Restaurant table tops

The top is the part of a table a guest touches, rests a glass on and judges. Resin, laminate, wood and stone fill the 60 tops here, spread across four shapes. Decide the size by the party first, then the material by the room.

Material sets the feel

Resin is the largest group, with 25 tops, followed by laminate at 12, wood at 8, solid wood at 7, granite at 2 and sintered stone at 1. Each material has its own page: resin, laminate, wood and granite. The butcher block tops are a short list within the solid wood group. The configurable table tops are priced by the options you choose, so read the total after the choices, not before.

Every one of the 60 tops lists indoor use, and 26 also list patio use. Prices start around $38 and reach $382.

Size and shape by party

Squares are offered on 47 tops, rectangles on 46, rounds on 41 and drop leaf shapes on 9. Drop leaf tops add width when a party grows and give the floor back when the room needs it. Match the shape to the party you expect most often. A 24 by 24 inch top suits two guests, 30 by 30 gives two room for plates, and 36 by 36 holds four. A round top of 42 inches seats four, and 48 inches seats five or six.

Hold a service aisle near 36 inches around the top, and keep 18 to 24 inches clear behind every seat.

A top is half a table

A top needs a base chosen with it, because the base sets the height and the footprint. Browse the table bases before you settle the size, and check the mounting arrangement on each product page. The warranty page lists components bought alone among its exclusions, and solid wood tops carry six months.

Wood moves with the air. A solid wood top will shift a little between seasons, and that natural movement is outside the warranty. Veneer and laminate tops raise no such question, which is worth weighing against the grain of a solid plank.

Look at the surface

A photograph cannot show how an edge feels under a hand. Samples of table top materials are free and ship by UPS Ground; ask for them at the samples page, set one on the table you already own, and look at it under evening light.