my dining room table PIP- how to protect it?

[lauren9317]

Hi everyone,
My new dining room table is rectangular, although its sides are kind of nipped in, like a subtle hourglass. Also, the corners are on a diagonal, like a diamond shape. I was planning to not use a table cloth, since I think the table looks nice on its own, plus it has the unusual shape. However, I need to get something to protect the table. I can get a custom made table pad, which I would only place on the table when serving food.

My question is, when serving food, would it be normal to just have the table pad on the table, without a table cloth on top of it? Or is that considered tacky? Growing up, my mom always placed the table pad on the table, and then a table cloth on top, so I just don't know whether it's "ok" for the pad to be visible. Of course I would get the pad in a color that matches the table itself.

Hope this makes sense. Wondering what you all would do if this was your table. Thanks so much!

[kaylie]

Like lshoes, I just do placemats and trivets. MIL has a table pad but she always has a table cloth over it. I think it would be really strange to just have the table pad there uncovered.

[peach]

I would leave your table bare. When serving food, put the bowls and platters onto a placemat or a hot pot, a wooden cutting board....anything, really. I don't like table pads....your table is pretty, show it off! And it's going to get scratches and dents, that's just life. roll with it...protect it as best you can but you have to "live" too...

[lauren9317]

Thanks ladies! That makes sense.

[auntie]

I'd leave the table bare when not using it.

You could use a custom pad under a cloth for meals. This is what I do when I have more than DH and myself at the table. I can always count on someone to place a wine bottle or hot dish on the wood if I were just to use a set of placemats and a runner/trivets.

You can buy inexpensive "Table protector" by the yard at JoAnn if you don't want to have a custom one made right now. I actually prefer the cheaper stuff because it doesn't shift and the pads I have for my current table don't lock together.

[IIOY]

Jan 19, 2013 17:31:56 GMT -5 peach said:

I would leave your table bare. When serving food, put the bowls and platters onto a placemat or a hot pot, a wooden cutting board....anything, really. I don't like table pads....your table is pretty, show it off! And it's going to get scratches and dents, that's just life. roll with it...protect it as best you can but you have to "live" too...

This is where I'm at.  Pay attention, remediate as best you can when you find problems, and move on.

However, and speaking as someone who is borderline OCD about cleanliness and order, I fully appreciate the desire to protect it with a pad and tablecloth.

[EloiseWeenie]

If it's just adults, I would go bare with placemats. If there are kids, I'd do the table pad with cloth.

[Deleted]

We are purchasing a new dining set also. I am going with the pads and tablecloth because of the kids. I would love to just keep the wood, but I know the kids would destroy it.

[pitterwoo]

I too would just use trivets and placemats to protect the table. Does the table even work with a tablecloth? It looks liek it wouldn't hang right due to the shape of the table.

[MrsAxilla]

Jan 20, 2013 10:56:30 GMT -5 rehabaddict said:

We are purchasing a new dining set also. I am going with the pads and tablecloth because of the kids. I would love to just keep the wood, but I know the kids would destroy it.

This is why we bought a $400 Ikea table.  We'll wait to get a nice dining set when the kiddo is older.

[TBM]

I don't understand all of the "the kids will destroy it' type comments. My parents had a wood table that we ate all of our meals at and we didn't destroy it. I don't remember her ever using a tablecloth and pad either....just trivets and placemats. We had wood tables and our kids didn't destroy them either.

Kids and nice things can coexist quite nicely. We didn't even go to any extremes...we believe in living in our home and enjoying it, without treating anything too precious, and it just wasn't an issue.

[SusanBAnthony]

Well, my kids would spill liquids all over the table. Depending on the finish, I imagine that could damage it. They also might not tell us when they spilled, so the liquid might sit there for awhile.

I would be more worried about "art projects" on the table, in terms of table destruction. And you might be all "well, I wont let them do art at the table", but then one day when you have the flu and are zonked out and they are running around like wild unsupervised heathens, they will decide to do glitter glue on the table.

Or does this stuff only happen to me?

[TBM]

Jan 20, 2013 20:45:10 GMT -5 SusanBAnthony said:

Well, my kids would spill liquids all over the table. Depending on the finish, I imagine that could damage it. They also might not tell us when they spilled, so the liquid might sit there for awhile.

I would be more worried about "art projects" on the table, in terms of table destruction. And you might be all "well, I wont let them do art at the table", but then one day when you have the flu and are zonked out and they are running around like wild unsupervised heathens, they will decide to do glitter glue on the table.

Or does this stuff only happen to me?

lol 

My kids limited their secret sneaky art stuff to their rooms or on the rug, (it was a cheap rug), or things outside, but they didn't really go crazy with art projects.   I did use flannel backed vinyl tablecloths for art stuff on the tables, so maybe that had something to do with it?

I was sick a lot when they were little, and I think other people must have said things that made them be on their best behavior when I was out of it and they were unsupervised.  They always seemed to be extra good and not so sneaky when I was sick.  Maybe it was too easy so they saved their sneakiness for some time when it was more of a challenge.

[jena]

My mom's table got small dents in it from where I did my homework and pushed too hard with a pencil. But she only had one table and so do I. If this is not your main table I wouldn't worry as much.

Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using proboards

[mac08]

Is this the table where you eat every day? At my parents' house, my mom has a table pad on the dining room table but they don't eat the normally, just on special occasions. The table pad stays on so she can use the table for sewing and quilting projects, but then comes off when it is used for eating. I agree with PP's who said to use placemats and trivets, I think it would be strange to eat on the table pad.

[auntie]

Jan 20, 2013 19:46:13 GMT -5 TBM said:

I don't understand all of the "the kids will destroy it' type comments. My parents had a wood table that we ate all of our meals at and we didn't destroy it. I don't remember her ever using a tablecloth and pad either....just trivets and placemats. We had wood tables and our kids didn't destroy them either.

Kids and nice things can coexist quite nicely. We didn't even go to any extremes...we believe in living in our home and enjoying it, without treating anything too precious, and it just wasn't an issue.


Kids and my oil finished teak table = no problem

Kids and my Hitchcock dining table = trivets and placemats= no problem

Kids and my highly polished cherry Statton dining room? Not so much. I don't trust most of DH's friends at that table.

[ktzmoh]

Jan 20, 2013 19:46:13 GMT -5 TBM said:

I don't understand all of the "the kids will destroy it' type comments. My parents had a wood table that we ate all of our meals at and we didn't destroy it. I don't remember her ever using a tablecloth and pad either....just trivets and placemats. We had wood tables and our kids didn't destroy them either.

Kids and nice things can coexist quite nicely. We didn't even go to any extremes...we believe in living in our home and enjoying it, without treating anything too precious, and it just wasn't an issue.

My kids are hard on the furniture. there's no way that table could be our everyday dining table and retain its beauty. Sometimes I marvel at their talent as I'm cleaning yogurt off the underside of our table. {{head scratch}}

OP: that table is gorgeous. If you don't have kids, leave it bare and use placemats/trivets.

[lauren9317]

Thanks everyone. This is our formal dining room table, so we won't be using it very often. No kids yet so we don't have to think very much about that. I will be on the look out for some nice large placemats and trivets. Maybe I'll still get a table pad in the future in case we need to sit at the table and do projects.
Anyone in love with their place mats and trivets? Where did you get them? As of now, all of my trivets are hand me downs and my placemats are too tacky for the dining room so I'll have to get some new ones!

[FoxInFiji]

Check out Pier 1, World Market, and Homegoods (or if you're like us and don't have any of those TJ Maxx and Marshalls are similar) for place mats. Trivets we only have a few of and we just tend to collect those over time. My favorites are the handmade wood ones we find at craft/handmade item sales.

We only have one dining room (no room for a formal one) and DH has a neat antique table he got an estate sale. It's nice but well loved so we don't feel so bad when it gets a ding or two. It is a small size for the room so we keep the leaf in it all the time and eventually we want to make a bigger leaf so it's even longer and refinish the piece as best we can. After we do that we want to get a sheet of glass cut to fit on top (ours too has a unique shape on the corners) when we have kids. That way the cracks don't become a catchall for crumbs and the top can be seen but not damaged.

[ktzmoh]

Jan 21, 2013 10:08:03 GMT -5 FormerlyRR said:

Jan 20, 2013 19:46:13 GMT -5 TBM said:

I don't understand all of the "the kids will destroy it' type comments. My parents had a wood table that we ate all of our meals at and we didn't destroy it. I don't remember her ever using a tablecloth and pad either....just trivets and placemats. We had wood tables and our kids didn't destroy them either.

Kids and nice things can coexist quite nicely. We didn't even go to any extremes...we believe in living in our home and enjoying it, without treating anything too precious, and it just wasn't an issue.

I love that you brought this up. I was seriously about to start a new thread on this very topic. I've been flamed on it before, but I grew up in a house with nice things. I was taught to act appropriately, not to jump on furniture, we didn't do art projects in the dining room, homework was done at desks in our rooms, and if things got spilled, we cleaned it up. My brother now has my parents' old table, and it is still gorgeous even after his two kids.
It is absolutely possible to have kids and have nice things. It just takes a little effort.

I don't know that it's about effort - it's about parenting style, priorities and who your kids are. Let's not get all judge-y judge-y

[EloiseWeenie]

Jan 21, 2013 10:08:03 GMT -5 FormerlyRR said:

Jan 20, 2013 19:46:13 GMT -5 TBM said:

I don't understand all of the "the kids will destroy it' type comments. My parents had a wood table that we ate all of our meals at and we didn't destroy it. I don't remember her ever using a tablecloth and pad either....just trivets and placemats. We had wood tables and our kids didn't destroy them either.

Kids and nice things can coexist quite nicely. We didn't even go to any extremes...we believe in living in our home and enjoying it, without treating anything too precious, and it just wasn't an issue.

I love that you brought this up. I was seriously about to start a new thread on this very topic. I've been flamed on it before, but I grew up in a house with nice things. I was taught to act appropriately, not to jump on furniture, we didn't do art projects in the dining room, homework was done at desks in our rooms, and if things got spilled, we cleaned it up. My brother now has my parents' old table, and it is still gorgeous even after his two kids.
It is absolutely possible to have kids and have nice things. It just takes a little effort.

My son (3) plays cars, legos, colors, paints at our table. There are dents, etc in it, but it's a kitchen table and although a quality piece of furniture, I expect it to get a little beat up. Whenever we can move into a bigger house with a dining room, I'll be getting my grandmother's antique dining set that she left me. I don't expect my kids to be playing in the dining room, but we're not used to a large house where there are off limits areas. I plan to protect the table in case of an accident, not because I expect them to destroy it. I would hate for my baby girl to bang a spoon or something on the table and dent it. Or, for my son to see the table as a race track and scratch it all up.

I grew up in a house built in 1803, full of antiques and breakables. Yes, you train your children, but accidents happen. There are some pieces worth giving a little extra protection- and for me, a family heirloom is worth getting a table pad.