The choice between a leg or pedestal table is a great place to start when making you dining room table selection. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.
The major considerations are
- Usable table top space
- Leg/foot Room
Usable Table Top Space:
- Leg Table:
You loose 6 to 10 inches of space on the corners depending on the leg size. If you choose a standard size leg, like the hoosier or shaker, you’ll loose about 6 inches per corner. If you choose a huge leg like the Montego (which is 5″ thick) you’ll loose upwards of 10 inches per corner. So basically if you have a 72″ long table the actual usable space on the top is only 4 – 5 feet. Another problem is that the legs themselves will take a beating from the side of the chair. So dings and dents will occur in a spot that can be seen easily. - Pedestal Table:
There is nothing to get in the way on the corners of the table so you can use every inch of it. This makes it easier to squeeze someone in if you have a surprise guest or want to seat more people everyday with a smaller table
Leg/foot Room:
- Leg Table:
There is nothing under the table to get in the way except other peoples feet and chairs that are pushed in. If you have family members that are tall leg tables will make everyone more comfortable. - Pedestal Table:
Everything that supports the table is under it so you have the pedestal(s) and it’s feet to contend with. Some pedestals have feet which mount quite high on the pedestal while others lay flat on the floor. Obviously the higher the feet the harder it is to move around and get comfortable. One of the drawbacks to a pedestal table is that when someone is sitting there they will inevitably kick and rub the feet. This leads to quicker wear and damage to the finish. If they happen to have a small rock stuck in the sole of their shoe this can quickly lead to a bad scratch. On the other hand, everything is hidden by the chairs so wear and tear wont be noticed. Unless, of course someone is actually pulling out the chairs and getting under the table to look
Here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- The pedestals are generally small enough that they don’t get in the way. It’s the feet that cause the problem.
- Damage from moving the chairs around is going to happen at some point. So expect it. The choice there is where do you want it to be. Under the table or hanging out on the corners
These are just some basic, first step things to think about when choosing your dining room or kitchen table
