Anonymous wrote:We had a used solid wood dining table for awhile, but it was really hard to clean and all the finish wore off. And yes it had lots of water marks. I can handle dings and scuffs, but this table just looked constantly dirty. It made me depressed every time I saw it.

We ended up buying a relatively cheap glass top table. Yes, it gets dirty fast, but it’s also much easier to clean.

You can get glass cut to cover the top of your wood table. This is what I'd do - and I say that as someone who has 2 tables, one always has pads/tablecloth on it, the other is used for homework, projects, etc. The homework table is solid walnut, old and I refinished it myself. Will refinish it again (maybe) when the kids are out of the house. Just last week, my DD used it to silk screen t-shirts. It now has paint on it that won't come off. No big deal. It's still a gorgeous, well loved table.

I seriously recommend looking used, as some other posters have said. We got a very nice antique solid cherry wood table at an antique store down in rural MD for $200. It has removable leaves so we can adjust the size and having been around for, what, 130 years has proved its reliability. Nobody really seems to want that old Victorian furniture nowadays so it's really inexpensive for what you get, if you can handle the styles.

It depends on the table.

Anonymous wrote:Are you going to be upset if you still own this table in 20 years when your kids are grown and out on their own and you look down and see a scratch or a stain from that art project they did years ago? Or will you be happy with the memory of them living in the house?

Even a high end table would be trash after 20 years. Don't be cheap

I don’t like to be bothered to put down a tablecloth before play doh or worry about my 4 yo spilling water so I’d probably ikea. But if it’s really important to you then be prepared to cover from time to time

We bought a reclaimed wood table with a zinc top from RH seven years ago. The table and chairs have held up beautifully. Still looks brand new. And actually the chairs were really inexpensive. So I think it can be worth it. I don't splurge much and have a lot of used furniture because our pets are so tough on upholstery.

Anonymous wrote:My home layout sounds similar to yours. We have been happy with this table https://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/dining-and-kitchen/tables/linden-tables" target="_new" rel="nofollow"> https://www.roomandboard.com/catalog/dining-and-kitchen/tables/linden-tables with a quartz top. It cleans up easily. No placemats or coasters required.

We have a room and board table with a white quartz top as well, and a 4.5 year old. We love it. If it works aesthetically in your house, it really can't be beat for in-destructiveness. I don't have to worry about food, paint, play-doh, markers, pencils or anything really staining or damaging it. It looks nice, and when it is clean, it looks brand new.

I think this is so kid dependent. My friend has two girls who are so calm and chill that they never even needed to childproof anything. All their stuff is in perfect condition in spite of having such young kids. I have two very active, rough and tumble kids who seem to destroy everything even when they’re on their best behavior. So we don’t have nice stuff and won’t for quite some time.

Scratches and dings are one thing I would be fine with, but mine has the finish worn off in certain places where the kids sit and it never feels clean and there's areas where it's become kind of "tacky" feeling. I think it got so gross and maybe too harsh cleaning stuff ruined the finish. I don't know if there's a type of better cleaner we should be using, but it's probably due for a full refinishing and re-sealing. Whatever poster who said it's about the finish was right!

If get a powder coated Saarinen table or something like that. As long as you dont allow sharpies, it’ll last

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on you. I’ve had my Ethan Allen wood table since the kids were toddlers. It’s been scratched and dinged and my attitude is so what. The dining room table has been used by the family. If I was worried about it, I could have purchased dining room pads and used a tablecloth which would protect the table.

This. What will your reaction be when there are scratches and marks? Ones you think could have been avoided if the kids would just listen? Be honest and go from there.

I'm the OP. We can live with dings and scratches. Lots of water rings, though, would probably be too much. We are new to the post-Ikea world of solid wood furniture. Should we expect lots of discoloration from water, spilled milk, etc? Or just lots of scratches?

I mean, if you wipe it quickly there shouldn’t be lots of discoloration from them. However, if it’s your main table, it will get paint/crayon/marker/glue on it, dried on food, etc. The finish needs to be something you can really wipe down.

You will also get lots of small scratches and some big ones. And they will be caused by your kids and guests.

We have nice furniture that we use daily and just assume everything will need to be replaced once our youngest turns 10 or so. On an annual basis, it’s not a huge cost — $2,000 table over 10 years is $200 per year. It obviously adds up, but the point is that we have changed our mindset about how long we expect to use furniture before it’s replaced, and it’s worth it to us.

My kids have ruined our medium quality wood table with scratches, etc. They use it daily for art projects and homework. I love having them in the kitchen though, so I guess I don’t mind too much. My SIL bought a table with a granite top and it has been indestructible by kids and looks great. Wish I had thought of that years ago!

Anonymous wrote:I bought a nice wood table for our kitchen from Ethan Allen and it got scratched by the kids of my friends, not my own kids! I was so annoyed.

Exactly this. If it’s in an area of the house where it will actually get used, things are going to happen. If you told me it is a dining room table that’s mostly cordoned off, I’d say it stands a good chance to stay nice. In this case, buy the table you like but set aside any expectations that it will remain damage free if you don’t keep it covered/protected. I bought nice living room furniture once my youngest was 7 or 8. Nothing has been damaged but it’s not our main sitting area and we never eat or do art in there.

Anonymous wrote:The homework and art projects are going to do way more damage than food and drink spills, OP.

We have a nice DR table that we use for all family meals, even with kids. Still looks great. We have a smaller table that is cheap that we use for games, art, homework. It is a wreck. Glitter, paint, scratches, dings, etched words, you name it.

If you only have one table and it’s nice, use a pad or plastic tablecloth for art and homework.

1000% this.

We have a cherry dining table that we used daily until my kids were toddlers- then the banging and throwing pushed us to a glass top table. Tables will get watermarks unless you are diligent about coasters, but the dents from a 5yo pressjng absurdly hard to write his name is where the real damage will come From