A dining table is the one piece of stone in a house that people look at for hours at a time, which is why it is worth spending the selection time on. If the table is 1.8 metres or longer it will usually need most of a slab, and that means the whole top can come from one piece with the veining running continuously end to end. Below that size there is often enough left over for a bookmatched pair — two halves opened like a book so the pattern mirrors down the centre line.
Thickness is a design decision rather than a structural one. 20 mm mitred to a 60 or 80 mm apparent edge gives the heavy monolithic look without an unliftable top. Solid 30 mm is honest, heavy, and the right answer for a round table where a mitre would have to be curved.
Round tops are cut on the CNC from a single piece and are limited by slab width — beyond about 1.5 metres diameter you are looking for an unusually large slab, and the choice of stone narrows sharply. Rectangular tops have no such limit.
On material: marble is the classic and will etch and mark with use, which many people accept as patina and some do not. Quartzite looks like marble and behaves like granite, and is the answer for a family that will not use coasters. Granite is the most forgiving of all. Whatever the stone, seal it before it is used and expect to re-seal periodically.
Specification at a glance
- 20 mm mitred, or solid 30 mm
- Rectangular, oval, racetrack and round
- Round tops limited by slab width, ~1.5 m practical maximum
- Bookmatching possible on most marbles and quartzites
- Eased, bevelled, bullnose or ogee edge
- Sealed before delivery
Work out what you need
Tell K2 the seating number and the room, and the office will work back to a size and show you the slabs that will cover it in one piece.