To buy a vintage teak table with children?

[thinkingtoomuchagain]

I saw a vintage G Plan table for sale and I love it! But I know we will not be hugely careful about not putting mugs on it, controlling spills etc -- we can try, but I don't want to freak out about it all the time.

Those of you who have vintage teak tables -- how much do you have to protect the wood or is it fairly durable? If not, what kind of table (besides formica and glass) WOULD be more durable, less easily stained, etc.

Thanks!

It isn’t durable at all. Even a splash of water makes white marks. I have a teak coffee table and I had to teach the kids not to touch it or put stuff on it. My dining table is just plain wooden planks that I can scrub.

Forget the G Plan table. You will be too stressed trying to protect it. Get a plain pine bomb proof kitchen table - the more dents, scratches and stains the better - adds a patina and character!

We have a teak McIntosh dining table and an early E Gomme sideboard. Admittedly the table was inherited and the sideboard was bought when vintage wasn't fashionable so I only paid £150 on ebay for it (the same sideboard now sells for £1000 on vinterior!) so it's never been 'precious'. We have 3DC and have an oilcloth over the dining table (much less stressful than constantly worrying about the table). I'd recommend not leaving slime on the sideboard overnight, it completely lifted the lacquer 😱 but at some point I'll give it a light sand and reoil. The veneer is thick enough to cope with a bit of abuse and the scratches etc are all part of the patina of age which makes the pieces attractive.

Aargh, I think I'll avoid it as I will just worry too much. Could you use just an IKEA table with no tablecloth?

How much is it? If it's say £50 on Facebook marketplace etc, rather than for several hundred (or more) on Vinterior or similar, then get it. If it is on Vinterior, google til you find it cheaper elsewhere! I have a few pieces of MCM teak furniture, bought from local dealers or Facebook for a hell of a lot less than they're selling for on Vinterior, and the kids (2 and 8) haven't managed to cause much damage yet beyond light scratches that will probably buff out or at most, need a light sand. Not going to bother until the 2yo is a bit less careless!

I have a marble-topped dining table which has a bad scar. I do care, but I still love the table, and I'd rather have that gorgeous table which makes me smile than the much more practical but boring one I had before. If the teak table will make you happy every time you look at it, scratches, stains or no, then get it. There are plenty of experts who can refinish it for you so it looks brand new in a few years, and plenty of special products to keep it going in the meantime.

My mum has a mahogany dining suite which she loves. For dinner it was always covered in two tablecloths - the lower, a slightly padded mat cut to the shape of the table, and the upper, a textured linen drape, and then we had to use placemats on top, doubled up for anything hot! It has kept it in perfect condition for nearly 40yrs, but it's a very old-fashioned style and she's disappointed that after all that effort keeping it nice, none of us want it! Buy it, use it as intended, and love it, don't try to keep it perfect 'for best'.

we've got a GP table, it was pretty shabby when we got it so i'm not particularity precious over it. i've refinished it a couple of times, a very light sand and re-oil and it comes up well. that said they're veneer so you need to go VERY light on the sand

Get something like this. Vintage but practical.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BM5Gvm2jNtP/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Mine is real wood, not g plan but similar.
The top need re-finishing after two decades of family life, but as it's real wood that's easy enough.

Can you add a table protector and a nice cloth?

Get it and use oilcloth.

I've got a G Plan teak table and chairs in my dining room. My 3 DC and a Foster Son have not harmed it. It had an oil cloth down when the DC were young. Now they are adults the oil cloth only comes out 2 times a year when DGC visit. The table is still in perfect condition. I polish it with Pledge and it has a lovely shine. It's over 30 years old yet honestly looks like new. G Plan were built to last.

We've got an extendable G-Plan (although it was under £20 charity shop) and it's very solid but stains easily. We normally have a tablecloth, but this thread makes me think we should just go with it and let it look used 😆

I inherited a gorgeous extendable 1960s teak table. We usually keep it covered with a heat protector under an oilcloth and only have it uncovered at Christmas or other very special occasions. It is absolutely gorgeous, but rarely gets seen.

We have a 1920s drinks cabinet in the living room and a nearly three year old. Antiques and kids can work.

However, I will say, he is less careful about my new mango wood table 🤦🏻‍♀️

We have a wooden dining table, not G Plan but it’s nice and it marks easily.

We have a fitted oilcloth that lives on it permanently unless we have dinner guests. One day, when the DC are out of the spilling stuff and leaving lids off pens phase, we will take it off and enjoy the table.

If this table is rare and unlikely to be available in a few years then I would suggest this approach. Wipeeasytablecloths do the fitted oilcloths.

We have one and had a bespoke smoked glass top made to put on it, looks great and has protected it perfectly. Wasn't too pricey either, less than £100 I think 10 years ago, Stevenage Glass, Hertfordshire.

We had a teak g plan table growing up. We got smacked for spilling on it all the time, not worth the anxiety!

I iron my vintage teak furniture surfaces a couple of times a year. Use a flat tea towel (glass cloth) and a hot iron. It brings out the oil and the white rings vanish after a few passes. Quite fun. Very bad marks just take a bit more ironing. Works on other hardwoods but maybe don’t try it on French polished antique furniture. Lots of kids have put and spilled drinks on mine - its in the family room.

We have g plan, macintosh, Nathan, infact everything we have is vintage. We use vintage kitchen ware, Woods Ware, Hornsea, Poole. The kids (2 and 3) are just taught to respect it.
I have a thick protector and pvc table cloth under the fabric table Cloth with place mats on the dining table. Our 50s coffee table is tiled as that's the one the kids put their drinks on, but even at their age the know not to put it on the edge. The only thing i've put out of the way is the g plan stacking tables and my gorgous manakin (but more due to the cats than the kids).