Do you cover your dining room table?

[Liberty Belle]

I keep ours uncovered unless we're eating at it, which is extremely rare. I keep placemats or a tablecloth on our kitchen table at all times, though.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I didn't vote, because my answer is we cover it sometimes, but not regularly. And we don't use placemats.

 

[Nancyg56]

I keep a cloth on my table all the time. I have a pad and then use linens for every Season. I always covered my table because I love table linens. The lines are not to protect the table, we use it daily. It was my Mom's dining set and is 40 years old but still looks pretty good.

 

[Buckalew11]

I do not cover mine either. I like to see the wood.

When we eat at it, I use a table cloth or placemats.

My dining room is the one room in the house that always looks perfect.

 

[Jeafl]

We had pads made for the dining room table when we bought it. When we are using it, the pads and a tablecloth always go on it. The rest of the time it has a decorative runner and a floral arrangement on it.

The kitchen table also has a runner that was made to match my valances, as well as a floral arrangement. We use placemats when we eat though to keep the scratches to a minimum.

I only cover my dining room table when we use it on Thanksgiving and Christmas. OUr dining room is on the left as soon as you walk in my front door. I don't want a table cloth on it, I don't like the old grandmother look of a table cloth. My kids know that the death penalty comes if you put something on my cherry table, so no worries about getting it scratched.

This made me laugh, Sounds like my house. I almost had a heart attack once when a realtor threw a huge binder on my unprotected table!

 

[miralys]

Mine is covered with a fine layer of dust most of the time

 

[JaneBanks]

I use a table runner.

 

[indimom]

I guess I've got this all backwards. Mine is covered at all times EXCEPT when we are eating.

Our table is second hand and very sturdy, but lightly scratched and the finish is getting noticeably shabby, so I cover it with a tablecloth to make it look better.

BUT, my son is such a messy eater that I take my nice table cloth off when we eat, wash down the table when we're done, then put the table cloth back on. If I didn't, I'd have to wash the tablecloth daily.

 

[Donna3271]

I have an Arthur Brett Dining table so, I keep mats on it (3 small children in house). I take the mats off once a week for a day so it does not get discolored. After my family, furniture is the great love of my life (and of course, Disney Cruiseline!!).

 

[Poohforyou]

I used to have ours covered with a protective top and a table cloth. I just recently decided that defeated the purpose of having a nice table in the first place plus I wanted a more casual look in the dining room. The table is now bare. DH asked why I did that and I told him I wanted to live on the edge now that I'm in my 40's .

 

[prncess674]

Furiture is meant to be enjoyed and I hate covering it up "to keep it nice." I don't care about who is going to use it after me so we sit at it and enjoy it. We keep a small stack of cloth placemats in the cupboard near the table and whether you are eating a bowl of cereal or a 5 course meal you put something down on the table just because heat from dishes can ruin a finish. When done a "lightly used" placemat is stacked in the center, otherwise it goes in the laundry basket. Oh and we only use cloth napkins. It is better for the environment and it just feels nicer.

 

[Michelle67]

My table is covered...in crayon. Thanks to my grandson the artist.

Fortunately we found ourselves needing a new table a couple of years ago, and having a little boy of our own and a tiny grandson we went with a very inexpensive one from Ikea for now. So while my daughter kinda freaks out when her son scribbles all over my table, I don't actually care.

When we had a nicer table, I used tablecloths on holidays and placemats daily. Right now we don't bother with the placemats. I'll probably get them back out when my grandson is old enough not to try to do the tablecloth trick with them like minky says Christian does. He snatched them and spilled plates on the floor more than once before we stopped using them.

 

[PatsMom]

My dining room set is an antique oak table. I figure it has survived for 150 years and was probably never covered, so why cover it now? It has also been refinished once so preserving the finish isn't a huge issue. I enjoy the piece and would hate to cover it.

Like a PP we keep a stack of cloth placemats handy. We use those when we use the table. If clean, back in the stack. If someone was a slob, into the laundry basket.

Our informal dining area is an antique oak bar. We also use placemats on that.

 

[Rora]

I cover the table with either placements or a cloth when we have company over for dinner (rare..).

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

We generally eat in the kitchen (table that seats 6+). That table only gets covered for the holidays.

Our dining room table is covered at all times, but we never eat on the regular cover. My wife has dirrerent covers for different occassions / holidays. This table/room is only used when we have a party.

 

[donac]

You mean besides all the papers that my dh and ds put on it.

We do put a tablecloth on it for Christmas.