[Iliketophaff]

I'm in the market for my 1st ever purchase of a kitchen table. The current table is Nana's, wooden, about 20 years old and sadly broken after it came into our care.

DH's old table was a glass top with metal tube legs and around the edge, I wasn't a fan of the glass top, but it was a cheap thing so maybe that was a quality issue rather than a problem with glass??

We have been looking around and I see wooden, tempered glass clear or frosted, with powder coated metal frames or timber frames, laminate, and gloss polyurethane lacquer.

What sort of table do you like, why?
What would you never have again, and why?

[ms flib]

My favourite is the solid wooden table.

I'm not keen on the glass tables - especially around children.

[Jenflea]

I like wood. I don't like the sound and feel of a glass table. I find them cold and noisy. I also don't like the idea of things being dropped on them, or hot pots being put down on them and possibly cracking or breaking them.
I also don't like the idea of seeing people's legs under the table(weird I know) unless you have a cloth on it during meals.

[skae]

I really don't like glass tables - we have one at the moment (borrowed from MIL) and as soon as we can I will be going for a wooden table.

It would need to be pretty solid though I think, we had a cheap wooden one before the glass table, and it scratched and dented like nobody's business. I'm not sure if you can get wooden ones that don't do that though...

[Camizebra]

I also don't like the idea of seeing people's legs under the table(weird I know) unless you have a cloth on it during meals.

Solid wood. We have a very modern extension and this adds the perfect amount of warmth.
I have a glass and timber coffee table, but have never seen a glass dining table I've liked.

[Iliketophaff]

what about the polyurethane finishes?

[librablonde]

I'm not a fan of glass tables at all- so easily broken by my hyper kids
I favour very heavy, long, solid wood huge tables that come with bench seats (less messy looking when there's lots of chairs and can be easily lifted up for cleaning underneath). The kind of table that won't wobble if I have to stand my considerable body mass on it to change an overhead lightbulb. The kind of table I can tie a dog leash to and not have my dogs drag the table across the room after them And the kind of table that can outlast my kids heavy duty activity on and around it. Something like this:
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?start=260&...:62,s:200,i:190

[dogged]

Don't know about polyurethane but I can say that I will never, NEVER get a painted finish veneered wooden table from a certain international self-assembly furniture chain ever again.

Less than 2 years old and it's all warped with the finish worn off the top. Absolutely lousy quality. If I could find exactly the same in solid wood I'd buy it tomorrow.

I'd choose wood if at all possible. It's real, you can hand it down to your children, you can pick one up secondhand and repolish it. On the other hand tables are the easy bit - the real cost is in the chairs.

[Camizebra]

what about the polyurethane finishes?

We've never had one, so I can't vouch for their durability etc. They look gorgeous though!

[amabanana]

We have a reclaimed red gum table and it's great. Simple and warm. Takes 3 tough men to lift it so it's not the best table if you are renting! You do need to polish it but if you wipe it down with oil once a week that's all it needs not to mark.
I'm not a fan of glass tables unless they are outdoors.