Why Choose a Timber Dining Table Over Laminate?
Posted on: 11 October 2018
In many ways, your dining table is going to become one of the most important places in your home. It's where you'll gather for family meals, entertain your friends, and wake up every morning with a cup of coffee. As such, you'll want to decide on the right material. Laminate can be tempting thanks to its low price, but here are just a few reasons you should pick timber dining tables instead.
Better Looking
Beauty might be in the eye of the beholder, but most people would say timber tables look better than laminate tables. There are those out there you love laminate, but these tables have a manufactured look about them that rarely suggests high quality. If you're looking to replicate the look of genuine timber with a laminate table, you're almost certainly going to be disappointed. Timber tables offer timeless style, and they tend to come in more interesting and ornate designs.
Better Moisture Resistance
Your dining table is going to have to put up with plenty of moisture. Whether that's water vapour from hot dishes or something as simple as a spilled drink, you need to know the surface isn't going to warp and discolour. Unfortunately, that's probably exactly what's going to happen with a laminate table. Laminate is a synthetic material made of several layers. If water gets under the top sheet of laminate and reaches the material beneath, it will start to warp and bubble. In most cases, that's going to mean replacing your table.
Timber doesn't present quite the same difficulties. Moisture cannot get beneath the top layer because the entire table top is one solid piece. Only excessive moisture will cause swelling, and that swelling should go down as the table is left to dry.
No Option to Refinish
One of the main problems with laminate tables is that any scratches or dents you make will be clearly visible. As mentioned above, laminate tables are made from layers rather than a single piece of wood. Only the top layer is coloured, so cause any damage and the underlayer will show through.
With a solid timber table, any scratches or bumps will be noticeable for a few days as they'll show up the lighter wood beneath, but those marks will quickly change to look just like the rest of the table. If your timber table gets really scratched, you can always sand it down and refinish it for a good-as-new appearance. Again, that's not an option with laminate; you'll just sand away the top layer.
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