Do you use a tablecloth while eating?

caronc

The dining table in my dining room is old farmhouse pine one (and 2nd hand when I bought it so it is probably 30-40 years old) and could tell a tale or three , on high days and holidays it is properly set but apart from that I'm happy with the rustic look so slate mats are used and if need be a bit of bleachy spray to shift things like curry stains. My kitchen table which I use if there's only a couple of us has a waxed cloth on it so just wipe and go. The kitchen table itself is pretty marked as the kids when they were young used it for arts & crafts so the cloth is a must. I bought the cloth from Amazon a few years ago for around £10 and it looks as good as new.:)

boliston

if i ever had room for a table (never owned a property with the luxury of that much space) i would want a nice wipeable surface NOT a cloth!

redlady_1

We have a new oak table and I have two white linen cloths which I just change when they get dirty, generally every 4 days or so. We have velux windows in the ditch and the sun would bleach the table if it wasn't protected.

gemmylou86

We have an extra large solid oak table - absolutely beautiful but well loved (I like that though) that was a steal on eBay for £50. Every time I polish it I marvel over how much the previous owners must have paid for it brand new!
Anyway, we have a through lounge and as it goes well with our other furniture it's always uncovered, although maybe a pretty runner at Christmas time. I've got 2 small girls though so it takes a bit of a beating but I just don't really like the look of a table cloth, but that's just personal preference

Silvertabby

When it's just the two of us we eat in the kitchen at a small round table with a glass topper. Really easy to keep clean - just a quick wipe with a dettox wet wipe.

When we have company, however, we use the oak dining room table with a nice white cloth over a full sized heat proof cover.

charlies-aunt

Our dining table large and old (a bit like me!) - dark oak. I have a table protector cloth on, then a large plain white starched tablecloth overlaid diagonally with a embroidered tablecloth. Leave it on to have meals and just change the embroidered loth weekly as it keeps the bottom white one clean for weeks.


Not trying to be 'posh'! its I am lucky that I have 'inherited' a large stash of embroidered cloths of all shapes and sizes - it seems a shame not to use them . . . the starching is a bit of a chore but it does help to keep them cleaner longer.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Oilcloth here. Solves all issues and incredibly cheap online.

kippers

Yes we use a tablecloth everytime we eat dinner together.......saturday is the only day we dont eat at the table as its h/m pizza night whilst we watch rubbish tv lol

YORKSHIRELASS

We always had an oilcloth on the dining table but then when the kids got to about 15 years old I decided it wasnt needed any more and binned it. Then one day I noticed that a huge scratch had appeared on the table - and the mystery of how it happened has never been solved. (The teenagers blame the dog but that's another story).

Still undecided whether to cover it up or not. Do like the look of it without a cloth except for special occasions - and it is scratched now anyway so another mark or two is not going to matter too much!