slo’s TUESDAY poll - Placemats On Your Kitchen Table

[Micca]

I have a glass kitchen table so I don't like the sound of dishes against the glass or things clanking on the glass

Same here. We use placemats whenever we eat, after the meal the placemats are removed.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I own some, but rarely use them anymore, as my kitchen table is kind of beyond the "protecting" stage. (It really needs to be refinished, but I'm a little scared of that project!)

 

[ten6mom]

Yes because the "children" in my family (14, 15, 16 and 48!) are slobs when they eat. Placemats help me keep the tablecloth a little cleaner a little longer. I have a gorgeous teak dining room table that no one ever sees because I'm reluctant to let them eat on it...

 

[disykat]

I never used them until recently, just a plain table for everyday and a tablecloth for holidays.

However, I just spent a whole lot of time refinishing our table as a pandemic project. I am currently using placemats at the two places we sit out everyday. I don't plan to use them when I have a table full of people, except for at holidays when I will use a tablecloth. I just want the table to wear evenly.

Even though four people sat at the table every day for the first 15 years we had it, and we had kids coming and going after that, I could tell a difference in the wear at the two spots just DH and I have been using day in and day out for the last 8 - 10 years.

 

[Skippy918]

We use placemats when we are eating. It helps keep the tablecloth clean a little longer and my kids can be messy eaters.

 

[Diznotyzed]

Yes, for all 40 years of our marriage, even though my grown daughters have let me know they think they're out of fashion. I like the protection.

 

[Imzadi]

When we first started using placemats, I had stoneware plates with an unglazed "foot" at the bottom. They were scuffing the table, so we got placemats.

There is a simple fix for this. Wet the back of the plate. Turn the stoneware plate over so the unglazed foot is facing up. Set it firmly on the table so it won't move. Place it on a placemat or cloth if necessary. Take any other stoneware mug or plate. Wet the bottom of that foot. Leave it with the foot face down, and rub the two unglazed feet together. Stoneware will smooth stoneware. (A porcelain mug will do it too.)

The other unglazed foot must be stoneware or porcelain. Do NOT use the cheap dollar store mugs that are usually made of cheaper, brittle earthenware to do this. It isn't as strong as stoneware, so you'd just be roughing up that surface or chipping it instead of smoothing the stoneware foot. Although, if an earthenware mug, bowl or plate is unsmooth, a smooth stoneware foot will smooth it since it is the stronger surface.

Alternately, one can get a white tile smoothing stone from the tile dept at Home Depot. Get one 80 grit or higher. Just rub the wet foot against the flat side.

https://www.custombuildingproducts.com/products/tools-accessories/

 

[design_mom]

^^ Well, huh. I did *not* know that!

 

[mrsheppo]

I have about 20 sets of placemats. We use them on our table every day. I do have some seasonal ones for Thanksgiving and Christmas