Booth tables

A booth table is chosen from the seat outward, because the seat is fixed and the table has to meet it. Products in this category: 1, a solid wood butcher block table sold with a cast iron base, offered in rectangular, square, round and drop leaf tops. Start with the booth's length, then the party, then the base.

From the seat out

The booth sets the table. Measure the length of the seat along the wall and the gap between the two seats if they face each other, and the top follows from those numbers. Count 24 inches of edge for each diner: 48 inches along a seat takes two guests and 72 takes three.

Sizes on the listing include 24 by 48, 30 by 48 and 30 by 72 inches, along with squares and rounds up to 60 inches. For four guests, 36 by 36 is the comfortable square, and 30 by 48 is the rectangle to try along a wall. The drop leaf sizes open out: 30 by 30 to a 42-inch round, 36 by 36 to a 51-inch round and 42 by 42 to a 60-inch round.

The gap between the table edge and the guest matters as much as the length. Leave a hand's width so a guest can slide in, and keep the top ten to twelve inches above the cushion.

The base decides who can slide in

Under a booth table, the base should never sit where a knee has to go. A single center column leaves both sides open. An X-prong or a two-prong base puts metal near the booth, so match the footprint to the table and set the prongs away from the seat.

The listing here is a 30-inch table with a cast iron base. It offers a choice of base sizes, from 22 by 22 inches to 33 by 33 and in rounds of 17, 22 and 30 inches, and seven stains. Top sizes begin at 24 by 24 inches. The solid wood butcher block table starts around $189.

When one table is not enough

If the booth run is long, plan a table for each party along it. A shared table is a different piece, and the communal tables page is for that. To size and buy the top and the base on their own, use table tops and table bases.

The booths themselves are on the booths page, with the wrap-around shapes in three-quarter-circle booths. Plan the run, and the tables that go with it, in seating plans.