Anyone bought a wood dining table from IKEA? Were you happy with the quality? How about any of their wood chairs? I'm particularly interested in a round table w/ a leaf. If not IKEA, any ideas of a good place for about the same price ($250-300 for the table, $40 chairs)?
Our current table is from the thrift store, but is really good quality and solid wood with a heavy-duty, easy-to-use leaf. It needs to be refinished, but that sounds like it might be less frustrating than getting a smaller, cheaper quality table. I think we'll hold on to it until we can invest in something really good quality and when my kids are older and don't think it's funny to poke the table with their fork!
I have a wooden dining table and chairs from IKEA (5 years old). After spilling wine, wax etc on it still looks brand new. It's the Forsby table and Kaustby chairs.
My husband and I bought an oval dining table and 4 chairs in December of 2007 at IKEA. I like the table but we learned early on that the table is made of very soft wood. We have 2 boys 6 and 10 and between the dropping of items and writing on the table (even writing on paper leaves marks) we have many dents and dings in our table. We paid about $350 for all of the items and ultimately I am happy with the set, but I plan on buying a better, more durable set when the boys are older.
always remember ...you get what you pay for especially with furniture. For that price you will not get a high quality long lasting piece. Spend a little more and buy it once or pay less and buy several times. IKEAs stuff looks great but does not have a long life.
World Market had a really cool set in their ad today... it was $499 for the table, 4 chairs and one bench (essentially 6 chairs all together)... it had a very cool tapered leg where it got a bit bigger at the bottom of the leg. Check out their ad on their website. Target had some cool ones too!
I have bought very expensive in the past and it's lasted - but most likely your taste will change... so I'd rather buy something for under $500 and not feel bad about replacing it in 5 years.
Best of luck!
E.,
IKEA furnitures are very inexpensive. For the quality/price ratio, they are pretty good. However, some of their serials are made of particle boards, that don't last through several movings for example.
Most of our furnitures come from IKEA (beds, desks, bookcases, but not dinning table) and we are very happy. We like the European style. I heard of Euroway where you can find modern look furnitures but we have never been there.
Good luck.
QA
We bought the Bjursta table a few months back. It was on sale for $199. I like the fact that it will expand for up to 12 people and did not cost a fortune. We have 3 kids and I also worried about the finish. What I did was buy 2 glass peices for the top ($50) that cover the table when it is at it's normal size (seats 6). This is protecting the finish and helping it last longer. My husband did break one of the legs the first week we had it but he was not paying attention. He was trying to slide it across a carpeted room with 60lbs of glass on it. It is not made for the weight. Over all I love my table and I see it lasting until my kids are older and I am ready to pay the money on a real nice one.
My sister-in-law has a large, sturdy wood table from IKEA that they've had for years. It has survived multiple house moves, including an international move between England and Texas. I think IKEA furniture is as sturdy as it looks, so if it looks too weak, it probably is. Her table survives everything her family of 6 throws at it, but you can't say that about all IKEA furniture.
I have a small Ikea table - it's the set with a square table (rounded corners) and cool round back triangular chairs so that they fit totally under the table. It works well for my two teen sons and myself and we use it everyday 3x/day. That all said, I do not think it would hold up to younger kids.
But, I think you are talking about a larger table with wooden legs. The only concern I would have there would be that finishes from what I can tell are not very durable. I think it would be quickly damaged with any art projects, etc. If you do purchase one, I would recommend you add a polyurethane coating. We did that with a very large wooden table and it holds up fairly well. Although, it does get scratched. But, I table was pine, so it kindof got that natural antiqued look ;)
Overall, IKEA is a very good value, but it is certainly not as sturdy as our other furniture (Pennsylvania House - I don't think they even exist anymore), which would really decades. You're likely to get a good 10-20 years usage of IKEA before you might want to replace.
