'm wrong, it's in two pieces, right? Those cracks seem to be a milk/playdough/crumb magnet and I can't stand it. They had one giant solid table but the finish was weird, too dark and 70's fake. I love the natural, that's what I want to get.


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## flowmom (Feb 3, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newbymom05* 
I just got back from looking at the Norden! But correct me if I'm wrong, it's in two pieces, right? Those cracks seem to be a milk/playdough/crumb magnet and I can't stand it.

Yes, the table opens to extend. I haven't had too much of an issue with the crack in our table -- not much gets in there even though we do playdoh, etc. And obviously you can open it to do a detailed cleaning if necessary. At that price, if it really bugs you and you don't need a larger table, you could always glue it closed to eliminate the crack.


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