While your chef designs a menu to die for, your barista finds the perfect coffee bean blend and your mixologist lines the bar with the ultimate spicy margarita ingredients – do not forget to carefully select one of the most visible, important aspects of your venue. Your table tops will eventually be adorned with all of the above (food, coffee, spicy margarita etc) but when your customers walk in, first impressions will be those humble ‘tops.
Aside from chef’s furrowed brow (if you have the world’s first relaxed chef though, congratulations), table tops are the most frequently seen (and heavily used) surfaces in commercial venues. Choosing the right one and knowing how to clean it will ultimately extend its life span is a critical part of setting your café up for success.
Here’s our guide to the most common table top surfaces and how to take good care of them.
This is the Jessica Fox of table tops – strong, durable and, for good reason, extremely popular. Its smooth exterior makes it easy to clean and it’s cost effective to boot, making it highly appealing for commercial venues.
Cleaning tips
- For daily cleaning, wipe the melamine with a soft cloth or sponge soaked with warm, soapy water. Steer clear of abrasive cloths like scouring pads which could scratch the melamine surface and harsh chemicals which might discolour or damage it.
- For stubborn stains, stick with non-abrasive cloths and solutions, instead gently apply a stronger mixture of water and vinegar.
Our version of high pressed resin, the Ricardo, is so tough we double dare you to dance on it in your pointiest stilettos and see who fares better. It’s perfect for busy commercial venues as a moisture resistant, sleek and long-lasting option for table tops that will handle the messiest of babycino or margarita consumers.
Cleaning tips
- Whip out your mild, dishwashing detergent and a damp cloth and glide it along your resin surface like you’re bathing the babycino drinker. To avoid water spots, a quick dry cloth follow up is recommended but not essential.
- If the sticky remains won’t budge, use a non-abrasive degreaser but don’t scrub at it or use steel wool which will cause the resin to lose its shine over time.
You know you’re in a classy establishment when there’s marble table tops, so if this is how you roll, we take our hats off to you, fancy pants. Marble table tops instantly cast an elegant impression but the downside is, they require a particular cleaning regime due to their porous nature.
Cleaning tips
- Marble needs a PH-neutral cleaning solution and a soft cloth to gently wipe down your tables from the Veuve Clicquot spillage (you wouldn’t allow anything less than French bubbles, are we right?).
- If the Veuve is left a little too long and a stain appears, create a paste with baking soda and water and let it sit overnight before wiping clean.
- Don’t touch the marble with vinegar or acidic-based cleaning products which could damage it.
Do you ever get the feeling ‘lots of character’ isn’t always a compliment? When it comes to timber, it absolutely is, as it brings a beautiful warmth to your table tops and venue. However, just like us humans, it requires a consistent beauty regime to keep that ‘character’ comment a positive one.
Cleaning tips
- Before you have your morning coffee, give the timber table tops a dust off with a soft, dry cloth to keep them in good nick.
- Throughout service, use a mild soap solution wiped down with a damp cloth but avoid lots of water and harsh chemicals which eat away at timber lacquers.
- Just like an every now and again facial, your timber table tops will benefit from a lovely furniture polish or oil to keep them looking fresh.
Polywood is a synthetic material (high density polyethylene or HDPE) made to resemble timber, without the timber issues (like splintering, cracking, rotting etc – it’s tough being timber, always watching your back). Polywood shrugs off any schtick from rain, hail or sunshine, withstanding it all and making itself very popular as an outdoor table top.
Cleaning tips
- Being so stable, you can use everyday detergent mixed with water to clean polywood with a cloth or sponge. A gentle scrub will nix any sticky margarita spills, but avoid wire ir stiff cleaning materials.
- Mr Sheen is a friend to Polywood. A simple spray and wipe will be the ultimate refresh.
General maintenance for all table tops
Come one, come all! We have tips that apply for the slickest of melamine to the most characterful of timber table tops.
Maintenance tips
- Cover them when not in use.
- Avoid putting hot pans, pots, plates or cups directly onto any tabletop, and pop some cute coasters, cork mats or placemats to protect it.
- You might have noticed a common theme above, but abrasive cleaning solution or scrubbing equipment ain’t going to fly with any table top. Nice and gentle, please.
- Any highly pigmented food or drink spillage should be wiped up as quickly as possible. We’re talking red wine, beetroot, red sauces – all the good stuff, but not ideal when they leave their mark on your tables.
- The no feet on the table rule applies to your chairs, too. Stacking chairs on the table tops will cause unnecessary wear and potential scratches, so invest in chairs that stack and pile them up neatly in the corner.
Need more information? Pop over to our table tops range and have a look at the many pictures and facts on there.