Wood table tops for dining

A wood top sets the tone of a dining room before the cloth goes on, or instead of one. This page holds 15 tops: solid wood, plain wood and one veneer, cut round, square, rectangular or drop-leaf. Decide first whether the tables will be dressed. A bare top at breakfast shows its grain all morning; a clothed top at dinner shows only its size.

Solid wood, wood and veneer

Seven tops are solid wood, seven are wood and one is veneer. Solid wood moves a little through the year as the air turns dry or damp, and the warranty counts that movement as the nature of the wood, not a defect. Give these tops a room with steady heat, away from the doors that open onto the terrace.

Every top here is listed for indoor use, and 2 carry a patio listing as well. Those two are the only ones to take outside. For the rest, the breakfast room and the restaurant are home.

Shape and size for each table

Rectangles and squares lead, 12 each, with 7 rounds and 4 drop-leaf tops. Size the top to the party it serves. Two guests and their plates fit a 30-inch square. Four want 36 inches square or 42 inches round, and five or six want 48 inches round. Drop-leaf tops let a breakfast table grow for a family and shrink back for a couple. For a breakfast room of 60 seats, that might mean ten 30-inch squares for pairs and ten 36-inch squares for fours, all free to join.

Then think about the edges of the room. Rectangles push together along a window wall into one long table for a party of ten, and part again for pairs when the party leaves. Hold about 36 inches open for servers, plus 18 to 24 inches of pull-back space per chair, and draw it all before choosing sizes.

Other surfaces, and the base below

If wood suits the dining room but not the pool deck, look at resin table tops for outside. The butcher block table tops are solid wood too, in a block construction. For a different surface on the same tables, compare laminate table tops and the configurable table tops, where shape and edge come from each listing's options.

Single tops start around $84. Each one also needs a base with the right spread, two thirds or more of the diameter under a round. Ask for a free stain sample before the order goes in, since finish lists change over time, and record each top with its base in a property plan for the room.