Protect your table from damage while eating, or doing any other activity.
Using a dining table pad is a good way to protect the surface of your antique or expensive dining table. It usually consists of a light-weight, stiff fiberboard covered with vinyl on the top, for easy cleaning, and velvet or cotton underneath, to protect the surface of the table. A table pad is custom-made to fit the shape of your table, can fold up for storage and will last for years.
Instructions
1. Compare features and prices from different companies that sell dining table pads, either online or locally. Ask about how the sections of the table pad fit together so they don't scratch the table at the seams, how thick the pad is, what material it's made of, and how easy the pad is to assemble and fold up for storage. Ask how high a temperature the pad is rated for; some may only protect from boiling water temperature, while others protect up to 500 degrees.
2. Compare prices, including the cost of shipping and warranties. The cost is usually based on the size of the table and the quality of the dining table pad, plus shipping. Also inquire about the warranty, in case the pad warps or has a defect. Because they are custom-made, table pads usually take 4 to 6 weeks to be made, but some companies may offer rush service, for an additional price. Ask what happens if the pad doesn't fit. If the company took the measurements, it should replace a pad that doesn't fit. If you took the measurements and the company accurately followed them, you won't be able to return it.
3. Measure your dining table, or make an appointment for someone from the company to come and take measurements. If your table is square, rectangular or perfectly round, it's not hard to measure it yourself. Remove the leaves and carefully measure the flat surface across the center of a round table, or the length and width of a rectangular table, to the nearest 1/16 of an inch. Do not include any beveled edge or molding. Measure the leaves separately.
Tables that have a more unusual shape -- rectangular with angled corners, oval, kidney-shaped -- require a pattern. Online companies can send you a free kit to make a pattern yourself. If you know the manufacturer and model number of your table, ask if the company already has a pattern on file.
Tags: dining table, your table, fold storage, protect surface, table pads,