Need a new dining table, which type do you prefer?

[samy23]

Round or square shape?

And what color? I'm thinking a light beachwood type, sort of like pine colour but a bit brighter like wooden flooring can be.

What are your thoughts on dining tables?

[newbymom05]

Here are my random thoughts. Definitely wood over glass-topped, because although a topper will protect the finish, the fingerprints will drive you insane (or at least they do for me). But the negatives of wood are that no matter what kind you get, it'll be kind of soft, so you'll either need a topper to protect it (table cover, cloth, etc) or live w/ gouges and/or water marks. So don't buy an expensive table.

And if you get an extended table (so handy!), beware the cracks where the table folds. I have a great Ikea round table that folds out to an 8 seat oval, but I bet I have at least one food-meets-crack mishap a day, so I have to regularly take a tooth pick and scrape out the oatmeal/crumbs/playdough/whatever out of there. And that doesn't even take care of the spilled drinks. So that's my next suggestion--table cloth.

I personally prefer light wood because it doesn't show smudges, marks or dust as easily. Round over square b/c it's cozier and you can fit more people around it. I've had round, square and rectangular tables and prefer round. Oh, and you might want to consider the bottom--my table's legs have a connecting arch which means my Dyson won't fit under it--I had serious crumb issues in that area until I bought a Shark stick vac. IMO a pedestal table would be the best, but I've never seen one that extended and I like the 4 vs 8 seating option.

[samy23]

Originally Posted by newbymom05

Here are my random thoughts. Definitely wood over glass-topped, because although a topper will protect the finish, the fingerprints will drive you insane (or at least they do for me). But the negatives of wood are that no matter what kind you get, it'll be kind of soft, so you'll either need a topper to protect it (table cover, cloth, etc) or live w/ gouges and/or water marks. So don't buy an expensive table.

And if you get an extended table (so handy!), beware the cracks where the table folds. I have a great Ikea round table that folds out to an 8 seat oval, but I bet I have at least one food-meets-crack mishap a day, so I have to regularly take a tooth pick and scrape out the oatmeal/crumbs/playdough/whatever out of there. And that doesn't even take care of the spilled drinks. So that's my next suggestion--table cloth.

I personally prefer light wood because it doesn't show smudges, marks or dust as easily. Round over square b/c it's cozier and you can fit more people around it. I've had round, square and rectangular tables and prefer round. Oh, and you might want to consider the bottom--my table's legs have a connecting arch which means my Dyson won't fit under it--I had serious crumb issues in that area until I bought a Shark stick vac. IMO a pedestal table would be the best, but I've never seen one that extended and I like the 4 vs 8 seating option.

thanks that was so helpful! I will remember all those points! We don't need an extending table since there's only 2 of us, so a 4 seating table should be fine, room for 2 guests aswell.

[ChristyMarie]

I have a few so here are some thoughts.

SHAPE:

Round: I love the shape for gatherings but it takes up more space overall than a rectangular.

Rectangular - depending on how wide it is, it can be hard to serve family style, there just isn't that much room down the center.

Square - LOVE - but if you have an odd number of people it looks off balance and bothers me. Mine extends to a large rectangle and the seems are very tight so I've never had any issues with things getting stuck. It also takes up more space than even a round table. But it is way cool.

FINISH:

Wood - no matter what, something is going to happen to it. Our dining room is cherry and distressed. So I don't worry about stuff happening to it. However, the finish is awesome and hardly anything bothers it. But we had to pay for that finish, it is from Restoration Hardware. If you for for a super shiny formal finish it is going to show stuff unless you use a tablecloth.

Wood w/glass topper - this is what I have in the kitchen and I love it. You don't get prints and such under the glass, just on top and I have to wipe it down after each meal anyways. The glass will scratch though. But I figure replacing the glass in a few years is much cheaper than a new table.

Wood Veneer - DON'T go there. My big square-to-rectangle table is a wood veneer on top and I hate it. It is gorgeous but I have to totally baby it. I H.A.V.E. to use a tablecloth every single time. I have a bowl that sits on the table as decoration and I had to put felt feet on it because it was scratching the finish. Love the shape of the table, hate the fact that it is veneer.

[gothnurse3]

We have a vintage formica oval table and I LOVE it. Don't have to worry about dings, scratches, etc. And I can just wipe it down with water and soap. I bought reproduction red glitter diner chairs and it is soooo cute. Also very easy to clean.

[DaughterOfKali]

My next table will be a round pedestal style. I do hope to get one with extensions.
I find round tables both cozy and elegant.

[zoebird]

i think it depends upon how you use it, the overall design of your space, etc etc etc. so many elements to consider.

between square and round, i prefer round. i prefer wood over glass, and a sort of medium stain. oak is nice, and a decently hard wood. for round tables, i prefer pedestal tables over ones with legs.

[becoming]

We have a wide rectangle table with six chairs & love it. It's perfect for our family of five. Plenty of serving room (although we usually serve on our island anyway). The only thing I would suggest is NOT getting a very dark wood & uniform (all one color, no wood grain) finish. That's how ours is, & it shows scratches SUPER easily. If I could do it over, I'd get the light wood with natural blemishes already in it -- like, a stylishly distressed sort of table. That way you won't be looking at it from all different angles & finding scratch after scratch, then running to your bedroom, flopping down on your bed, & sobbing until nightfall.

[becoming]

Another thing -- watch out for designs with cracks/ridges anywhere in the tabletop. They get crumbs & other junk down in them & are terribly hard to clean out.

[Coconut Chronicles]

We're shopping for a dining room table now. Initially, DH wanted a glass top but I know the fingerprints would drive me nuts so we're definitely going with wood. I'm not a fan of round tables. I like rectangular ones. The one we will probably go with is this one. It seats 8 which means we can finally start hosting holidays at our place.

[LaughingHyena]

I'm not a big fan of our round table. The kids seem to have difficulty getting their chairs pulled up to it, they are always facing slightly off to one side or the other which I think results in more spills.

I also find it much more difficult to sew at, I guess since I have to have the machine slightly further back than on a straight edge table.

That said I think round is easier to squash more people round. It also fit better in our very small dinning room.

[mumkimum]

Depends hugely on the room, we've found. We've ended up with a small, round, glass table which finally works in our smaller dining room - for a long time we'd try and fit bigger rectangle tables and they really made it feel all squashed.

I prefer round cause, even if it's just me & dh, we feel less distanced from each other (as we did at the rectangular tables . . . one of us had to go all the way around). Glass is okay - really, dd spills a lot and I just clean it daily which is easy with the glass (otherwise, we do usually use trays at the table, which helps messes too).
I also hope for a round, pedastal style table with an extension next time around.

[samy23]

Originally Posted by LaughingHyena

I'm not a big fan of our round table. The kids seem to have difficulty getting their chairs pulled up to it, they are always facing slightly off to one side or the other which I think results in more spills.

That's an interesting point, I hadn't considered. Has anyone else found this problem with round tables?

[Jaxinator]

Now that it's been mentioned, my kid always sits crooked unless we push his chair in for him too. But then again, I think he's too small to pull his chair in anyway, so for us the shape wouldn't matter.
BTW, I have a round, 4 seater, stone table. <3 It's soooo pretty, but it's a pain to clean because of all the ridges in the stones.

[ollyoxenfree]

I like our extending rectangular table except we chose a dark espresso finish and it's a nightmare. It shows every scratch and small dent and smidge of crumbs or dust. I thought the dark finish would wear well but it hasn't. It's been dented a few times during moves, and I'm kind of hoping next time finishes it off so we can replace it without guilt.

Now I really want an antique oak harvest table. Something already a little banged up and with a warm finish.