Hosting large gatherings for the holidays or special celebrations comes with the dilemma of where to comfortably seat all your guests. While squishing extra chairs around an existing table can work, it creates an awkward, tight seating arrangement that ruins the fun ambiance you want for festive occasions. Investing in an extending dining table built specifically for seating 20 people makes entertaining large groups much easier and more enjoyable.
With the ability to expand in length, width, or both, a high-quality expanding table offers the flexibility to hosts events of all sizes in style and comfort. When it comes time for massive celebrations like Thanksgiving or big birthday bashes, simply insert the pre-made table leaves, and voila – you instantly have spacious, properly proportioned seating for 20. Learn why a specially engineered extending dining table is the savvy solution for accommodating large parties or everyday meals for your big brood.
Why You Need a Large Expanding Dining Table
From festive holiday feasts to loud family meals, an extending table for 20 diners makes gathering around the table breezy compared to squeezing mismatched furniture into the dining room. Unlike smaller tables, these specially designed expanding tables seamlessly transition to welcome extra guests while ensuring everyone has enough elbow room and servants can easily maneuver around the table.
Accommodating Groups for Special Events
Hosting special celebrations like milestone birthdays, wedding receptions, or lavish holiday meals calls for seating beyond the scope of typical dining sets. Trying to makeshift extra seating around undersized furnishings creates frustrating limitations.
With a 20-person extending dining table, you can effortlessly alternate between daily family meals and holiday spreads for 20+ without cramped quarters or separate snack tables. The expandable length means you can position the perfect amount of comfortable room per place setting whether hosting intimate gatherings or blowout bashes.
Daily Use by Large Families
If you come from a big brood, you know the chaos of trying to gather everyone around a table built for 6. Opting for a quality dining table with extension capabilities means you always have room for all your family members without resorting to card tables on holidays.
The versatility of an expandable table allows for adjusting roomy seating room for grand family dinners, then scaling down to a more intimate size for small weeknight meals. This flexible capacity means you don’t have sacrifice ample personal space on a daily basis.
Key Features of Quality 20 Person Extending Tables
Specialized expanding dining tables differ from permanent stationary designs in key ways that enable their chameleon-like ability to accommodate 20+ people when fully expanded.
Adjustable Length and Width
The hallmark trait of extending dining tables is built-in capacity to grow in length, width, or both to welcome extra seats. Whereas stationary tables stay locked in one fixed dimension, expanders utilize extension leaves, sliders, latticework, or other integration points to smoothly extend the table’s footprint.
Premium models allow for customizing exact dimensions for perfect sight lines and seating capacity. Look for thickness and color-matching in extension components for seamless transitions between sizes. Avoid wobbly add-ons that disrupt the dining experience.
High-Quality & Durable Build
Due to frequent expanding and collapsing motions along with accommodating heavy use by large parties, extending dining tables must withstand far more intense use than typical dining sets. Choose solid hardwood, kiln-dried lumber, premium metal builds, or eco-leather tabletops explicitly engineered to prevent sagging, warping, or general wear and tear.
Seeking out reputable furniture brands known for resilient craftsmanship ensures your expandable table provides flawless performance for years while avoiding damage from intensive activities.
Smooth Extension Mechanism
The easiest way to frustrate guests is by struggling to operate an extending dining table before a celebratory dinner. Quality expanders incorporate smooth ball-bearing glides and custom tracks that make retracting or inserting leaves effortless with minimal physical exertion.
Kids and elderly guests should have no trouble helping to expand seating. Concealed storage compartments also enable clean, clutter-free containment of inserts when not deployed. prioritize buttery operation and secure integration mechanisms in an extending dining table purchase.
Measuring Your Dining Area Properly
When investing in high-capacity extending dining furniture, accurate room dimensions ensure you select perfect proportions for your space. Consider both the table’s standard everyday size along with complete expanded dimensions to allow abundant elbow room and serving access at full 20-seat capacity.
Determine Ideal Standard & Expanded Dimensions
Using a measuring tape, carefully gauge available floorspace length and width wise. Record the exact maximum footprint possible while allowing ample walking area around the table perimeter.
Then measure your existing dining set or the typical table size used daily by your family or guests. Compare the two widths and lengths, allowing several feet extra room lengthwise for the expanded table. This exercise gives the ideal shortened and extended dimensions to accommodate.
Calculate Seating Room Per Person
While exact measurements differ based on table shape, allow around 60 inches widthwise for elbow space per diner at full expanded rectangular table capacity. Lengthwise, allot at least 24 inches per seat to ensure room for place settings and serving dishes with chairs pushed out.
Check furniture store guidelines for size recommendations based on the number of seats and table shape. Remember to keep adequate room for people to move freely around the table border without bumping walls, especially when fully expanded.
Choosing Reputable Brands for Large Expanding Tables
One advantage of specifically seeking out an extending table versus improvising extra seating is benefiting from brands that specialize in high-capacity furniture. Industry leaders have perfected both seamless expandability along with resilient builds to support frequent use by large numbers of diners.
Skovby
Known for exquisitely crafted Scandinavian designs, Danish company Skovby produces customizable expanding conference tables seating up to 50. Their line of extendable dining tables includes unique self- storing leaves, ergonomic shapes, and smart tablet or hot plate integration.
With free worldwide shipping and an industry-leading 10 year warranty, Skovby’s innovative tables deliver next-level flexible capacity and engineering excellence.
Amish Furniture Companies
Renowned for durable, affordable solid-wood furnishings, Amish furniture brands apply master craftsmanship toward expanding tables. Hardwood veneers like oak and maple make damage-resistant, high-capacity dining tables perfect for rambunctious families or large gatherings. Expect Century and Berlin Ethos quality and resilient performance at direct-order value pricing.
Other Top Manufacturers
Alongside niche manufacturers, mainstream furniture retailers carry quality extending dining tables in various shapes, sizes and styles. Watch for sales on spacious tables from chains like West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware for excellent value for money. Just confirm any mass-market table provides the quality construction needed for years of heavy usage.
Expanding Table Setup and Maintenance Tips
While most quality extending tables ship pre-assembled for quick convenient home setup, extra care during final positioning and ongoing maintenance ensures optimal table longevity and performance.
Securing Leaves Properly
Always fully insert extension leaves into the frame grooves or latticework until flush and firmly connected on all sides. Look for locking brackets or levers that securely attach inserts to avoid looseness or slippage while dining. Don’t force misaligned components or leaves that don’t integrate smoothly.
Protecting the Finish
Follow manufacturer guidelines for cleaning products safe for your table finish. For example, polish sealed hardwood surfaces but avoid liquid cleaners that could penetrate natural wood pores. Promptly wipe spills and use tablecloths during messy meals with kids to prevent permanent damage.
Checking for Wobbles
Inspect table stability before each use when fully expanded by gently rocking the table sides. Adjust any glides or legs that create movement or noise. Check for level table tops, which prevent spills especially with multiple leaves added. Address any instability issues promptly before intensifying with further use.
Creative Tablescape Ideas for Large Parties
Alongside ensuring effortless accommodation of 20+ guests, an extending dining table allows for stylishly dressing the scene for special events. Experiment with eclectic place settings, lush runners and gorgeous centerpieces better suiting the table’s impressive span.
Mixing Seating Styles
Gather an eclectic collection of chairs and benches around an extended table for a charmingly mismatched look. Coordinate colors or polish while varying silhouettes, materials and sizes for individualized seats.
Benches excel at space-saving flexible seating for gatherings with unpredictable attendance. Drape the table ends with bold patterned or luxuriously textured tablecloths to amplify the eclectic flair.
Dramatic Centerpieces
An extended table allows room for linear arrangements running the table’s length for maximum visual impact. Create stunning displays with floral vines, botanical branches, or sparkling crystal strands interwoven the entire run of the surface.
Candlelight instantly sets an ambient glow perfect for celebrating. Dot cylindrical pillar candles of graduating heights as a minimalist focal point or invest in tapered dinner candles to frame each place setting.
Lay a vibrant, convivial tablescape mixing loads of colors, patterns and materials in the dishware. Consider glossy melamine plates in solid hues for kids alongside porcelain patterns like china or hammered metal for adults. Continue the crafty mismatched look with painted, embroidered or crocheted napkins.
