Statement table bases

A statement base is the part of the table a guest sees from the booth, so it is chosen to be looked at. 23 are listed here in cast iron, steel, aluminum and stainless steel, among them X-prong, round, square and cantilever bases. Pick the height first, then the footprint, then check the top it has to carry.

What the metal and the form tell you

Cast iron accounts for nine of the 23, steel for five, aluminum for two and stainless steel for two. Single-item prices range from $93 to $222. Most are black, two read silver and one is gold.

Form is the real choice. The listings include X-prong, round, square and cantilever bases, and a few carry a name for the casting, such as arch or step. A standard-height and a bar-height version of one design are often separate listings with the same look, so check which one you have open.

Height, footprint and knees

Base height is listed at 28 inches for standard and 41 for bar height. The top adds its own thickness, which brings the working surface to the usual 29 to 30 inches or 40 to 42. Check the arithmetic against the top you have in mind, since a thick butcher block raises the table by more than a thin laminate does.

The footprint decides where guests sit. A column or round base leaves knees free. Prongs and plates take floor, so set the chairs between them, not over them. An accessible table keeps its surface between 28 and 34 inches high and gives knees a space 27 inches tall, 30 across and 19 deep (sections 902.3 and 306 of the 2010 ADA Standards). A wide plate can eat that space. Read the current standard and your jurisdiction's code, then draw the base to scale.

The few that can go outside

Four of the 23 are listed for patio use, among them a folding aluminum table support. The other 14 stay indoors. Even a patio base wants a rinse and drainage where it stands. When the season closes, put it under cover.

Round bases have their own page at round table bases, and the four-point bases are gathered in X-prong table bases. The cast iron bases sit together in cast iron table bases. Once the base is chosen, choose the surface from table tops. The room can be saved in seating plans.