Wooden tables: advantages and disadvantages

Wooden tables are still popular among buyers. Wood, as a natural material, looks equally aesthetically pleasing both in rich premises and in social premises, so the demand for wooden furniture will never fall.

Buyers around the world highlight the following advantages of tables made of wood:

• Appearance. A universal solution for any interior. Suitable for both classic style and minimalism. It also looks attractive in apartments made in modern styles, including high-tech ones.

• Functional features. The tables are disassembled and assembled, which allows you to make a large dining table from a small product. When assembled, it can be easily removed to a far corner or onto a balcony.

• Strength. Wood is almost impossible to break, unlike plastic. Easy to repair.
• Ecological natural material. Does not emit vapors harmful to humans.
• Durability of the product. It's no secret that antique furniture is preserved even after several hundred years.

The following factors are considered to be disadvantages:

• Product weight. Tables made from a single piece of wood are very difficult to move around the room, let alone move.
• Price. Due to the fact that the cost is extremely high, the final price is far from democratic.

Wooden tables, like any others, mainly consist of components:

• Table top.
• Legs or two sidewalls, which, in turn, are equipped with rubberized heel pads.
• Reinforcing partition. It serves to give stability to the product.

If the table is disassembled, then it has the appropriate fittings. It can be made from both wood and metal parts.

An ordinary wooden table can be found, probably, in every family. Mass production was extensively established during the Soviet years. It was for dining, coffee, often used as a TV stand. The tables of those years are solid, massive and, accordingly, heavy. Some simple table with the beginning of "perestroika" was taken to the garage, others - to the dacha, and still others were given to relatives. As they say, it will come in handy on the farm. A sliding wooden table was most often used when a large gathering of guests - at anniversaries, birthdays and seeing off. When assembled, he did not take up much space, so on all other days he calmly stood in the corner reserved for him.

In the 90s of the last century, combined tables were presented in furniture stores. They consisted of metal and wood, or rather, they came with metal legs. The table top remained wooden. Such tables were distinguished by the fact that their legs could be easily twisted if necessary. The legs were made of aluminum, so there was no question of any strength.

Wooden tables with an iron base (steel) are more durable than their predecessors. Metal can withstand a weight that is tens of times higher than its own. By the way, hinges that regulate the height are often located on the frame. Such a "growing" table can easily turn from a dining table to a coffee table, and vice versa.The table covered with plastic cloth was used in rooms with high humidity, most often in the kitchen. Plastic protected the countertop not only from moisture, but also from the external environment, so there was absolutely no need to paint the product.

Years passed, fashion and technology changed. Today, outdated models can hardly surprise anyone. People who have moved from communal apartments to country cottages have changed their needs and financial situation, and as you know, demand creates supply. Now combined tables are made of both glass and concrete. There are those with wooden legs, and a glass tabletop or tables with legs made of concrete and a wooden tabletop - the manufacturer practically does not limit himself. By the way, furniture with a glass top is used not only in the kitchen, but also in the living room as a TV stand. The following options can also be found in a specialist store today.

• Office table for home and office. Modern non-extendable models have little in common with their predecessors - desks. They are made of solid wood, not pressed sawdust, and equipped with silent fittings.

• Wooden tables on wheels (they are also called serving). Suitable for hotels and private houses, as they are used mainly for transporting ready-made meals.

• Tables on one leg. They are popular with owners of small apartments. Such finished products are no different from ordinary four-legged tables. They are also equipped with additional fittings that are resistant to overturning.

• Coffee. It is carried out in all types of structures, it can be round, maybe rectangular. Often equipped with opening cabinets. There are models for every taste and color.

• Console wooden tables suitable for storing vases, books and other interior items. The console can also be used to accommodate video equipment.

• Table transformer. Allows you to make a standard dining table from a small table with a slight movement of your hand. Very popular among the owners of the so-called "Khrushchev".

• Bench table. An irreplaceable assistant for the summer resident and the owner of a country house. Any gardener knows how pleasant it is to relax with a cup of refreshing lemonade somewhere in the shade after planting or watering, but this requires either a gazebo or a bench and a table. The bench-table is a combined option. It costs less than a gazebo, while there is where to sit and where to put food.

I would also like to note the author's handmade items. The designer table and chairs are made from the finest artificial and natural materials. Often a table is offered in the living room with a stone surface or with ceramic tiles. In addition to its rich appearance, it is also a very durable product. Elite kitchen items are made according to individual drawings. The decorative options are actually objects of museum value, in a word - exclusive. The second such day with fire can not be found.

Somewhere in the garden, a table, assembled from wheels and planks or hastily hammered together from boxes and scraps, is probably enough, but for mass production, or even more so for an individual one, this is not suitable. For general consumption, furniture in general and tables in particular are made of solid wood. This term is usually understood as processed wood boards from which the final product is made. Do not confuse solid wood with products from MDF, chipboard and fiberboard. Production technologies are completely different: in the first case, a wooden beam is used, in the second - production waste. Most often, trees of the following families are used for production.

• Cherry;
• Poplar;
• Nut;
• Birch;
• Varieties of ash and beech.

This is quite enough for apartments.In recent years, solid wood countertops have become very popular. Such tables have an arbitrary shape and in every possible way hint that the owner of such a table is an outstanding personality.

One of the varieties of such countertops is considered to be a slab. A slab is a longitudinal cut, as a rule, of trees that have dried up a long time ago. Some large trees are specially cut down and later dried. This operation is performed on special equipment. The drawing of any tree is individual, so the tabletop turns out to be different all the time. Depending on the length of the slab, the tabletop can take on unprecedented dimensions. These wooden tables are often installed in offices.

By the way, business and the country's top leadership have always chosen natural wood furniture, including tables. They were especially attracted by mahogany furniture. In the Soviet years, there was even a specialty - cabinetmaker. There is one more technology in the individual segment - firing. Burnt wood tables are gradually appearing in manufacturers' catalogs. The finishing touch of such products is a leg made from the root of a tree. Room decoration can also be done from tree roots, which will certainly complement the interior.

Lovers of light colors should pay attention to teak tables, and those who would like something new - from hevea (tropical beech). Untreated wood tables are often purchased for country residences and eco-style rooms. As a rule, chairs are included with the table. A set of furniture can be installed both in the living room and in the kitchen.

It is generally accepted that a wooden table can only be of several configurations.

• Rectangular.
• Oval.
• Round. When equipped with sliding fittings in full-weight form, it becomes oval.
• Square. If it is equipped with sliding fittings, then it becomes rectangular in full-weight form.

But this is far from the case, modern production has gone far ahead, and today there are tables of mixed shapes, including tables in the form of petals, diamond-shaped, triangular, with various turns both to the left and to the right. Technology, especially slab, is pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

A wooden table can be large or small for different premises and for different purposes.

• It is customary to install a large table in spacious rooms. Massive tables do not limit the space in living rooms and in large halls, including offices. They can seat a huge number of people.

• A small table, on the contrary, is more advisable to install in small apartments or in families where there is a small number of household members. The production of small items requires less raw materials, which means that the final price will be much lower.

In height, a wooden table can be either low or high.

• The low table is large, suitable for tea drinking anywhere in the living room, it can store the latest newspapers, remote controls and mobile phones.
• A high table, as a rule, is of little demand, so manufacturers equip standard tables with a height adjustment function.

The texture of the wood grain can vary depending on many factors.

• Wood species. When a manufacturer needs to achieve the desired pattern, he uses wood of a certain species. Ash, poplar and beech, for example, have a different pattern, of course.
• The age of the wood. It's no secret that the older a tree is, the more circles it has on the cut. It is also worth noting that trees start to rot from the core.Thanks to this fact, wood products can have characteristic inserts.

• The presence or absence of heat treatment. The burnt texture is more of coals and embers than a full-bodied pattern.
• The presence or absence of a seam. The seamless tabletop will not be a source of collecting various debris, including crumbs - food for insects.

The coloring of wooden tables can be natural and painted in a specific color. If the interior of the room is light, then the designers recommend white.

In combination with gilded inserts, even inexpensive items look rich.

In rooms with a predominance of dark colors, it is more advisable to install furniture in a dark brown color. Black wooden tables are very rare and usually only made to order.

For children's rooms or playrooms, it is advisable to consider green, yellow or orange. Small children like this exotic color, it does not darken the interior and at the same time it is easy to care for it.

Natural colors such as sonoma oak or bleached oak are equally suitable for city apartments and country houses. Looks elegant in rooms with high ceilings and wide glass units, as it reflects sunlight. Even the smallest apartments are visually expanded thanks to objects with a natural color.

Designers from all over the world are competing with each other and, without realizing it, are developing the segment of wooden tables, because manufacturers, thanks to requests, also compete with each other. Whoever is the first to come up with something new will redirect the entire customer flow to himself. It makes no sense to describe in more detail the long-known shapes, sizes and colors of products, so further we will focus on design options for wooden tables.

It would seem that the times of the French kings are long gone, and the furniture that was once installed in castles has sunk into oblivion along with the monarchs. But in recent decades, it was the demand for retro that allowed manufacturers to return half-forgotten production technologies, for example, the manufacture of brutal tables with forged legs. And after all, such wooden tables are ordered not only by owners of suburban real estate, but also by owners of urban square meters, especially residents of the capital.

By the way, they were especially lucky, because it is no secret that it is more profitable to establish individual production closer to their potential customers, and supplies from abroad are easier to establish in the capital than in a small town.

Unusual colors and original photo-printed countertops are popular in all countries. Photo printing technology came to the territory of the former Soviet Union from abroad. Innovative technologies allow using a laser or a special photo printer to apply on wooden surfaces not only collages of works of art, but also photographs from a personal archive.

After firing, the wood acquires a dark brown color, the color can be changed depending on the strength of the laser radiation. The dots must be applied carefully. Another disadvantage is the limitation of the color palette.

This equipment is affordable, so there is a lot of competition on the market, which means an affordable price for the service. The photo printer for printing on wood was developed relatively recently. The principle of its operation and action are not much different from the work of a conventional paper printer. After applying the pattern, you only need to process the product, which allows you to use it for a long time.Unfortunately, photo-printed countertops have an uneven pattern due to the fact that the structure is not uniform, but this gives the product a certain charm. The photo printer prints not only on wood, but also on glass, metal and even ceramics. From this it follows that as a result, combined tables can be decorated.

Photo prints are applied in a short time due to the high print speeds. The color palette is rich, in contrast to laser printing. The costs of this work are also minimized.

For a room furnished in a country style, artificially aged wood is most suitable. If the location of the table in the kitchen is planned, then the designers recommend choosing a kitchen set in the style of the dining area. This combination allows not only to refine the dining room, but also to significantly save on modern fittings.

But most of all, carved wooden tables are valued on the market. It takes a lot of time to make them. This individual, one might even say, jewelry work, so it never cost and will not be cheap. These tables can be of various types, sizes and characteristics. The final version of the product depends only on the ideas of the customer and his financial situation.

Due to the unevenness of the wood sheet, it was not so long ago found that if you pour epoxy resin and phosphor into the holes, they will make the table glow. A luminous table is considered to be a street solution, but it is quite suitable for rooms, especially if you equip a bedroom with a ceiling under the starry sky. Using boards without processing, you can make a luminous wooden table at home.

As soon as primitive man came up with an instrument of labor, then the first tables and chairs appeared. Surely it will not be an exaggeration to say that today all countries of the world have established the production of wooden tables, from such a small country as Malaysia to such large ones as the United States of America and the People's Republic of China. Belarusian manufacturers did not stand aside either. The domestic market offers inexpensive solid wood products - ash, birch, oak. By the way, the furniture factory "Gomeldrev" has been known all over the world since the end of the 19th century.

Russia is undoubtedly the main supplier of raw materials for the production of wooden furniture. Cargo is dispatched to different parts of the world every day. Unfortunately, in such border countries as Finland and China, tables, chairs and kitchen sets are made from cheap raw materials, which are subsequently returned to the Russian market at exorbitant prices. To say that Russia does not have its own production at all, of course, is impossible, but often the foreign design of the domestic buyer attracts more.

Manufacturers produce wooden tables in a variety of styles to match the design of the room. And this is not surprising, because a rough country-style table is unlikely to be suitable for high-tech rooms. The classic style, as a rule, is suitable for most apartments and country houses, because that is why it is a classic. These are tables of the usual shapes and sizes and are almost always brown (or made of mahogany). Modern interiors, especially in the Provence style, try to furnish furniture in light or white colors, completely forgetting that the color of the brands is white, which means that such furniture should be periodically looked after.

Any wood furniture needs maintenance, especially kitchen tables. Fat, drops of liquids, including hard-to-remove coffee, jam - all this ultimately spoils not only the appearance, but also the product itself if it is not properly looked after.

A small amount of soap must be applied to the fabric, you can use household soap. In advanced cases, you can use a special brush or an ordinary kitchen knife, only this operation must be performed in the direction of the wood pattern, otherwise there is a high probability of damage to the product. By the way, laundry soap not only removes dirt, but also disinfects the work surface.

You can find special cleaning products for such products in the store.

You can also use folk recipes, but at your own peril and risk:

• It is good to know that glass stains can be removed with regular mayonnaise. A small amount is put on the trail and after half an hour is washed off with a simple rag.
• Grease stains must be removed immediately using a napkin.

If the dust has not been wiped off the wooden surface for a long time, it can eventually clog the wood structure. To restore the previous appearance, polishing is most often used. The tabletop is polished with either a special varnish or protective wax pastes. Repeating this operation four times a year is quite enough. Thanks to this, the wooden table will shine like new.

One awkward movement and a scratch may appear on the surface. Yes, it is unpleasant, but there is still a way out of this situation. First you need to putty the scratch. The recess is filled with putty or the wax mentioned earlier. After waiting for it to dry completely, you will need to sand this place with sandpaper. The changes will immediately catch your eye, therefore, using a small brush and varnish, you need to completely eliminate the defect.

By the way, furniture wax is available in various colors. If wax is to be used, then the surface must first be cleaned of dirt, dust, crumbs and other debris. Taking a soft cloth, rub the wax in a circular motion. After letting dry, in the end, the scratch is polished with a special napkin.

There are also folk councils, so on dark woods (oak or walnut) scratches can be removed with ordinary iodine or strong tea leaves. Having picked up an ear stick (or a match with a cotton ball at the end), you need to walk along the entire length of the scratch. They say that a peeled walnut, or rather, its oil, when lightly rubbed, masks a scratch. If you mix vegetable oil with vinegar and treat the surface with this solution, the scratches will be less noticeable. Remove excess oil with a soft cloth.

In very advanced cases, you must first remove the protective enamel.

It would be nice to know the following here:

• The composition of the varnish with which the product was coated. If it is handmade, then the master should have given a memo.
• The number of superimposed layers. The fewer there are, the easier it will be to remove the varnish.

The varnish is washed off with the help of chemicals: in a professional environment they are called a remover. They have been specially designed for expensive furniture and parquet flooring. It is customary to refer to them as gels, solvents, and in rare cases - powders and special fluids. If painting with varnish was carried out once (maximum three), then you can use denatured alcohol. Due to the physical properties of liquids, they quickly erode, deep cleaning is impossible.

In this regard, pastes, gels and powders do the job better. Do not be afraid that the powder is an aggressive abrasive that leaves traces, because the powder must be diluted in water before application, and the paste does not leave strong scratches. And after removing the varnish, further polishing will take place, and all the imperfections will be removed.

Having applied a wash, it will be useful to create a greenhouse effect using an ordinary plastic bag. After four hours, the polyethylene must be removed.The wash should change color and the varnish will start to peel off. Using a specially rounded spatula, carefully remove the varnish. Fix the result with sandpaper. All that remains is to remove the remnants of chemicals with plain water and proceed to the next stage of polishing, but do not forget that the wood can absorb water, the operation must be carried out in a short period of time. For nail polish removal at home, this method is often enough, but there are others.

• Mechanical method. This operation requires a scraper tool - a wooden handle with a sharpened steel plate at the end. To enhance the effect, the blade is inserted at a specific angle. Making chaotic movements on the surface, the varnish is removed. In some cases, sandpaper or ordinary glass is sufficient. To facilitate work, sandpaper is advised to be placed on a grinder. Do not forget about safety precautions, all operations with glass should be carried out with gloves. This method is good because it does not emit various harmful odors, but it is better to cover the furniture in the room from dust and shavings.

• Thermal method. After heating the countertop with a gas burner (or a construction hairdryer), the varnish begins to crack, its further removal occurs under the action of a spatula and wiping with a regular cloth. This method is fire hazardous, you need to be very careful and do not forget about gloves and glasses. The release of chemical odors is possible, the room must be ventilated during work. This operation is best done with two people, since the varnish must be removed while the construction hair dryer is in operation.

After that, the previously purchased varnish will have to be applied to the prepared surface. It is desirable to paint two or even three times, while achieving, using a special tool, a flat surface.

Some ten years ago, in order to buy furniture, including wooden tables, people went to the nearest furniture store. There was no choice as such, as they say, take what they give, or even this will not remain. But everything has changed. Today, in the era of broadband Internet, when almost everyone has access to the World Wide Web thanks to a mobile phone, you can choose from almost anywhere in the world. From now on, any self-respecting company should have at least a corporate website. Each manufacturer is simply obliged to keep up with the times and post a catalog of products on their website, and even better if an online store is organized on the basis of its own website.

The buyer only has to go to the site and choose the appropriate model. However, you will have to pay for delivery separately. In cases where there is no delivery from a remote area, you can remember the design of the table and order its production in another company.

Before buying, you need to make preparations:

• Make measurements so that it does not turn out that the table is ordered, but it physically does not fit into the space allotted for it, or, for example, over time its dimensions will not satisfy the owners of the room - it will be needed longer.

• Pick up material. It is common knowledge that oak, beech or ash are hard wood species. They do not need to be varnished in several layers, unlike pine or alder, which means they will be cheaper.
• Compliance of the table with the design of the room. A wooden table can be not only of various colors, but also varnished and patinated. If the room is small, then you should give preference to sliding tables, because behind the oval or rectangular one can fit much more guests than at the usual one.

• Ease of seating at the table. If you have to visit the store, then right in the store you can sit down for the proposed or liked options. The table should not be too high or, conversely, rest on the knees.Remember that if the product has one leg (in the central part of the tabletop), then there is no discomfort behind such furniture.

If you have to buy a computer desk, you should choose those models that have a convenient arrangement of shelves and drawers. For small apartments, designers recommend corner options for wooden tables. In addition to the fact that they take up less space in comparison with their rectangular "relatives", they will also have everything at hand, there will be no need to get up from the chair again.

Coffee tables are found in both round and rectangular shapes. If there are small children in the apartment, for safety reasons, it is worth choosing models without sharp corners, and transforming tables can easily turn into dining tables. Children's wooden tables can be not only in various colors, but also with photo printing on the table top. Children will especially love the items with their favorite cartoon characters.

In the modern world, design plays one of the most important roles in the arrangement of a room. In cases where the kitchen space does not allow the installation of a dining area, the table can be built into the kitchen set.

The table can even be retractable. After lunch or dinner, it can be easily returned to its original position. Smart space saves space for other activities, including playing with small children.

In the living room, designers recommend installing a table with one leg. This arrangement of the support does not interfere with the guests, unlike tables with partitions. For permanent placement, it is best to place the table in the center of the room. From the point of view of aesthetics and convenience of approach to the dining area, it is better not to come up with an option.

If guests rarely come, it is worthwhile to purposefully consider the option of a folding table. It can be "built up" at any time, and on ordinary days it can be removed assembled on a balcony or in a far corner.

For a country house, a table with root legs is an excellent option. The product gives the interior a natural shade. It's no surprise that tree houses are widely popular in the United States of America. Unfortunately, in countries with a sharply continental climate, this is unrealistic, but putting a table on the terrace is welcome.

You don't feel like sitting at the carved wooden tables. This is not just a masterful individual work, it is, one might say, a work of art that has a place in a museum. But someone prefers to order them for the veranda. After all, it is not for nothing that the gazebo, especially in warm weather, is the place where a huge number of guests and relatives stay, and it does not matter if we are talking about a country house or an ordinary country house.

Progress does not stand still, and if earlier computer desks took up a huge amount of space, because it was necessary to place speakers, a monitor, a system unit, a collection of CDs, now an ordinary nook is allocated for a computer desk.

Console tables are suitable for both living rooms and small corridors. They can accommodate essential items: if we are talking about the hallway, then the keys and a comb. To hide objects from prying eyes, you can put them in a drawer.

White color gives the room lightness, romanticism, instills optimism in a person, especially in cloudy weather. An important plus is that glossy white reflects light, and this creates additional lighting and visual expansion of the space.

If you are already tired of the same type of ready-made solutions from furniture stores, it means that it's time to turn your attention to designer wooden tables.

Unfortunately, few people have heard of such a technology for the production of wooden tables as slab. Tables made using this technology are presented on the domestic market in piece copies, hence their undemocratic cost.But it can be argued with a high degree of probability that the future belongs to this production technology.

Another little-studied novelty is the luminous table. Of course, for mass production, it is unlikely to come. Still, such specific furniture is needed by units. But a little competition will bring down the high price of such tables.

In conclusion, I would like to note that wooden tables have come a long way from bulky products to miniature ones. Despite the fact that today there is a huge selection of tables made of both plastic and MDF, wooden tables are still more popular than their competitors. Anyone can easily choose a certain model for their taste, design and financial situation. The main thing is not to forget to take care of wooden furniture.

For information on what types of wood tables are, see the next video.