Stoneline Designs Conference Table Blog

Your conference table top can be built in a single piece, or in multiple sections. The decision is based on several factors:

Table size: Stoneline Designs builds conference tables up to 30 feet long. However, 10' is the maximum size top (116" for shaped glass) that we can fabricate and ship in one piece. A conference table top larger than 10' must be in multiple pieces.

Access: If a 10' table top will be made in one piece, all access points must be carefully measured: doorways, elevator, stairwell, tight corners, etc. Remember that the top will be a few inches longer when crated. If any access point is not large enough, the top should be made in multiple pieces.

Design: A single piece top has a smooth, professional appearance. On the other hand, we incorporate the breaks in a multiple piece top into the design for a sophisticated look. Some tables even have different finishes or materials for different sections of the top. Either approach makes an attractive table, depending on the look you are going for in your conference room.

Power/Wiring: A round wiring grommet can be installed in any conference table top, whether single or multiple pieces. A wiring trough runs along the center of the table, and requires the top to be built in multiple sections.

Seating: We plan the break between top sections to fall between chairs, for more comfortable seating. For example, a 10' table will typically seat 10: 4 along each side and 1 on each end. We would divide a 10' top into 2- 5' sections so that the break occurs between the 2 center chairs. A 12.5' table could be made in 2 or 3 sections, depending on whether the table would seat 4 or 5 on each side. We use this same principle for dividing larger tops as well. With careful planning a conference table can be designed so that no chair is placed in front of a pedestal or break in the top, even up to 30' long.

Metal is a hard, durable material, and furniture made of metal typically requires far less maintenance than wood. Use these tips to get the most from your metal furniture.

Brushed Steel
Brushed Steel leg plates are finished with a Hand rubbed Oil finish and sealed with a Clear Satin Conversion Varnish finish. With normal use the finish and sealer should never need to be reapplied. Brushed Steel is subject to corrosion, therefore we do not recommend outdoor use in coastal areas, or exposure to rain. 

During processing at the mill, molten Steel is passed through rollers to flatten & shape the bar of Steel into a 1/2" inch thick plate. The rollers leave unpredictable character on the Steel surface, often in a linear pattern. We rub over and highlight this character with our regimented scratching, but each leg plate will retain the underlying character from the hot rolling process. The bottom of leg plates have a Cork barrier applied to protect floors. Stoneline uses Brushed Steel in the Axis and Radian table lines.

Stainless Steel
Stainless Steel panels are systematically brushed with a horizontal line pattern. As stainless Steel does not oxidize, no finish is necessary. However, both the Quadrant and Crescent table lines, which use Stainless Steel, also include wooden components. So we do not recommend locating these tables where they will be exposed to rain.

Aluminum
A cross-hatch pattern is hand scratched into the surface of 5/8" Aluminum plate. The scratch finish is on the pedestal part of the Vector table only. Solid Aluminum crossbars have a brushed texture and a Clear Satin Conversion Varnish finish. With normal use, the finish should never need to be reapplied. Aluminum is subject to corrosion from water, though not to the same degree as Brushed Steel. Therefore we do not recommend outdoor use in coastal areas, or exposure to rain. Stoneline uses Aluminum in the Vector table line.

We hope you have never had the sinking feeling of looking at your glass conference table or glass dining table and discovering a chip in the edge or scratch in the surface. Unfortunately, once a chip or scratch has occurred, there's usually no way to repair it. In most cases your options are to conceal the scratch or replace the glass.

That's why it's important to protect your glass table and avoid chips or scratches in the first place. For the most part, this is simply common sense. Avoid roughhousing near the table, or dropping heavy or sharp objects on the glass top. If you have small children in your home, consider padding the edges of the table with foam. This will protect both the table and your children! You can always remove the padding when you have guests.

If you have to move a large object on the glass top, for instance a laser printer or desktop computer sitting on a glass desk, lift and carry it rather than dragging or pushing it across the surface. If this is impossible -- for example it is a home office, you live alone and it's just too darn heavy -- place the heavy object on a sturdy cloth and pull the cloth. Never allow a heavy or sharp object to scrape across the surface of the glass.

If you have objects with sharp edges which you need to place on your glass table, place them on a cloth rather than directly on the glass. If this happens often, for instance a family dining table where you do kitchen prep work or set kitchen tools, make sure there is always a cloth or pad on the table. You can use a table runner or placemats to incorporate the protective cloth into your room decor.

Your chair selection matters as well. Metal backed chairs can easily chip the edge of a glass table top if they are not properly padded. Before you buy those sophisticated metal chairs to go with your glass table, imagine a rushed conference where people jump up from the table and push their chairs out of the way in a hurry. Or imagine tripping in your dining room and shoving a chair back against the edge of the table. Make sure all parts of the chair which come in contact with the table top are padded. (Any other metal furniture that moves -- a wheeled coffee stand or file cart, etc -- should also be padded or kept well away from the edge of a glass table.)

The steps above will go a long way towards protecting your glass table. If you do end up with a minor chip or scratch in your table, you can sometimes turn or move the table so the light does not catch the scratch and it isn't as noticeable. If the damage is too severe for that, well, there's always strategically placed coasters and potted plants.

As more and more homeowners create "outdoor room environments," placing a granite table outside seems like a natural. After all, granite is a durable material, and granite monuments can remain outdoors for hundreds of years. A granite dining table or cocktail table can add the perfect touch to an outdoor living space. There are a few factors to consider before purchasing a granite table for outdoor use:

What is the granite finish? Polished granite is a hard finish which can withstand exposure to the elements. On the other hand, honed granite is much more porous and more likely to stain. Honed granite is not recommended for outdoor use.

Will the granite table be exposed to sunlight? Many granites are treated with a resin to smooth out the surface. This resin is invisible, and as durable as the stone under normal conditions. However, under constant exposure to sunlight the resin will discolor and will eventually create a yellow cast in the granite. Because of this, we do not recommend granite in a location where it will be exposed to full sun.

How much maintenance are you willing to do? Polished granite typically requires almost no maintenance. However, when used outdoors you may choose to seal the granite for additional protection. In addition, if you place your dining table or cocktail table in a shady location to reduce sun exposure, you may find yourself frequently cleaning up pollen, tree sap, bird droppings, etc.

Can the table base be used outside? Be sure that your table base is designed for outdoor use. Direct exposure to the elements as well as the increased humidity outdoors can be a problem. Some metals are more rust-resistant than others; make sure you know all the materials your table is constructed from before placing it outdoors.

Of course all of the factors above depend on your local climate. If you live in an arid region like the Southwest, you will have much more leeway in placing a granite table outdoors. If you live on the coast, salt in the air will be yet another issue.

When purchasing a conference table there are many options to consider and choose from. One of the most basic and important decisions is what shape your conference table will be.

Our most popular shaped top is a Boat with all four sides arced. The curve on the long sides helps improve sight lines so that it is easier for conference participants seated at the far ends of the same side of the table to see each other. The graceful curve on all four sides gives the table a sophisticated modern appearance.

A Racetrack Oval is a circle divided in half and stretched out with straight lines connecting the two halves. This shape is particularly effective with a wiring trough running down the center of the table, or an open space down the center for wiring access (as shown).

Rectangular shapes require simpler machining techniques and are competitively priced, making the rectangle a good choice when budget is an issue. A rectangular table is a clean, basic shape which looks good in almost any conference room.

Round shape tops are an excellent choice for smaller conference rooms. Round conference tables can be built to seat anywhere from 6-24, however this shape is usually chosen when smaller meetings are anticipated.

A Wedge shape top is a trapezoid, narrower at one end. This allows a speaker at the wide end to see down the table, or for participants to view a monitor for video conferencing.

Oval shapes can make the most of a smaller space. Due to the curved sides, less clearance is required in the room than with a Rectangular or Racetrack shaped table.

We also design conference tables in a variety of custom shapes, such as Square, Octagon, or U shape, which allows a speaker access to all participants from the center of the table.

Plan ahead for how your table will be used and what shape top will best suit your needs. This planning will help ensure that you purchase the right conference table for you.

Make the most of your conference table investment, and avoid these five common mistakes:

The table is the wrong size for the conference room.
A table which is too large for a small conference room will feel cramped. If the overcrowding is extreme, it may even cause the room to be too warm during full meetings due to lack of airflow. On the other hand, a small conference table in a very large room will appear lost. Either way, a conference table which is the wrong size for the room may make meeting attendees feel uncomfortable. We recommend a minimum of 42" around the conference table on all sides. This leaves room for chairs and to move around the room. 48" of space is preferred for a spacious feel.

The conference room serves too many functions.
A formal conference room is often the least frequently used room in the office, and the temptation to use it for other purposes can be irrestistable. Your conference room can multi-task as long as you don't go overboard. For instance, storage in the conference room is fine, if it means tidy bookshelves full of reference volumes. But cardboard boxes stacked to the ceiling or the pile of "old computer parts to be recycled" should stay out of the conference room.

We once saw a conference room which also served as the connecting passage between two halves of an office suite! When the conference room was in use, employees were forced to exit the suite and walk all the way around to the back door to access the kitchen or bathroom. That was an attempt to economize which resulted in continual inefficiency and inconvenience.

Not enough space per person at the conference table.
Do you know the maximum number of people who will use your table at one time? We like to allow at least 30" per chair (28" minimum), and for an executive conference table, 36" per person spacing allows larger chairs and a more spacious feel. You don't want to buy a conference table designed for 10, and then find that you have 14 people shoulder-to-shoulder at your monthly meeting. 

On the other hand, you may be a small organization with only a few attendees at typical meetings, and only need to completely fill the table once a year or so. In that case we often recommend storing most of the chairs, only leaving enough chairs out for everyday meetings. Sitting at one end of the table, surrounded by empty chairs, may make your regular staff feel uncomfortable. Removing the extra chairs except when needed will help make your table feel like the right size even at smaller meetings.
See our Conference Table Seating page for more information.

The room is not set up for power and wiring in the conference table.
Before ordering a conference table, think about how the table will be used and whether power/data will be necessary. Ideally this decision will be made while the conference room is still in the planning stages, as floor outlets are often placed under the pedestals. If this is overlooked, or is impossible due to structural issues, cables can be run from the base of the pedestal to a wall outlet. But this is both unsightly and a potential safety hazard.
See our posts on Conference Table Power for more information.

The conference room is poorly lit.
Proper lighting is essential for a productive conference room. The harsh lighting often found in commercial office spaces may make attendees feel uncomfortable, while lighting that is too dim can leave attendees unable to focus during long meetings. Windows which bring in natural light can brighten a room, but they can also ruin meetings if the sun shines directly into the eyes of half the people at the conference table. If your conference room has windows, check the room at various times of the day to see if direct sunlight will be a problem. And if you have any concerns about the lighting in your conference room, consider hiring an interior designer or space planner.

Before shipping a custom designed table, our artisans assemble the table and make any adjustments necessary to make sure all the parts fit together perfectly.

For this oval conference table with brushed steel base and granite top, the process took artisans Rob, Bart, Mace and Brian almost three hours. Now watch it happen in thirty seconds! Press "play" to begin the slide show:

Option: Wiring Trough with Sliding Covers. Our wiring trough option is available for the Crescent or Vector series only. A double rail system is used through the center of the conference table to support the top. The rails incorporate a track system that guides sliding covers. These covers can be finished in Brushed Aluminum, Powder-coated or veneered with Wood. Covers slide open to expose wiring plates that can be fitted with a variety of power and data jacks. There are fixed covers between the sliding ones that hide the top of the wiring trough. Wires are fed through the pedestal and hardwired to the electrical plates. The trough can be used as a raceway to run wires between pedestals, so that it is possible to feed wires up through only 1 location.
Wiring plates can be specified with 1, 2 or 3 duplex power outlets. Data outlets are fitted in 3 or 4 removable inserts per plate. The inserts can house duplex data jacks (cat.5 rj45 as standard) or a variety of other outlets including VGA, audio, etc.

Alternate Wiring Options. Several flip-top style wiring modules are available, and can be incorporated into any of our conference tables. Occasionally a client will specify a particular module from a different vendor and we work with them to fit it in our tables. These modules often have a small lip on the top that is designed to set on the top of the table surface.

When designing your conference table, there are several factors to consider. 

pictured: Crescent Cherry and Granite Conference Table. Cherry panels and cove detail. Boat shape, Solid Wood (Cherry) and Granite Stone top in 3 pieces.

How many chairs will there be? With a Rectangular or similar table, the placement of the pedestals will influence the seating on the long side of the top. We like to allow at least 30" per chair (28" minimum), and when possible we place pedestals in between seats. For instance on a 10' table we would place pedestals 60" apart for seating four people on the long sides. With 1 chair on each end, the 10' table would seat 10 comfortably. At 12.5' we would use 2 pedestals placed 87-90" apart, depending on whether the top is a Rectangle or Boat shape top, and place 5 chairs on each side.

How large is the conference room? A table which is too large for a small conference room will feel cramped. On the other hand, a small conference table in a very large room will appear lost, and may make meeting attendees feel uncomfortable. We recommend a minimum of 42" around the conference table on all sides. This leaves room for chairs and to move around the room. 48" of space is preferred for a spacious feel. If space is at a premium, 36" around the table is the bare minimum. 36" will work better with a round table, as the tightest point will be at the edge of the circle, not the entire length of a rectangular table.

How will the table be used? For an executive conference table, 36" per person spacing allows larger chairs and a more spacious feel. Training tables might use as tight as 27" spacing with appropriately sized chairs.

Will the top be in one piece or multiple pieces? 10' is the maximum size top (116" for shaped Glass) that Stoneline can fabricate and ship in one piece. If planning for a top that size, it is important to prepare. Check access into the building, elevator size, stairwell layout, etc. and make sure the table top will fit before proceeding.

When the top is divided into multiple sections, we also plan the break between tops to fall between chairs. For example, we would divide a 10' top into 2- 5' sections so that the break occurs between the 2 center chairs. A 12.5' table would typically seat 5 on each long side, so dividing the top in 2 is not advised. We would instead make a 12.5' top in 3 pieces: the center section 87-90" long to seat 3, and breaks over each pedestal. Two 30" - 31.5" sections on the ends of the table each seat 1, for a total of 5 on the long sides. We use this same principle for dividing larger tops as well. With careful planning a conference table can be designed so that no chair is placed in front of a pedestal or break in the top, even up to 30' long.

Here is a great article from our archives regarding the care of glass table tops.

A glass conference table is an investment which will pay off for years to come if properly cared for. Follow these easy tips to preserve the appearance of your glass conference table top.

Clear Glass: No special care is necessary with a clear glass table top. Simply clean the surface of the glass with glass cleaner and paper towels. Do not use abrasive cleansers or rough materials which might scratch the glass. If a sticky substance like wax, gum or tape residue is stuck to the glass, use a solvent to remove it or carefully scrape the substance away with a razor blade.

Frosted or "Scratched" Glass: If your glass table features a finish like Frosted glass or our "Scratched" glass, special care is required. The smooth side (usually the top) can be cleaned as above. But take care when handling and cleaning the treated side.
When necessary, wash the Frosted or "Scratched" surface gently with glass cleaner and a paper towel to remove finger prints and dirt. A solvent or degreasing kitchen cleanser should not be used on the Frosted or "Scratched" surface, as they can cut through the sealer and remove pigment. Also, aggressive rubbing or scrubbing can remove tiny particles of glass and pigment from the textured surface.

A difficult smudge or tape residue can be removed from the "Scratched" glass surface by picking out the dirt from the pores with the tip of an exacto knife. Remove debris from the glass with attention to the existing scratch pattern as you will be adding tiny new scratches.

Chips and Minor Damage: Nothing is more frustrating than to discover a scratch or chip in your prized glass table. Unfortunately, once the damage is done there isn't much you can do to repair it. In some conference rooms you may be able to turn or move the table so the scratch does not reflect sunlight and is less prominent. Glass finishes like our "Scratched" glass, and some frosted glass finishes, create a visual texture which helps trick the eye and mask minor scratches. If the scratch is large and your table top is in multiple sections, you may choose to replace the damaged section. And if all else fails ...there's always strategically placed coasters.

Moving Your Glass Conference Table: Always arrange to have adequate staff on hand to move your conference table. A large table top made of 3/4" thick glass is heavy! This is especially important when moving a frosted or "Scratched" glass top, as the movers should take care not to leave smudges on the textured surface of the glass. Movers who are straining under too heavy of a load will be so focused on not dropping the glass, they won't have the energy to mind their fingerprints. If the conference table is to be moved more than a few feet, or turned on its side (to go through a doorway or around a corner), use padded blankets to protect the glass.

Black slate is a medium soft stone, appropriate for infrequently used tables such as formal dining tables or occasional tables (End, Coffee & Console Tables). We do not recommend slate for high use applications like kitchen countertops. Due to the softness of the slate, scratching can occur. Coasters and placemats are a good idea to protect your slate table top.

To maintain a slate table top and keep the appearance and color in good condition, periodically reapply the final oil finish used in the sealing process. This is a simple process: wipe on the oil finish, buff with a soft cloth, and wipe off any excess. Frequency depends on use, but we recommend re-applying approximately once every 2 years for an occasionally used dining table.

Stoneline Designs slate is called "Cleft Black Slate" because the stone is split (cleft) to provide a rough, textured surface. Our slate is a black stone from Italy with consistent coloring. A 1" hand-tooled border detail is standard on all our slate table tops. Standard slate width is 3/4" thick (an approximate width due to surface variation in the natural material). Stoneline produces slate table tops in any size up to 48x84".