Our first client approached us in 2021. A friend of ours is an architect and saw Paul’s concrete dining table after we invited them round to help us flip it.
He was working on a bespoke project for a client who spends most of his time in Florida but comes back to the UK to visit friends and family. He was looking for an “industrial, minimalist table, large enough to host a dinner party and strong enough to be danced on later” … we understood the brief.
We set to work on a bespoke table, a dark grey concrete table measuring 300cm x 100cm, featuring black bespoke handcrafted metal table legs.
Concrete Table: Getting to Know You, Our Client
It isn’t unusual for us to meet our client after delivery. In many instances we liaise with architects or interior designers throughout the process. Regardless of whether we communicate directly or through a third party, we think it’s really important to understand exactly what your concrete table is going to be used for. Is your table going to live in the heart of your home? Where everyone gathers, week in, week out to enjoy a Sunday Dinner. Is your polished concrete furniture more of a centre piece? A sculpture that sits in your home, to be admired as opposed to operated. Or, like many in recent months, is your concrete table destined for the boardroom? Versatile as it is strong, a concrete table demands attention in every setting.
Concrete Table: Mastering the Process
The process is meticulous. Whilst the finish is supposed to be rustic, make no mistake, nothing is left to chance.
Set in a made-to-measure wooden mould, concrete is hand-mixed using professionally designated ratios. Accuracy at this stage is critical, an incorrect or out-of-balance blend can cause defects in the concrete and cause the table to fail quality control checks. Tables that fail quality control cease to reach the client.
Once poured, the concrete is left to set in the mould for 10 days. The curing stages are equally as important as the pour. The room temperature is kept at a steady rate, a rate tested by our team for a Class A finish.
Once dry, we wrap the table in layers and layers of sheets and blankets to make sure the table is cured entirely through the centre. A mistake made by much less-experienced craftspeople is to prematurely remove the mould. An in-experienced eye doesn’t recognise the signs of a concrete table that is not fully cured. It can result in a bowed table, cracked table, or, at worst, a completely broken table. This is highly dangerous in any home, especially one with pets and children. Concrete is seriously heavy. Please ensure that your chosen craftsperson is fully qualified with a recognised concrete supplier.
The mould is carefully removed and the finish of the table is revealed for the first time. The true beauty of the finished piece is accentuated by natural pittings, and rough blemishes affirm the tough, industrial construction.
A specialist sealant is applied to protect and finish the table. Too much and the table will lose its distinction, too little and it will absorb every water stain in history. The balance here is really important. It isn’t always obvious in the early stages of table ownership, so the quality of the workmanship here can be the difference between a finely finished table and a poorly designed replica.
Quality control checks are made at every stage of the process, but a full 60-point check and rigorous inspection are carried out across the table before the legs are applied. It is at this stage that we decide whether the table has been crafted to the highest standards, with the quality and standard we are happy for our clients to expect.
Once we’re satisfied with the quality of the concrete top, the powder coated base is fixed on. At this stage, the concrete dining table is complete and ready for use. A complimentary waxing kit is provided, to be applied every so often to help maintain the table’s freshly finished look for years to come.
Choosing a Bespoke Concrete Table for Your Home
Concrete Dining Table Size
Choosing the right dining table for your home is often harder than you might imagine. If you’re purchasing a regular dining table from a department store, you’re usually restricted to one size. Depending on your space, the size of your table can make or break the look and feel of your dining room. Too big and your room instantly looks too small and claustrophobic, too small and you risk your space appearing poorly designed, cheap and lacklustre. A run of the mill concrete effect dining table is more suited to smaller spaces. A perfectly fitting dining table creates instant grandeur.
Our concrete dining tables are bespoke entirely to your specifications. Big on hosting, our clients usually know how many of their friends and family they like to have sat around their dinner table. Leaving space for extra guests is recommended, you can never be sure when someone would like to bring a plus one, and, on the occasions when you have fewer guests, there is more space for food and drink! If you need to be smart with your space, extending dining tables engineered in concrete can create additional table space when needed, before being neatly stored away beneath the table when you’re finished.
Concrete Dining Table Colour
A bespoke concrete dining table doesn’t stop at size, we can blend custom dyes to create a colour just for you. This can be as wild or as conservative as your space will allow. Our wildest colour has to be pink with, grey being our staple favourite. The choice is entirely yours.
Concrete Dining Table Base
When it comes to legs, bold shapes and statement finishes make a concrete table. We work with local metalworkers to design legs tailored to every concrete table that we craft. If you’re looking for something more unusual we can help you to bring your designs to life.
Will a concrete table suit the interior of your home?
Extravagant and sculptural, concrete tables can be juxtaposed with virtually every style of interior design. It’s clean lines and raw form helps a concrete table to sit boldly in every home, however, there are settings where a concrete table would be better suited.
Concrete tables were made for industrial style or scandi-style homes with large open spaces. Where materials are celebrated for their rawness, their toughness and their ability to wear and endure. Concrete has conviction and strength and works best in homes that share these celestial qualities. For a complete dining table set, contrast your concrete table with contemporary seating. Utilise a variety of materials such as wood, fabric, metal or leather to create a stylish distinction.
I have seen polished concrete tables cleverly sewn into cottage style “Laura Ashley” homes. Interior Designers who can weave two styles seamlessly into one and other never fail to amaze me, but it takes great skill to combine the two.
Are concrete tables durable?
Concrete is the second most consumed substance on Earth, after water? Once taken for granted as the materiel used only for power plants, aqueducts, car parks and pavements, concrete has become the building materiel of choice for engineers and architects whose imaginations are the only limit when it comes to building forms in concrete.
Versatile, strong and heat resistant, the surface of a concrete table should never crack, unless it is subjected to extreme pressure.
Chips in the concrete and scratches to the surface are extremely rare, but heavy objects or sharp instruments can cause damage.
When you’re buying a bespoke concrete table, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing someone that you can trust. If your table becomes damaged, one of our highly skilled craftsmen will visit your home to review the damage and determine the best course of action necessary to bring your concrete table back to full working condition.
What other styles of table can be built in concrete?
In addition to Polished Concrete Table Tops, Concrete Dining Tables, bespoke Concrete Coffee Tables and bespoke Concrete Console Tables can be crafted to create a uniform selection of tables for your home.
