Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Egg Tables

Options
Haggis
Haggis Posts: 998
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
During the last couple days there's been a lot of discussion on Egg tables, whether to buy or build, etc. Looking through the table photo gallery on the Naked Whiz site shows a wonderful selection of beautiful tables. [p]I'd like to learn how many of those with tables provide cover for them, whether with a tarp of some kind or with a roof, and how many just let their table suffer the extremes of the weather without protection. [p]The followup to that question is, of those who provide no protection, what kind of wood or other material has proven most most durable and been able to maintain the beauty seen in the photos? If you were to build a table again, would you do it with the same wood and same surface treatment, and if not, what would you do?

· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • Gene
    Gene Posts: 99
    Options
    Haggis,
    Good question/s....some of those tables seem to be partially made of hardwood, and I assume they use spar varnish on those. Some appear to be made of 2" thick redwood, but around here the only redwood/cedar I can find is 1" thickness........
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lawn Ranger
    Lawn Ranger Posts: 5,467
    Options
    new3.jpg
    <p />Haggis,
    I just leave my umbrella up all of the time....( just put up a new solid green one ). In addition, I'm under a huge Live Oak canopy that protects the Egg from a lot of direct sun and weather. On the down side, I spend most of this time of year cleaning up leaf and pollen drop. On the up side....I'll take the shade.[p]Mine's a factory table with some cedar and tile add-ons. That's a drop leaf table on the right that folds down if I ever want it out of the way. However, I really like the extra counter top space that it provides. It's the most utilized space on the table. I just wash everything down every once and a while and clean the tile top when I can write my name in the spills. This is a far cry from some of the quality work I've seen shown lately, but it's functional. I like the rough cedar but in the future I may try to smooth some of the rough texture of the unfinished boards to make it easier to wipe clean. Then again,...I may not. [p]Have a great weekend.[p]Mike
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
    Options
    Haggis,
    I made mine about six or seven years ago entirely out of cedar 2 X 4's that I bought at Lowe's for a $1.00 each. I covered the sides and ends with cedar fence pickets. No problems at all with them. I thought the cedar top would look nice with a few coats of UV protected Spar Varnish. It looked nice for about four days and then started fading and peeling up. So I decided on ceramic tile that I had left over from my porch project. It has held up pretty good in spite of the Texas sun and rain. [p]I don't like the idea of covering anything. I buy or build things thinking it should be convenient, functional and pleasing to the eye, and I surely don't like seeing a lot of stains. [p]Here's what mine looked like when first built and after I installed the tile.[p]BBQCenternewwithouttiletop.jpg[p]LeroysBBQCenter3.jpg[p]As you can see, I changed its location and will soon be changing it again if I can ever get around to building an outdoor kitchen/cooking center.[p]Spring "Heavy On Ideas, Light On Wallet" Chicken
    Spring Texas USA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lawn Ranger
    Lawn Ranger Posts: 5,467
    Options
    Spring Chicken,
    I think our wallets were made by the same guy! Look forward to seeing you in May.[p]Mike
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Spring Chicken
    Spring Chicken Posts: 10,255
    Options
    Lawn Ranger,
    LOL... Maybe you could start making a line of wallets out of wood. That way they would hold their nice thick shape no matter how little money they contained.[p]I'm looking forward to getting together again too.[p]Spring "Money Clipped" Chicken[p]
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Retired RailRoader
    Retired RailRoader Posts: 975
    Options
    Haggis,
    I used Spar varnish on my tables over a coat of exterior natural stain on the cedar table I built for my large and a coat of exterior pecan stain on the table for my small that has an oak top. I cover both of them with a large BGE table cover.
    Everyday is Saturday and tomorrow is always Sunday.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Retired RailRoader
    Retired RailRoader Posts: 975
    Options
    Mike,
    Owning some of your tools I am sure your table is immaculate.

    Everyday is Saturday and tomorrow is always Sunday.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Options
    Haggis,
    I totally agree with Spring Chicken. Covering and uncovering is way too inconvenient. I have a factory cover and don’t use it. I have the standard factory issue table, which is made of cedar. When I received it I sanded the whole thing down with 2 grades of sandpaper. I think it was 100 and 220 grade but I can’t really remember now. I then put 6 coats of Helmsan urethane on sanding after coats 2 and 4. I spent a week getting the standard table ready but I enjoy these types of projects anyway. The table has been outside fully exposed for a year now and still looks great. I will probably sand down the top and put new urethane on it this summer just to ensure it keeps looking great.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Toe 49
    Toe 49 Posts: 193
    Options
    Lawn Ranger,
    I like the free ad for Chef Wil and Dizzy Pig!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Smokin' Todd
    Smokin' Todd Posts: 1,104
    Options
    Whitetail,
    Im thinking the same about repeating the process for the top this spring. Just can't prevent those darn stains and no cleaner will get them out, obviously.
    And besides since I stain my deck myself I have to do it annually, so my tables will just have to add to my outdoor recovery duties.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Lawn Ranger
    Lawn Ranger Posts: 5,467
    Options
    Toe 49,[p]Tom:
    I'm pretty shameless in that regard.....Good to hear from you, My Friend.[p]Mike
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories