................... Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 Ok, so we bought this little table at IKEA...it's really too small but I really want to make it work because to be honest no table we have ever had has made my husband happy and I'm tired of falling in love with tables and then having to give them away. But, he likes this one (go figure) The problem is, it has a really WEIRD surface. It's basically treated wood, such as you would find on an outdoor deck. I think it's awesome because it's easy to clean... BUT my dd finds it to be like nails on a chalkboard whenever ANY fabric swipes across the table. I have tried to tell her to get over it, to ignore it, to move on, but...she can't. To her, the sound and feel is like the worst nails on a chalkboard ever... soo...how do we solve this problem? I am not much of an outside the box thinker... I have looked up "table tops" hoping for Plexiglas that is cut to size and then delivered but was unsuccessful. Plus, the entire table and chairs set was on sale for 99.00...i really don't want to spend more than 25. fixing this issue... I thought of super large place mat but was unable to find one that would truly cover her side and my side when we do school.... I thought about buying another set of budget furniture but we will likely spend 400.00 and again, I will likely have a husband complaining about the table (idk what his problem is with tables...) ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 This is a long shot but do you have an old Mirror? You could get it cut to size for hopefully not very much and use that as the table top. I realize that's a bit 70's but we ended up doing that a few years ago. I have also had glass cut to fit a coffee table and it really wasn't that costly, at least where we are at. Or you could get several educational plastic place mats and fuse them together? What is the table used for when you aren't doing school stuff? Is it for dining purposes, too, or just school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 Yeah, I'm sure my dh would not go for the mirror thing... Hmm, I guess I could get a bunch of placemats and then tape them on the "wrong" side and then use the top for school every day...never even thought of that. Yes, this is our everything table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 That makes it tougher. This year we ended up getting a small, rectangular folding table to work on for most school stuff because our dining table tends to shake a bit and has some seams that get in the way of writing smoothly. The shape of our current table does not lend itself to an easily sized and cut glass top and the shaking makes that irrelevant any way. But in the past I have put place mats together, I have cut glass to fit table tops and I have honestly used old mirrors to make tables more usable for whatever we were using them for. Just not viable options for our current situation. Good luck, Calming Tea. I feel your pain. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 A glass shop can cut you a sheet of plexiglass. Cost would depend on the thickness. What about a vinyl tablecloth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 Ooohhh chalk cloth... Lol squirrel! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewoman Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 What is the size of the tabletop? A bunch of links come up if you google plexiglass cut to size: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=plexiglass%20sheets%20cut%20to%20size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 We have a pad (vinyl) and then a table cloth protector (vinyl) that covers our table. Or how about have your daughter go to another room when you clean it? Good luck. I hope you find a solution that is not costly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree Frog Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 We've covered our table with vinyl; I sewed elastic to fit around it and hold it in place. It was really handy to protect the table, but the added benefit was putting maps under it to look at as we ate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 Desert flower- the problem is when we are at the table for school, now that it's winter our sweatshirts rub on the table 24/7. So it's driving her nuts all. Day. Long. I will look into the plexiglas links! It's a very small table like 36x30 ish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almondbutterandjelly Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 What about white tileboard cut to size? Then it would be a dry erase surface for you, too. You used to be able to get a giant sheet of tileboard for $10 or so from Home Depot or Lowe's. It's been awhile, though, since I've priced it so it may have gone up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 Hmmm I think the vinyl table cloth with a hair dryer and staple gun will do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 We have a desk protector that my son made. We copied the design from the one he made in the Waldorf school he attended until grade 2 (long story, but that desk protector was like the raison d'etre of our homeschooling - it was the straw that broke the camels back for DS at school). Its a large piece of cardboard, covered in three or four sheets of paper for cushioning, the top is a beautiful coloured drawing DS made, then the whole thing is covered in contact. You could make one each, or one big enough to cover the area of the table on which you work. Ours is held down by blu tac. You could take it off when you aren't homeschooling D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Clear vinyl? You can get it by the yard at most fabric stores. We like to put maps on our table and cover them with this. The vinyl holds up well against kid messes and lasts a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertflower Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Desert flower- the problem is when we are at the table for school, now that it's winter our sweatshirts rub on the table 24/7. So it's driving her nuts all. Day. Long. I will look into the plexiglas links! It's a very small table like 36x30 ish OIC. I hope you find something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 OK, so update: I bought a thick clear plastic table cloth and it's perfect. It was under $15, and it takes away the whole cloth on weird dry surface thing for my dd. It does't slide too badly but we may decide to use the blow dryer and staple gun to permanently adhere it to the table. I can decide later. Thank you! This was the cheapest solution and it's working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Can I just say that you are an awesome mom for going to such lengths to keep your dd from going insane? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.