Wooden tables: advantages and disadvantages

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

Advantages and disadvantages

Buyers around the world highlight the following advantages of wooden tables:

  • Appearance. Universal solution for any interior. Suitable for both classic style and minimalism. Looks attractive in the apartments, made in modern styles, including high-tech.
  • Functional features. Tables are disassembled and assembled, which allows a large dining table to be made from a small item. When assembled, it can be easily removed in the far corner or on the balcony.
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  • Strength. Wood is almost impossible to break, unlike plastic. Easy to repair.
  • Ecological natural material. Does not emit harmful to humans couples.
  • The durability of the product. It is not a secret for anyone that antique furniture is preserved even after several hundred years.

The following factors are considered to be minuses:

  • Product weight Tables made from a single piece of wood are very difficult to move around the room, not to mention moving.
  • Cost Due to the fact that the cost is extremely high, the final price is far from being democratic.

Design

Wooden tables, like any other mainly consist of the following components:

  • Tabletop.
  • Legs or two sidewalls, which, in turn, are equipped with rubberized thrust bearings.
  • The reinforcing partition. It serves to impart stability to the product.

If the table is disassembled, it means that it has the appropriate fittings. It can be made of both wooden and metal parts.

Species

An ordinary wooden table can be found in every family. Mass production was widely established in the Soviet years. It was a dining, magazine, often used as a TV stand. The tables of those years are solid, massive and, accordingly, heavy.Some simple table with the beginning of the "adjustment" was taken to the garage, others - to the country, and others gave to relatives. As they say, the farm is useful. The sliding wooden table was most often used for mass gathering of guests - on anniversaries, birthdays and wires. When assembled, he did not take up much space, so on all other days he stood quietly 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 differed in that their legs could be easily twisted if necessary. The legs were made of aluminum, so about any kind of strength of speech did not go.

Wooden tables with an iron base (steel) are more durable than its predecessors. The metal can withstand the weight, which is ten times higher than its own. By the way, height-adjustable hinges are often located on the frame. Such a “growing” table can be easily transformed from a dining to a coffee table, and vice versa.A table covered with plastic linen was used in rooms with high humidity, most often in the kitchen. Plastic protected the tabletop not only from moisture, but also from the external environment, so it was completely unnecessary to paint the product.

Years passed, fashion and technology changed. Today, very few people can be surprised with outdated models. People who moved from communal apartments to country cottages have changed needs and financial situation, and as you know, demand creates supply. Now the combined tables are made of glass and concrete. There are those in which the legs are wooden, and the tabletop is made of glass or tables with legs made of concrete and wooden tabletops - the manufacturer practically does not limit itself. By the way, furniture with a glass tabletop is used not only in the kitchen, but also in the living room as a TV stand. Today in the specialized shop you can also find the following options.

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  • Cabinet table for the house and office. Modern non-sliding models have little in common with their predecessors - desks. They are made of solid wood, not of extruded sawdust, equipped with noiseless fittings.
  • Wooden tables on wheels (they are also called serving).Suitable for hotels and private houses, as they are mainly used for transporting ready meals.
  • Tables on one leg. They are popular with owners of small apartments. These finished products are no different from ordinary tables on four legs. They are also equipped with additional fittings, resistant to turning.
  • Coffee. It is carried out in all types of designs, it can be round, can - rectangular. Often equipped with opening lockers. 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 for placement of 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. The irreplaceable assistant for the summer resident and the owner of a country house. Any gardener knows how pleasant it is to rest after a cup of refreshing lemonade somewhere in the shade, after planting or watering, but you need either a gazebo, or a bench and a table.Table-bench is a combined version. It is cheaper than a gazebo, while there is where to sit and where to put food.

Separately, I would like to mention the author's handmade items. Designer table and chairs are made from the best artificial and natural materials. Often a table is offered in the living room with a stone surface or with ceramic tiles. In addition to the rich appearance, it is also a very durable product. Elite items of kitchen set are made according to individual drawings. Decorative options do represent objects of museum value, in a word - exclusive. The second such day with fire is not found.

Types of wood

Somewhere in the garden there is surely enough a table assembled from wheels and planks or hammered together in crates from boxes and scraps, but this is not suitable for mass production or even for an individual. For wide consumption, furniture mainly and tables in particular, are made of solid wood. This term is commonly understood as treated wood boards from which the final product is made.Do not confuse solid wood with products from MDF, particleboard and fiberboard. The production technologies are completely different: in the first case a wooden bar is used, in the second - production waste. Most often, the trees of the following families go into production.

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

For apartments this is enough. In recent years, tabletops made of solid wood have become very popular. Such tables have an arbitrary shape and strongly hint that the owner of such a table is an outstanding personality.

Slab is considered to be one of the varieties of such tabletops. A slab is a longitudinal saw cut, as a rule, of trees that have long since dried up. Some large trees are cut down on purpose, 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. Such wooden tables are often installed in cabinets.

By the way, the business and the top management of the country have always chosen furniture from natural wood, including tables.They were especially attracted to mahogany furniture. In the Soviet years there was even a specialty - cabinet maker. In the individual segment there is another technology - firing. Tables of baked wood gradually appear in manufacturers' catalogs. The final touch of such products is the leg, made of the root of the tree. Decorating the room can also be done from the roots of trees, which will certainly complement the interior.

Lovers of light colors should pay attention to the tables made of teak wood, and those who would like something new - from the hevea (tropical beech). Untreated wood tables are often purchased for country residences and for rooms made in ecostyle. Complete with the table, as a rule, go and chairs. Furniture can be installed in the living room and in the kitchen.

Returning to the garden theme, you should pay attention that the table-bench, made of log, after installation at the summer cottage, must be treated annually from pests and the external environment, otherwise the product will become unusable.

Forms

It is considered that a wooden table can be only a few configurations.

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

But this is far from being the case. Modern production has gone far ahead, and today there are tables of mixed forms, including tables in the form of petals, diamond-shaped, triangular, with different turns both to the left and to the right. Technology, especially slab, expands the boundaries of the possible.

Dimensions

For various rooms and to destination a wooden table can be big and small.

  • A large table can be installed in spacious rooms. Massive tables do not limit the space in living rooms and large halls, including in the offices. For them you can sit a huge number of people.
  • A small table, on the contrary, it is more expedient to install in small apartments or in families where there is a small number of households. The production of small products takes less raw materials, which means that the final price will be much lower.

The height of the wooden table can be either low or high.

  • A low table is great for tea drinking somewhere in the living room, you can keep a fresh press, remote controls and mobile phones on it.
  • A high table, as a rule, has little demand, so manufacturers equip standard tables with height adjustment function.

Texture

The texture of the wood pattern may differ depending on many factors.

  • Wood species When the manufacturer needs to achieve the desired pattern, he uses wood of certain species. In ash, poplar and beech, for example, the pattern is, of course, different.
  • Age of wood. It is no secret to anyone that the more years the tree has, the more circles it has can be seen on the cut. It is also worth noting that the trees begin to rot from the core. Due to this fact, wood products can have characteristic inserts.
  • The presence or absence of heat treatment. The burned texture is more coal and firewood than a full-fledged pattern.
  • The presence or absence of a seam. Seamless tabletop will not be a source of collecting various debris, including crumbs - food for insects.

Colors

Coloring wooden tables can be natural and painted in a certain color. If the interior of the room is bright, then designers recommend white.

White color is so versatile that it is suitable for both small and large apartments.

In combination with gold-plated inserts, even inexpensive products look rich.

In rooms with a predominance of dark color, it is better to install the furniture in a dark brown color. Black wooden tables are very rare and, as a rule, are made only by individual order.

For children's rooms or playrooms, it is desirable to consider a green, yellow or orange color. Small children like this exotic color; it does not darken the interior and at the same time is easy to look after.

Natural coloring, for example, sonoma oak or bleached oak is equally suitable for city apartments and country houses. It looks elegant in rooms with high ceilings and wide double-glazed windows, because it reflects sunlight. Even the smallest apartments visually expand due to objects with a natural color.

Design

Designers all over the world are competing with each other and, without even realizing it, are developing a segment of wooden tables, because manufacturers, thanks to their demands, also compete with each other. Whoever comes up with something new will redirect the entire customer flow to himself. It makes no sense to describe in more detail the well-known shapes, sizes and colors of products for a long time, so that later we will discuss the design options for wooden tables.

It would seem that the times of the French kings were long gone, and the furniture that was once installed in castles sunk into oblivion with the monarchs. But in recent decades, the demand for retro has allowed manufacturers to return their 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 the capital's residents.

By the way, they were especially lucky, because it is no secret that it is more profitable to establish individual production closer to its potential buyers, and it is easier to arrange deliveries from abroad to the capital than to a small town.

Unusual colors and original tabletop with photo printing are popular in all countries. Photo printing technology has come 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 photos from a personal archive.

Unfortunately, this technology has a number of disadvantages, the key of which is that it is first necessary to introduce a lamella into the tree structure.

After firing, the tree becomes dark brown in color, the color can be changed depending on the strength of the laser radiation. Points need to be applied carefully. Another disadvantage is the limitation of the color palette.

This equipment is affordable, so there is a lot of competition in the market, and therefore, an affordable price for the service. A photo printer for printing on wood has been developed relatively recently. The principle of its operation and operation is not much different from the work of a regular paper printer. After applying the picture, you only need to process the product, which allows you to use it for a long time.Unfortunately, tabletops with photo printing 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 on ceramics. From this it follows that in the end you can decorate and combined tables.

Photo printing is applied in a short time due to high print speeds. The color palette is saturated, in contrast to laser printing. The expenses spent on this work are also minimized.

An artificially aged tree is best suited for a room furnished in country style. If you plan to place the table in the kitchen, then the designers recommend selecting the kitchen set in the style of the dining area. This combination allows not only to elevate the dining room, but also significantly save on modern furniture.

But most of all carved wooden tables are appreciated in the market. It takes a lot of time to make them. This individual, one might even say, jewelry work, therefore, it has never been and will not be cheap. Such tables can be of different types, sizes and characteristics.Only on the ideas of the customer and his financial position depends on the final version of the product.

Due to the unevenness of the woody fabric, it was recently found that if you pour epoxy resin and phosphor into the holes, they will make the table luminous. A luminous table is considered to be a street solution, but for rooms it will fit perfectly, especially if you arrange a bedroom with a ceiling under the starry sky. Using boards without processing, it is possible to make a glowing wooden table at home.

Producing countries

As soon as the primitive man invented the instrument of labor, then the first tables and chairs appeared. It is certainly not an exaggeration to say that today all countries in the world have established the production of wooden tables, starting with a small country like Malaysia and ending with such large countries as the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. Do not stand aside and Belarusian manufacturers. In the domestic market are cheap products from solid wood - ash, birch, oak. By the way, the furniture factory "Gomeldrev" is known around the world since the end of the XIX century.

The main supplier of raw materials for the production of wooden furniture, of course, is Russia. Cargo is sent 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 later return to the Russian market at exorbitant prices. To say that its production in Russia is not at all, of course, impossible, but often the foreign design of the domestic buyer attracts more.

The world leaders in this area are Italy and Indonesia. One country takes its innovations and refinement, the other - the democratic price.

Styles

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

How to care?

Any wooden furniture needs care, especially the kitchen tables. Fat, drops of liquids, including difficult to remove coffee, jam - all this in the end spoils not only the appearance, but also the product itself, if it is not properly cared for.

The formed stains on unpainted wooden tables are effortlessly removed with a cloth dipped in warm water.

A small amount of soap should be applied to the fabric, you can use the economic one. In advanced cases, you can use a special brush or a regular 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.

For tables treated with varnish should not care for detergents, especially bulk powders and coarse brushes.

For such products in the store you can find special cleaning products.

You can use the popular recipes, but at your own risk:

  • It is useful to know that stains from glasses can be removed with regular mayonnaise. A small amount is put on the trail and half an hour later it is washed off with a simple rag.
  • Grease stains must be removed immediately using a tissue.

If the dust has not been rubbed off a wooden surface for a long time, it may eventually clog the wood structure. To restore the previous form is often used polishing. The table top is polished either with a special varnish or with protective wax pastes. A fourfold repetition of this operation per year is enough. Thanks to this, the wooden table will shine as good as new.

One awkward movement, and a scratch surface may appear. Yes, it is unpleasant, but there is a way out of this situation. To start a scratch is necessary zashpatlevat. The recess is filled with putty or wax, as previously mentioned. Having waited for full drying, it is required to sand this place with an emery paper. The changes will immediately be evident, therefore, using a small brush and lacquer, you need to completely eliminate the defect.

By the way, furniture wax is available in various colors.If you have to use wax, then the surface must first be cleaned from dirt, dust, crumbs and other debris. Having taken soft fabric, it is necessary to rub wax in the circular movements. After drying, the scratch is polished with a special napkin.

There are folk tips, so on dark woods (oak or walnut) scratches can be removed with ordinary iodine or strong tea leaves. Taking a stick for the ears (or a match with a cotton fleece on the end), you need to walk along the entire length of the scratch. It is said that a peeled walnut, or rather, its oil with a slight rubbing masks the scratch. If you mix the vegetable oil with vinegar and this solution to treat the surface, the scratches will be less noticeable. Remove excess oil with a soft cloth.

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

Here it would be nice to know the following:

  • The composition of the lacquer, which covered the product. If it is handmade, then the master should have given a memo.
  • The number of superimposed layers. The smaller they are, the easier it will be to remove the varnish.

The lacquer is washed off with the help of chemical agents: in the professional environment they are called washing.They have been specifically designed for expensive furniture and parquet. Gels, solvents are usually referred to them, for rare cases - powders and special liquids. If painting with varnish was carried out once (maximum of three), then you can use denatured alcohol. Due to the physical properties of liquids, they quickly disappear, deep cleaning is impossible.

Pastes, gels and powders in this plan cope with the task better. You should not be afraid of the fact that the powder is an aggressive abrasive that leaves traces, because before applying the powder it is necessary to dilute it in water, and the paste does not leave any strong scratches. And after removing the varnish, further polishing will occur, and all the flaws will be removed.

Having caused washing, it will be useful to create a greenhouse effect using a regular plastic bag. After four hours, polyethylene must be removed. The wash should change color and the lacquer will begin to move away. With the help of a specially rounded trowel, carefully remove the varnish. To fix the result should be sandpaper. It only remains to remove the residues of chemicals with ordinary water and proceed to the next polishing stage, but do not forget that the tree can absorb water, the operation should be carried out in a short period of time.To remove the varnish at home is often this method is enough, but there are others.

  • Mechanical method. This operation will require a cycle tool - a wooden handle with a sharp steel plate at the end. To enhance the effect, the blade is inserted at a certain angle. Performing chaotic movements on the surface, is the removal of varnish. In some cases, enough sandpaper or ordinary glass. To facilitate labor, sandpaper is recommended to be placed on a sander. Do not forget about safety, all operations with glass should be performed 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 chips.
  • Thermal method After the worktop is heated by a gas burner (or a building dryer), the lacquer begins to crack, its further removal occurs under the action of a spatula and wiping it with a regular cloth. This method is flammable, you need to be very careful and do not forget about gloves and glasses. It is possible the release of chemical odors, the room during the work must be aired.This operation is best done together, because the lacquer must be removed at the time of the construction dryer.

After that, the previously purchased lacquer will 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.

Which is better to choose?

Some ten years ago, people went to the nearest furniture store to buy furniture, including wooden tables. The choice as such was not, as they say, take what they give, and then this will not remain. But that has changed. Today, in the era of broadband Internet, when almost everyone has access to the World Wide Web through a mobile phone, you can choose 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 upload the catalog of products on its website, and even better if an online store is organized on the basis of its own website.

The buyer can only go to the site and select the appropriate model. True, the delivery will have to be paid 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:

  • To make measurements so that it does not happen that the table is ordered, but it doesn’t physically fit in the space reserved for it or, say, its size will not satisfy the building owners with time - it will be needed longer.
  • Pick up stuff. It is well known that oak, beech or ash are hard varieties of wood. They do not need to be treated with varnish in several layers, unlike pine or alder, which means that they will cost less.
  • Correspondence of the table to the design of the room. A wooden table can be not only different colors, but also varnished and patinated. If the room is small-sized, then you should give preference to sliding tables, because behind the oval or rectangular you can fit a lot more guests than the usual.
  • The convenience of landing at the table. If you have to visit the store, then right in the store you can sit down at the proposed or liked options. The table should not be too high or, on the contrary, to rest on the knees.Remember that if the leg of the product is one (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 angular versions of wooden tables. In addition to the fact that they occupy less space than their rectangular "relatives", everything will be close at hand, it will not be necessary to get up from the chair once again.

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

Beautiful interior options

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, you can embed a table in the kitchen.

The table can be retractable at all.After lunch or dinner it can easily be returned to its original position. Thanks to a reasonable space saving, there is still room for other activities, including playing with small children.

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

If guests rarely visit, it is worthwhile to purposefully consider the option of a folding table. It can be “ramped up” at any time, and on ordinary days it can be removed when assembled to a balcony or to a far corner.

For a country house a great option is a table with legs of the roots. The product betrays an interior natural shade. Not surprisingly, tree houses are widely popular in the United States. Unfortunately, in countries with a sharply continental climate this is unrealistic to implement, but to put a table on the terrace is a please.

I don't even want to sit at the carved wooden tables.This is not just a masterful individual work, it can be said, a work of art that has a place in a museum. But someone prefers to order them for the veranda. After all, it is no wonder that a gazebo, especially in warm weather, is the seat of a huge number of guests and relatives, and it does not matter whether it is 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 you had to place speakers, a monitor, a system unit, a collection of CDs, then now the usual nook is set aside for the computer desk.

Console tables are suitable for both living rooms and small corridors. You can place essentials on them: when it comes to the hallway, the keys and a comb. To hide items from prying eyes, they can be removed in a box.

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

If the same type of ready-made solutions from furniture stores are already bored, it means that the time has come to turn your attention to designer wooden tables.

Despite the fact that it is handmade, the processing of the product complies with all norms and standards.

Unfortunately, few people have heard of such a technology for the production of wooden tables as a slab. Tables made using this technology are presented in the domestic market in pieces, and this is where their undemocratic value comes from. But it is very likely to say that this production technology has a future.

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

In conclusion, I would like to note that wooden tables have gone a long way from bulky products to miniature ones. Despite the fact that today there is a huge selection of tables made from plastic and MDF, wooden tables are still more popular than their competitors. Any person without any problems will be able to choose a specific model for his taste, design and financial situation. The main thing - it does not forget to care for wooden furniture.

About what are the types of wooden tables, see the following video.

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Information provided for reference purposes. For construction issues, always consult a specialist.

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