Marble dining table made to your measurements

What kind of marble dining table can you order?

A marble dining table from us is always made to order: you give us the measurements and tell us the shape and the kind of stone you want, and we make the table to match. The same goes for a small kitchen table for two or four, or a long table for a big family. It can be round, rectangular, oval or another shape, as long as it can be made from marble. You also choose the thickness of the stone, the edge and the finish, all covered below.

Every table is unique, for two reasons. It is made to your measurements, so there is no identical table waiting anywhere. And marble is natural stone: its shade and veining change from slab to slab and even within one slab, so no two tables come out the same. The finished table will therefore not look exactly like a photo or another table. The stone comes from Iran, and the Iranian marble page explains what kinds of stone come from there.

The size of a one-piece table is limited by the slab, and slabs are often about 240-250 cm long and 120-140 cm wide. If you need a longer table, say so in your quote request and we will explain the options. We make the table, not the chairs; choosing chairs is covered in the dining set section below.

What size dining table do you need?

Start with the number of diners: each person needs at least about 60 cm of table edge, and about 70-76 cm is comfortable. The table should be at least 80 cm wide and ideally 90-100 cm, so that place settings on opposite sides fit. If chairs go at the ends as well, choose a table about 100 cm wide.

The lower ends of these ranges are tight, so pick the upper end if you want room to spare. The 220 × 100 cm table in the drawing at the top of the page is sized generously for six: three chairs on each long side, about 73 cm each.

How many chairs fit around a round table?

A round table 80 cm across seats two, 100-115 cm seats four, 110-120 cm seats five and 130-150 cm seats six. Round and oval tables often fit more people around them than a table with corners.

How much space does a dining table need around it?

Allow at least about 80 cm from the table edge to the wall or the nearest furniture, so that a chair can be pulled out and sat on. Kitchen planning guidelines step the distance up depending on whether anyone passes behind the diners:

A round table usually needs more room than a rectangular one, because it cannot be pushed against a wall. A round table 120 cm across with 90 cm clear all round takes up an area of about 3 × 3 metres; a 200 × 100 cm table with the same clearance needs about 3.8 × 2.8 metres.

Round, rectangular or oval?

A round table suits a square room and a small group, a rectangular one suits a long room and a big group, and an oval sits between the two. Around a round table everyone can see each other, and it works well in a bay window. A rectangular table is easy to place against a wall, and a bench can be tucked under it. An oval combines the seating of a long table with the cornerless shape of a round one.

The shape also affects the base: a round table often stands on a single central pedestal, a long one on two bases or four legs. Bases are covered further down.

Marble dining set: which chairs go with the table?

We make the marble table, not the chairs, so you are free to choose the chairs for your dining set wherever you like. The table should still be sized around them, so include the chair measurements in your quote request.

• Width. Chairs with armrests need more room than slim chairs without them, so size the length of the table to the chairs you will actually use.
• Legs. Legs at the corners usually take up about 20-25 cm of the table edge, so place the seats between the legs. A central pedestal or end bases keep the sides free.
• Knee space. Each diner needs about 61 cm of width and 46 cm of depth under the table. If a large top needs a support frame underneath, the frame must not eat into that space, and armrests have to clear the frame if you want to push the chairs in.
• Bench. A bench tucks under a rectangular table and takes less room than a row of chairs.

Black, light or veined: which marble suits a dining table?

The best stone for a dining table is one where everyday marks do not stand out: a honed or brushed finish and lively veining are the most forgiving. A marble’s style comes from three things: colour, veining and finish.

A black marble dining table looks its most striking when polished, but in daily use dull marks stand out clearly on a glossy surface. If the table will work hard, consider a honed finish, even though it lightens the shade. Iranian marbles include cream and ivory stones, beige with reddish and yellowish veins, silver grey with fine white veins, dark grey with white veins, and black, either with white veins or almost plain. Tell us the style you are after and we will suggest stones. Colours and veining are covered in more detail in the guide to marble types and colours.

How thick and how heavy is a marble dining table?

Marble has a density of about 2.7 g/cm³, so a 2 cm slab weighs about 54 kg per square metre and a 3 cm slab about 81 kg. A 200 × 100 cm top on its own therefore weighs about 108 kg in 2 cm stone and about 162 kg in 3 cm stone.

The weights are for the stone top only and can differ by a few per cent depending on the stone. The base comes on top of that.

Table tops are usually recommended at 2 cm. A thicker 3 cm top can overhang further, but weighs half as much again. You can also get a thick-looking edge without the extra weight by mitring it: a strip of the same stone is joined to the edge of the top at 45 degrees, so the veining carries on over the edge. A 200 × 100 cm table made this way, with an edge that looks 6 cm thick, weighs about 121 kg, where a solid 6 cm top would weigh about 324 kg. A mitre cut from 2 cm stone is, however, more prone to chipping than one cut from 3 cm stone.

A stone top of more than 100 kg is not carried by one person or flat, because natural stone does not take bending well; slabs are carried on edge. When the table is ready, we come and install it.

What kind of base carries a marble dining table?

The base has to carry the weight of the stone and support the top so that no edge sticks out too far without support. The rules of thumb:

• The stone should overhang the base or support frame by no more than about 20 cm on any side. For a thin 2 cm top the cautious limit without support is about 15 cm, and for 3 cm marble about 20-25 cm.
• The overhang should be no more than a third of the width of the top.
• A top larger than about 60 × 60 cm needs a support structure underneath, such as a glulam board or a metal frame, unless the base supports the stone right to the edges.
• Do not leave a long unsupported stretch between two supports: a natural stone design manual gives about 90 cm as the unsupported span between two supports for stone about 3 cm thick.

A central pedestal leaves the most room for chairs and suits a round table, but it has to be wide and heavy enough to carry the top. On a long table, two bases or four legs spread the weight and support the top closer to its edges. Tell us in your quote request what kind of base you would like, with a photo or sketch, and we will explain how the stone will be supported. If you already have a base or an old table and only want the stone, see marble table top.

Will a marble table cope with wine, lemon and vinegar?

Not entirely: acids etch a dull mark into marble, even when the surface is sealed. Lemon, vinegar, wine, fruit juice, fizzy drinks and acidic cleaners can all leave a mark. An etch is a pale, dull spot where the surface of the stone has dissolved. A stain is a darker or coloured patch where something has soaked into the stone. Sealing (impregnating) slows absorption and helps against stains, but it does not protect against etching.

Etching is cosmetic and does not weaken the stone. It shows more on a polished surface than on a honed one, and a marble surface can be honed and polished again many times. A few habits are enough in daily life:

• Blot wine, lemon and coffee straight away with kitchen paper or a cloth; wiping spreads them.
• Use coasters under glasses and a trivet under hot dishes.
• Wash the table with mild washing-up liquid or stone soap and warm water, then dry it.
• Reseal when needed. Depending on the stone and the use, the interval ranges from a year to more than ten years.

Removing stains and repairing etch marks is covered in the guide to marble cleaning and care.

A marble kitchen table

A kitchen table meets fruit, juice and vinegar more often than a dining room table, so a honed finish and regular sealing make particular sense there. If you want the same stone for your kitchen worktop as well, mention it in your quote request: slabs ordered at different times can come from different batches and differ slightly in shade. Worktops are covered on the marble kitchen countertops page.

Real marble or a marble look?

Check what the top is made of before you compare prices. If the product description says ceramic, sintered stone, glass, MDF or marble effect, the top is not marble. The stone trade also calls travertine and some limestones marble, although geologically they are not. Weight is a good clue: a real 2 cm marble top weighs about 54 kg per square metre, so a round top 120 cm across weighs about 61 kg on its own. All the ways to tell are collected on the marble coffee table page.

What drives the price of a marble dining table?

The price depends above all on the size of the table, the thickness of the stone and the stone you choose. Shape, edge, finish, base and installation also play a part.

• Size. The amount of stone grows with the area, and a very long table needs a large slab.
• Thickness. A 3 cm top contains half as much stone again as a 2 cm top.
• Stone. Prices differ from one type of stone to another.
• Shape. Round and oval tops are cut from a rectangular slab. When a round top is cut from a square, about a fifth of the stone is left over.
• Edge and finish. Mitred and shaped edges take more work than a straight edge.
• Base and support frame. A large top needs a sturdier structure.
• Installation. A heavy top has to be carried in and installed.

You get the price as a quote once you send your measurements and wishes: request a quote.

How to order a marble dining table

1. Measure the room and choose the table size by the number of diners. For what to measure, see the measuring guide.
2. Send the measurements, the shape, the style of stone you like and a photo of the room through the quote request. You will find the payment terms in the quote and again in the order confirmation.
3. Before we start, you receive an order confirmation with the measurements, stone, thickness, edges and any cut-outs. You check it and accept it in writing.
4. Making takes about 6 weeks. There are no ready-made tables in stock: each one is made to order to your measurements.
5. When the table is ready, we agree a day and come to install it.

The how to order page walks through the rest of the process.

Can a made-to-measure table be returned?

No, but your statutory rights still apply. Because the table is made to the measurements and shape you give us, the 14-day right of withdrawal under the Finnish Consumer Protection Act does not apply (chapter 6, section 16(1)(3)). You can still cancel the order before delivery: you then pay the costs already incurred that would otherwise be wasted, plus reasonable compensation (chapter 5, sections 25 and 28), and the earlier you cancel, the smaller the amount. If the table is faulty, you can always report it within at least two months of noticing the fault, and you choose whether it is repaired or replaced. Because we install the table ourselves, faulty installation also counts as a defect in the product. On top of the law, we do everything we can to make sure you are happy: if anything worries you, tell us. The details are in our order terms.