Dining Table Tops

Plywood and solid wood are both honest furniture-grade choices with different trade-offs, not better-or-worse. AA-grade Baltic birch is stiff and flat enough at 25mm to skip the traditional skirt or apron, giving a more modern look and better legroom. It also moves less with humidity than solid timber, so the top can mount directly to legs without floating fixings like S-clips. Solid wood remains the right call for heirloom-grade tables you'll re-sand and refinish over decades, especially in a rustic style. Faced plywood is the cleaner, modern feeling alternative.

A 150 × 75 cm top sits four very comfortably with two on each side at 75 cm per person, with room to spare. It scales to six by adding two at the ends, or three per side at a tighter 50 cm (60 cm is the comfortable target).

A 180 × 80 cm top sits six comfortably, either as three per side at 60 cm each, or as two per side plus two at the 80 cm ends. Eight fits with three per side plus the two ends.

Yes. AA-grade Baltic birch at 25mm is strong enough for any standard dining table, desk, or bench span Hairpin sells. The ply is stiff enough on its own; L-channel stiffening bars (sold separately) add extra rigidity for certain use cases. For tables, bars are worth adding on heavy desk setups where vibration could move a large monitor, or on dining tables at 180cm+ for extra stiffness. For benches, we recommend bars on every length: plywood handles the load alone, but bars make the bench feel rock solid when you sit down.

On a 180 cm tabletop, your leg span will sit between around 140 cm and 180 cm, depending on how far in you set the legs.

At 140 cm leg span (a 20 cm inset per end), the top is rigid with no flex, sag, or wobble under typical dining loads. That's well within the structural range of 25 mm cross-bonded Baltic Birch ply.

At a full 180 cm leg span (legs flush to each end), the top still holds without sagging. L-channel stiffening bars can add some quality of feel at this span.

25mm is the right thickness for Hairpin's tops. It's a common ply size, thick enough that screws bite securely into the underside, and stiff enough on its own for most table, desk, and bench builds. Going thicker does add stiffness, but at the cost of much more weight per unit of stiffness gained, and ply gets harder to transport and handle. When extra stiffness is wanted (longer dining tables, heavy desk setups, or benches with regular heavy load), L-channel stiffening bars are the more efficient answer. A bar adds the stiffness needed without the extra weight (and material cost) of going thicker. For most builds one bar is enough; on a 180cm bench expecting heavy users, two bars down the centre is the right call.

Mechanically, oak and walnut are on par: same AA-grade Baltic birch core, same hard wax oil finish, same scratch and wear resistance. The real choice is colour, grain character, and how the facing sits in the room.

Oak is mid-honey toned with warm, open grain. It's the most versatile facing across room styles, brightens darker spaces, and sits comfortably in light rooms. Walnut is deeper in colour with bolder grain. It reads industrial or mid-century, works as a statement piece against white walls, and holds its own in darker rooms. Both have lasted across decades of furniture design. Both age subtly under natural light: oak deepens to a richer honey, walnut mellows toward warmer tones.

Walnut typically costs slightly more than oak, but for most buyers the choice comes down to fit with the room. Match the facing to the space you're putting it in.

For oak, walnut, and birch tops: use trivets for hot pans, wipe spills promptly, and avoid pooling liquid on the surface. Apply Osmo Polyx-Oil 3032 (Satin) for top-ups or to refresh the finish after years of use.

Formica tops wipe clean with any household cleaner and resist stains and scratches. Use trivets for hot pans.