Submitted by Dark_Selah t3_zx96fo in BuyItForLife
Hi, I'm going for a minimal Japandi style of home with lots of neutral and inviting colours. Naturally, I also want a very practical home haha and so having a table where I don't have to always have a placemat at hand is ideal.
Wood (if so, what type), concrete, marble or other? I want low-maintenance but the one that is best to just place tea mugs and pots without too much of a worry.
I got a solid glass table almost 10 years ago now. It is heavily used by several crazy kids daily. Food, paint, markers, slime making, you name it. It's incredibly easy to clean and it looks just like the day I got it. It was very inexpensive ~$100 and honestly didn't expect it to last long. Everyone thought I was insane but Id do it again in a second.
If you are too scared for a full glass table you can try just a glass top.
Second this, got a glass table, 10 years later legs broke, repurposed it as a desk, got a second glass table, legs broke, glued it back together. Don't think I have used a place mat in years.
Pretty sure it's going to out live me at this point. Even the base is glass on mine. It was used in a pretty nice architecture firm's office before I got it from them. It had a few tiny scratches on it so I put that side down. I figure it must have been some sort of metal or stone building sample because we haven't hurt it at all.
I love my glass top table! Sure it shows fingerprints but it's so so easy to clean. And it makes the room look bigger! My table legs are wood, can't imagine going full glass but I love it!
There aren’t many timber finishes that will tolerate hot tea/coffee mugs without leaving rings. No timber finish will tolerate a hot pot from the stove or oven without marking.
You would either need a pretty rustic finish timber, and treat marks that build up over time as character, or go to some sort of stone, glass, reconstituted stone or porcelain.
I would say a hardwood (oak?) Or corian. Stainless steel is probably the lowest maintenance (think commercial kitchen) but probably the most limiting style wise
Thanks! Is there a particular finish of food that works well? Some of the cheaper options don't mention a finish, but I've seen Fjord finish and oak veneer as well
Probably a lacquer or Shellac that will create a durable finish over the wood
The best would be to look at the Mohs Hardness Scale and/or the Rockwell Scale and start at the top and work your way down. The best would be a diamond table top. Tungsten would be the logical choice.
Snark aside, the internet can't help as we don't know your budget, whether this is a DIY venture or a pre-built venture and what meets your definition of neutral and inviting/fits with Japandi.
Ours is a high-end plywood with Formica top, very durable.
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I've got an old round clawfoot oak table that has expanding leaves if I need it (It came with two 12 inch extending leaves and 7 chairs)It handles mugs and plates fine. You can definitely throw a tablecloth on it if you're worried. I found mine at a yardsale for $75. Since its solid wood its very light. It's also bolted together which means its easy to disassemble for transport. If you're putting a hot pot on a surface it's generally a good idea to put a pot holder under it anyway no matter what the surface. I've always just put anything straight put of the oven on pot holders as a general rule.
I had a table with a corian top, it was awesome, never had to bother with coasters or placemats, easy to clean. I gave it to a friend because it was a big table and I was downsizing, still going strong 15+ years later.
Don’t get apple wood – a friend of mine painstakingly built his dream table from apple wood. On the very first day of using it he jotted down a phone number. It pressed through the paper into the wood. You can read it – in the wood.
Brushed Stainless Steel.
I have a steel culinary table I've converted into a computer desk and I love it.
Cheap. Durable. Easy to clean and no coatings or maintenance.
No wood is going to stand up to heat like that without putting something down.
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I have a glass topped wood table but I put a heat pad down before setting any hot dishes on it.
Light woods or red hue woods with minimal grain, maple oak, cherry. Also sintered stone, light colors with gold accents, or some polished steel.
I like the sintered stone, because then I could also just broaden my options and get an outdoor table,
Marble.
Velociraptor2018 t1_j1zf555 wrote
Marble is heavy, expensive, and you have to seal it every year. Take a look at quartz. It’s one of the hardest materials around, it’s ma made so it can be made lighter and cheaper, as well as not needing to be sealed. That will probably be the most durable option