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How to Set the Perfect Thanksgiving Table

Tables

The holidays are fast approaching with Thanksgiving only a few weeks away and we are starting to think about preparing our family feasts. Whether you are serving a small family of 2 or extended family of 20, you can have the picture perfect Thanksgiving table. Your Thanksgiving table can be casual or elaborate as you want.

Setting your Thanksgiving table starts with the perfect picture in your mind. The colors of fall are beautiful and intertwined. Choose your colors for your table linens. Personally, I start with a solid color table cloth and compliment the table cloth with a harvest style runner, very eye catching.

Keep in mind the colors of your dishes, compliment the dishes with your corresponding table linens. You can choose a printed table cloth and solid runner or solid table cloth and solid runner, or a solid table cloth with a design embedded, remember that picture in your mind.

Table Padding helps with the setting of your perfect Thanksgiving Table. Not only does the table padding protect your table finish from liquid spills, hot spots, scratches, dents and nicks it helps to absorb sound and gives the tablecloth a gentle flowing drape and prevents the tablecloth from sliding or pulling.

Table padding is made of felt and vinyl and the soft backing is safer for many modern finishes. Table padding comes in many sizes or can be cut to the size of your table or cut longer to include the drop or overhang.

Need help figuring out what size and shape of tablecloth you need? Tablecloths come in square, round, oblong (rectangle), and oval.

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Do you know the difference between and oblong and oval tablecloth? Many time people confuse oblong with oval. An oblong tablecloth is designed to fit a rectangle table with square corners and an oval tablecloth fits an egg-shaped table.

Do you know how to figure out your tablecloth size?

Measure the width and length of your table. Add the overhang or drop, which is how long the tablecloth will hang over the side, typically the desired overhang is 10-12 to lap level on dining tables and 15 inches for banquet tables.

Once you have these measurements, add the overhang times 2 to each measurement of your table. You don’t want the tablecloth to be too long. Your guests should be able to be able to sit and not have the tablecloth touch their legs, you don’t want anyone pulling that tablecloth!!

Example: If your table size is 30×72 inches and the desired drop is 12 inches you would figure it this way:

12 inch (drop size) X 2 would be 24 inches

Add the 30″ (from your table measurement) to the 24″ (doubled desired drop) = 54 inches

Add the 72″ (from your table measurement) to the 24″ (doubled desired drop) = 96 inches

The perfect cloth size for your table would be 54 X 96 inches. Tablecloths typically come in standard sizes you would then select the size closest to those figures.