I have a Dinec dining table, solid birch, pepper stain finish.

Within 3 months of careful use, we had areas of heat damage at spots where warm dishes were placed on cork/felt trivets on top of chillewich placemats or coffee mugs were placed on placemats. There was even one area where the table took on the pattern of a chillewich placemat in the centre of the table where nothing warm had been placed and was not sun-exposed. After ++negotiating with the retailer, they replaced the table on the grounds that the finish was not applied properly and therefore may have been more susceptible to damage. Now, within 6 months of even more careful use of the new table, we have an area of heat damage when a pot of soup was placed on a 1-INCH thick solid wood board on top of a placemat. It is worth noting, that there is absolutely no heat damage on the board which was in direct contact with the pot.

I have years of eating at tables under my belt and know the value of good furniture and treat it accordingly. I have never been so afraid to put a cup of coffee on a placemat at my kitchen table. Has anyone else experienced this issue with Dinec? Are these tables just not meant to use in a practical way? Are some finishes more sensitive than others?