In my quest to complete my green and gray dining room, I've gravitated towards a few different lacquered tables. After reading a few reviews and comments online, though, I've been reconsidering that option.
My soon-to-be pale gray dining room already has a fair amount of wood — original pine flooring and a walnut sideboard, that is. I'd like to incorporate a distinctly different (non-brown) color and a new texture. My first choice was the Strut Table by Blu Dot, but recent comments over on Making it Lovely have made that seem like a downright bad idea. Scratching and chipping — despite the use of placemats — was the biggest complaint.
When I visited a local Crate & Barrel to check out their eerie similar "Walker" table, the salesperson suggested avoiding their gray and red lacquer and going for white. Her thinking was that it would be easier to match the color if I did need to cover up scratches. Bottom line, though, seems to be that a lacquered table just isn't durable in the long run.
Have you owned a lacquered dining table? How has it held up? Have you considered covering it with glass or plexiglass?
Image: Janel Laban
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Comments (15)
Hi... I have a lacquer table and had a thin sheet of glass put over top... does the trick.
Matching whites is a bitch.
I have the Blu Dot Strut table. Very east to clean and very durable. I've not had any trouble with scratches or chipping. I wouldn't bother covering it.
If you like the look, but are worried about scratches, then why not just use a glass top with it? I know people who have done so with wood, lacquered and even marble topped tables. Everything that gets used regularly will show wear in one form or another.
I have the Blu Dot strut table and have had zero issues with it at all. I would say its very durable. Good luck!
I have the Odyssey table from CB2 in white lacquer, which I realize is a far cry from either of these two, but it chipped and scratched quite easily after only a short time... and our family is just my toddler daughter and myself.
I purchased an IKEA Torsby sideboard in white laquer. The assembly instructions recommended wiping the surface with soap (I used dish soap) and water right after installation. After a couple minutes of internet research I find that a soap wash is also recommended for newly installed laquer floors.
So I suppose if you go to a hardware store and purchase a laquer soap or even apply a normal soap to your table after you buy it, you may find it to be more durable and show fewer scratches.
I use the BlueDot Strut table (in the watermelon color that is pictured) as a desk and it scratches VERY EASILY. If you look at the surface at an angle with light shining on it you'll see that it has a ton of very light scratches. I'm not sure how the others who posted about it's durability use it but the Strut table definitely scratches easily under normal use. That said, I really do not notice the scratches day-to-day as they are light in nature (but they are there!).
i have the cb2 slab table. i love it and get a lot of compliments on it. i only have one scratch on it from someone (not me!) dragging a heavy, not smooth bucket across the table... but it's not terrible and you have to look at the right angle to see it. i live in a low traffic house though.
I also have the Strut in watermelon, and also have tons of tiny scratches and one small chip. I'm planning on trying a polishing compound to get out the scratches, but there's only so many times you can do that, and I don't want to damage the finish further, so I've been hesitatant.
I still love it, though.
I'd just get a thin sheet of glass. Problem solved.
I don't know what your budget is but you can get a similar look by having an ironworks shop make a base for you and then getting a quartzite slab on top. Or make the base from quartzite as well.
my office uses the blue dot strut tables for desks. not heavy use here, just people at their computers. scratched easily, and something as simple as a women's bracelet or set of keys hitting it has made multiple nicks and chips in the enamel.
Ask Jenna Lyons.
We have a lacquer table from West Elm (the tripod table) in orange, and it's horribly scratched. We've only had it for a few months and use it as our dining table (albeit with no placemats). It also shows ALL spills, streaks, etc - there's no hiding any spots. No chips yet, but I will never buy a lacquered table again after my experience with this one.