Need ideas on how to protect my dinning room table

[shoiji]

Imagine, I can see why you want to protect your table. Fortunately your children are old enough to understand taking an extra effort to care for the table.

ps that is some ferrocious dog you have there. lol

[imagine]

I eat off a mahogany table. I just place my plate on a large round coaster. My glass gets a nice metal coaster that I found two sets at a thrift store. When company comes I just put different types of trivets and coaters down to protect the table. I will even use a cloth hotplate holder. No one seems to mind. I have found cork "coasters" at the flower department in the home improvement stores. They were for placing under flower pots. Stemware also seems to help with the water stain problem.

One idea is to see if you can find strips of cork at the home improvement store. Maybe even tiles. From here you can create a place mat for each family member out of the cork. You can even make coasters out of the cork. If it is just your family eating why not leave the hot food in the kitchen. Everyone can make their plate and eat in the dinning room. If they want more they can get up and serve themselves. This is what we did growing up.

I would use table cloths but know that table cloths and cat just make for some really slippery and hairy tables.

It was the dinner plates that were making the heat stains. The first one was from a plate of apple pie my mother and my son had at Thanks giving. The other was from a bowl of soup.

I like the cork place mat idea. We are currently just putting a hot pad under the plate on top of the place mat.

[frugalfranny]

They also sell a vinyl material with a thin sponge backing. My mother got this and cut it to fit her table. You still would need to use a hot pad of some sort but it would protect it from scratches.

Our Hancock's sell it here............check your fabric stores. Make a template with newspaper then cut the vinyl.

Another thing/idea -- place a pretty table cloth on it..........and cover that with clear plastic...........also often available at fabric stores. But still need the hot pad protection for dishes.

[shoiji]

I do enjoy using my cork coasters. They are great for putting on wooden surfaces when using vases, flower pots, even burning a candle. I found other coasters at the thrift store that are basically woven reeds. They work well also. Personally I like the look of real wood.