Wow. My pad is really old. It was my grandmothers. But I know that BB&B sell them for a whole lot less than $925.

I don't think BB&B sells the rigid kind.

Joyce, Try the Original Factory Direct Table Pads site. I got an online quote a few years ago of about $350 for a table that is 126 inches with two leaves in. It sounded reasonable to me, but since our kids were mostly grown and never did harm the table, I didn't buy it. If i was doing craft work or office work on the table i would definitely buy a pad. As it is, we have a very heavy felt cloth that goes down under the tableclorhs, and we usually use chargers. I did have several wide runners made that go across the width of the table, not down the length. These are decorative, help break up the expanse of mahogany and provide protection from the candlesticks and vases of flowers I like to keep on the table.

We have a regular pad from BBB and have zero problems. Stuff gets spilled all the time and it never gets through. What is the benefit of a rigid pad?

I bought a rigid pad years ago for one of my tables and never really used it. I'm sorry that I don't remember what I paid for it, but I remember that it was expensive and was purchased from Sentry. I prefer the ease of use of the felt backed vinyl even though it's kind of a pain to get the creases out. You can even find those at Tuesday Morning and other discount places in addition to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

With both the rigid and the vinyl versions, you have to use a tablecloth over it, so I see no advantage to the rigid ones. If I were going to use a table every day without a cloth, I would consider buying a glass top to cover and protect the wood, using spacers so the wood could breathe. Of course, that wouldn't work for times when the leaves are in.

Our rigid pads are also very old. I love having the pad for formal dinners or informal ones when I use a tablecloth. No need to worry about putting hot dishes directly on the table. I am not familiar with the vinyl versions, but I wonder if they protect as well against heat which is the only reason I use the pads.

The vinyl ones will protect against moderate heat like a dinner plate with food, but not from a casserole straight from the oven or a serving dish filled with something straight from the stove. I use trivets under those sorts of dishes.

We purchased ours 20 years ago when our dining room set was new. I remember that we were not happy with how expensive they were.

They were worth it though. The pads really protect the table and provide a hard surface in case you want to do anything else at the table besides eating. There's been lots of homework and crafting done on ours.

I think we bought ours from an ad in the back of a home magazine.

Your price does sound somewhat high so I would shop around.

Thank you all for your responses. Now I'm second guessing my decision. I still feel the rigid (expensive!) one would protect the table more. I looked at the one at BB&B, it looks like it's got some thickness to it. I'm wondering if it "soft". Would glasses, etc, tip easily?

We use a vinyl felt-backed one for formal dinners with a tablecloth, and place mats otherwise. We've never had a problem with glasses tipping and, like others, use trivets for really hot things. I don't like the rigid ones, don't want to leave that on the table and they're harder to store. $925 seems like way too much to me.

Funny that you post this because I just got mine yesterday! I bought a dining room set off Craigslist last month, and I ordered my pads from Sentry table pads on line. They have great customer service, and the pads (table and two leaves) cost a total of $210. I can't imagine why any such pads would cost $925. Do check out the website--I think they currently have a sale/free shipping.

Just went to Sentry site-sale is 25% off plus free shipping plus free rush delivery now. I may replace our old ones if they have what I need. Off to browse! Thanks marita40!

We have had both types of pads. Currently we use the soft felt/vinyl pads. I have two sizes, depending on how many leaves are in the table. It's much easier than when we had the former dining table w/ the rigid pads. I used to hate lugging them out of the closet, unzipping them, putting them on the table and locking them into place. Now I go to the linen closet, chose a tablecloth and the appropriate pad and can make up the table in far less time.

We had a dinner party last night, with plenty of different glasses for various wines. We have never had a problem with stability or anything staining or marking the table.

If we put a hot casserole on the table we use a trivet but otherwise hot platters and such can go on the table w/ the felt pad and tablecloth as protection.

We use or DR frequently so I am all for making it easy!

we bought one for our dining table from the furniture store where we bought our table...almost 20 years ago. i don't remember what the price was---i do remember it wasn't cheap, but don't think it was near that expensive---i'm thinking maybe about 1/3 that. we might have gotten a 'deal' on it tho since we bought furniture too, i don't know. i would shop around, but i do think a rigid pad is the best way to go for a nice table.
i only use it when having a formal dinner with a table cloth--otherwise, i leave the table bare with a table runner.

I use the vinyl/felt pad only when we have a sit down dinner with company. I also use trivets for hot dishes.

Do you plan on leaving the pad up full time? If so I would think the wood would need to breathe. Right now I have a table cloth on with no pad. We had guests over last week and I just used trivets and placemats, no pad.

Right now my pad is in the LR on top of a table where I'm doing crafts. I can use my scizzors, glue, etc.

$925 seems like an awful lot to pay for a table pad. The quote we got a couple years ago was $250 and I thought that was high! Generally I put hot things on a trivet or in a chafing dish. I also typically use placemats as well. It just seemed like too much energy for me to bother with the rigid table cover. Now if I could figure something out to protect the table cloth - lol! A good table cloth can cost a ton of money.

WOW WOW I know mine is maybe 18-20 years old but its still perfect and i love it. I dont remember spending more than 200.00 and it is a nice color which matches my mahogany and has soft velvet material on its backing. It also is very easy to clip together when i unfold it with these magnetic hinges in the center. I believe I ordered from a company in the back of a magazine. even 20 years later I find 925 way overpriced
good luck

Nope, no table pad here. Our table has a waxed/buffed finish and it works great to repel liquids. I am not a big table cloth person (prefer runners, teacloths, etc.). Also, I rarely have serving dishes on the table, so no worries about temps, etc.

tina

Mine are totally shot, because I use my DR table for cutting fabric, pinning fabric to the pads in certain
instances...not to mention they're just about 40 years old.

We were going to make our own in 4 sections (the table is 7 foot) we have lots of old paneling...we plan on glueing felt on the bottom side, and vynil on the top side. Each of the four section would be about 21" x 3'6"...the two leaves are 12" x 42" ...in the mean time, I bought a big
vynil tablecloth and use that underneath my cloth table cloth.
Truthfully, the vynil tablecloth is working out fine, so
no hurry making new pads, as I store them in my guest
room upstairs, and it's a Pita getting them and putting them away...
I still use my ratty ones for cutting fabric.

Oops, thought I posted again, but apparently never did. Anyway, the sale is 25% off with free shipping and free rush shipping now.

I need to call them because ours fold and I don't think these do, so they would be harder to carry and store. Our pads for each leaf fold in half and the end pieces fold in thirds to make a smaller rectangle with one curved end (oval table). Guess I may end up keeping the ragged old things. :( Still, theirs look really well-made.

UPDATE: The guy from tablepads.com kept calling me for the past month, so finally I traced out the pattern for our table and sent to him. He came back with a new quote of $450, which includes 2 pads when there are no leaves in the table (54" round), and a pad for each of the 18" X 54" leaves. The table is 162" when fully extended. This is their "BEST" pad with lifetime guarantee. Price includes shipping and handling. So it's on order. This is half of what he was quoting me before. It's a big table, and this price is in line with others I checked with.

I went to the fabric store and bought fabric backed vinyl and cut it to fit my table top....actually I cut 3....one for the table with leaves and without. I roll them up around a cardboard tube when not in use. It protects from wet and scratching, is comfortable to lean on, no seams, easy to store and a whole lot less than $950.

I think it depends on how long you plan to keep your table. My MIL bought table pads (rigid, fake wood grain) in 1949 to protect her dining table. Today that table lives in my dining room and it is in mint condition, just like the pads.

She doesn't remember how much her pads cost but I'm certain they were not cheap. They totally work..

I've had mine from Sentry since this post and really like them--so glad I sprung for them! On sale I think mine were about $250 total: small table, two leaves. I don't think anyone mentioned cats, but the main reason I need to protect my table top is that my cats jump on it and scratch it when doing so. At least this was my experience with my former dining table. This new (new to me, from Craigslist) dining set has a pristine top and I didn't want that to happen again! But I also like the pads as a work surface for the occasional times I pull out my sewing machine.

I didn't realize you had a round table, Joyce----in that case I think a rigid custom table pad is your best option. A soft felt might not not lay down smoothly over the sides of the table and could present a bunched appearance under a cloth. The rigid pad will allow your tablecloths to hang properly . Just be sure to add that extra quarter or half inch to the table height when ordering tablecloths if you want them to the floor.

I ordered my new rigid pad from Guardian -- I worked for a furniture store for a while, and we always used Guardian for the table pads. Their customer service and quality is excellent.

I use the rigid pad when we have friends/family for dinner. It puts my mind (as well as my guest's) at ease that my table will be protected. It also works perfectly when we play board or dice games.

We have never used pads. When I don't use a cloth, I use placemats with some heft to them.

But under my tablecloths, I use what we've always (from my grandmother down) called a "silencer," which is a piece of very thick flannel cut about a foot smaller than the tablecloth. I keep tablecloths hung on drapery hangers in my dining room closet, and I hang the silencers behind the ones they fit.

Good thick flannel is hard to find these days, so I've been using felt fabric in recent years. It feels soft, and makes the cloth seem much more substantial - and it does make putting things down very quiet!

My daughter uses a soft waterproof mattress pad as a silencer under a cloth when she expects very young diners to be messy.

B, I'm assuming you iron your cloths before you hang them up? Do you have to iron them again to get the creases out? I love tablecloths but I sure do hate ironing them!

We're considering buying a new table and chairs (looking at an Amish cherry table), but we don't want to deal with tablecloths, pads, etc. Will we regret that? I like the beauty of wood and this would be our only dining table--as well as a place to hang out and play games.

Folks....why spend all this money? 90% of table pads consist of three materials. Fiber board, vinyl faux leather and felt. I just purchased enough material from home depot and a fabric store to do two different dinning room tables for only $140. I suggest you get 1/2 inch MDF hardboard (otherwise known as panel fiber board) - costs about $23 for a 4ft x 8ft sheet.

If you really want to go high end you would need to find 1/8th or 1/16th aluminum sheeting and sandwich that between two sheets of 1/4" inch pieces of fiber board. The aluminum is a heat reflective surface that can withstand up to 550 degrees heat. The aluminum sheet will definitely increase both cost and difficulty in making the pads

However, simply using the 1/2 MDF will do for most folks and will resist heats up to about 300 degrees.

1. Cut MDF to panel size (ex: 18" x 46")

2. Cut vinyl to 2" larger than MDF panel (ex: 20" x 48")

3. Cut felt to same size as the vinyl (ex: 20" x 48")

4. With smooth side of MDF panel up, use spray adhesive glue, fully coat the top of the MDF panel and attach/press vinyl (smooth side up) to the MDF...leaving 1" excess all the way around the MDF panel. Tightly stretch the vinyl and roll out all bubbles to fully smooth the surface.

5. Apply adhesive glue to each side edge and stretch excess vinyl over the edges. For extra strength you can also staple the vinyl into the edges - make certain the staples do no protrude.

6. Flip the panel over so the vinyl is face down and trim away the excess (about 1/2") vinyl from all the edges.

7. With the exposed MDF board now facing up, apply adhesive glue to the entire surface and carefully place and set the felt fabric to the panel. apply from one side of panel and stretch to the other side before setting all the felt down - once you do the felt fabric will become very tacky and messy thus you want to get it right the first time so you won't have to pull it back up and reset it.

8. Again, stretch it tight, roll out any bubbles and make the felt surface smooth and trim away any excess edges.

9. Let dry and voila - you now have a table pad!!!

10. Repeat as many times as necessary to cover entire table in sections.

TIP: If you made it this far and found it to be easy to do...as it should be...then you can get creative as I have done and made folding pads so they are connected and easy to store. If you do this, make certain that you fold from the vinyl side so that when a pad is in the folded position the felt sides are facing out. If you do this, you will understand why after its done. :-)

For above tip for folding table pads:

1. Cut vinyl twice the width of a single panel - plus 1" all the way around. (ex: 1 panel: 18" x 46" - then cut vinyl to 38" x 48")

2. You will now reverse above steps and first apply felt to the underside of each MDF panel> However, you will need to pull and glue the excess felt up along the 1 edge of where both panels will fold against each other. This covers the inside of the fold with felt. Cut away the excess felt from the three remaining edges from each panel.

3. Turn the MDF panels right side up - so the felt is now facing down - and press the two panels (with the felt edges) together. Now glue and apply the one large vinyl piece to the entire two panel section and repeat steps 5 & 6 from above.

4. After drying, the vinyl side of the panel will fold back on to each other and the two felt bottoms will be facing out.

I bought a custom rigid pad for my cherry wood dining room table when I bought the table about 20 years ago. We had to order it. I am still using it and really love it for family get togethers. I don't have to worry about hot dishes or spills. It has an almost wood look on the top so that I can actually leave it on the table with a lace tablecloth over it if I want and it looks like wood underneath the tablecloth. I remember it being expensive at the time, close to $300.00.

I have the rigid pads that fold for storage and really like them. I've found putting them in plastic bags under a bed is a good spot to store them. When I bought mine years ago, there were two price levels depending on the heat they could tolerate. I got the ones with more heat protection and love that I can iron my tablecloths right on the table.

Have you tried Ohio Table Pad Company? They have been around forever and have good prices.

Times change. It seems today, with all the farm table styles, there is less desire/need for covering up table tops.

And, the choice for protection, if needed, is tempered glass. Often there IS a need as the popular dark expresso tops of the PB ilk tend to show most every scratch. By the way, you can also select glass which is heat protected to high levels.

~bgj

kswl2: "rollinger...lol?" ...and this means???

Hmmm, saw that this was an old post that was resurrected but am now thankful it was. A pad that would allow me to iron the tablecloth on the table? That would be wonderful.

rolinger1972, I admire your ambition that's for sure! It seems like a really overwhelming project; not one I'd likely tackle but good on ya!

It would never occur to me to get a pad for a dining table. In fact, I haven't thought about them for about 50 years when I was still helping my mom set the table for company.

http://www.bergerstablepads.net - purchased a really nice pad from these folks -- my table is a simulated live edge and they were able to make a custom pad (in three pieces that magnetically connect) for around $300 -- table is 38" x 96". They offer "good", "better", "best" options, but will upgrade you to "best" for the cost of the others (they did for me anyway). Great customer service (friendly, prompt delivery).

Also got BergerPads in May of 2010, dont remember which of these we got but guessing for a $500 dining 4seat dining set, we went with just the good (especially since I'd only wanted black anyway). Its textured, really like it. We have a new table we'll still get 2nd quote on but will only consider if its significantly lower then the Berger ones for our current table.

MAY 2010
For a square cornered table pad 54” x 54” Pricing are as follows:
Best – Any Color / Any Bottom – Unconditional Lifetime Warranty $291.60
Better – Any Solid Color / Brown Cotton Bottom Only – 15 Year Warranty $233.28
Good – Black Solid Only / Brown Cotton Only – 5 Year Warranty $174.96
(Prices include $.01 per square inch for the magnets)
We Guarantee to meet or beat any reasonable price offer!

I always use a thin pad on our mahoghany table under a tablecloth. You don't need a rigid one, just get a fabric one - WAY cheaper and much easier to store. If you're going to put something boiling hot on the table then put it on a trivet or a hard-backed placemat for extra insurance.

Rollinger, the process you describe would take someone who has never used those materials at least ten hours --- assuming the person even had the proper tools to cut mdf and a workspace other than the dining table in which to make it. That said, after $140 in materials (again assuming no tools have to be purchased) you're looking at $16 per hour for your labor to create a homemade product upon which the tablecloth might not even lay flat. Trying to save $160 under those circumstances would seem penny wise and pound foolish, and thought you might be gently funning.

While i admire your ambition that level of DIY is way beyond the described abities of most posters, especially ME, lol!

Do you have leftover marble, granite or can you buy a few pieces that match your countertops or that you would love on your DR table. Put felt backing on them and use for trivets with glass covering the table. It's a very attractive look, particularly if your stone is a dark color similar to your table.

I used little stick-on things under the glass for the table top, placed at intervals around the perimeter that are about 1/4-1/2 inch diameter (felt stuff) to prevent moisture collecting under the glass. I use the remnants of my absolute black granite onto which I put felt padding on the bottom. I set these on the table before placing hot food containers.

My wife and I have Thomas Moser table that needed protected. I called Zach @ bergers and he took care of us! We've had table pads in the past but these were much nicer (sturdier) than any we've previous owned! We didn't want to go cheap on a 2000.00+ table. Price was competitive and well worth it!