Best way to store table leaves?

[tinlizzy]

I'm on vacation this week and I'm cleaning the carpets.

It's so nice having extra space in the dining room that I've decided to remove the leaves from the table before I put it back.

How do I store them so they won't warp or is it not a concern?

 

[nwsteve]

We slide them under a bed in a carpeted room. Flat so no warp, carpet minimize scratching, under the bed, so no one is likely to bang or drop them.
Nwsteve

 

[tinlizzy]

Thanks nwsteve - that sounds good to me. I was thinking the attic or the basement but one is hot and the other is humid. Under the bed is perfect.

 

[Sue J]

Ours are in the coat closet along with the set of table pads. The dining room table is a drop leaf with 2 extra leaves. The extra leaves get tucked away, the drop leaves dropped and the table pushed to the side of the room, leaving a lot of space.

 

[Texas Proud]

We slide them under a bed in a carpeted room. Flat so no warp, carpet minimize scratching, under the bed, so no one is likely to bang or drop them.
Nwsteve

+1

 

[tinlizzy]

Sue - I really like the look of the extra space! Now that I have an empty nest I'm not as interested in a traditional looking living or dining room. I wouldn't even mind a contemporary looking L shaped sectional and a large coffee table for dining.

Another question - the gear on the mechanism that moves the table apart could use something. Would just a drop or two of 3 in 1 oil be okay?

 

[MRG]

Stand vertically or lay horizontally, don't let anyone stack stuff on them. No excess humity, excess heat etc. On the hardware, I'm assuming where the leaves detach a SMALL amout of 3-1 should be ok.

MRG

 

[ERD50]

...Would just a drop or two of 3 in 1 oil be okay?

3 in 1 oil has a nasty, permeating odor, IMO. I would not use it anywhere around where I'm going to eat.

I'd use a little wipe of furniture lemon oil, or plain mineral oil. Should be all it needs. Or maybe swipe it with an old candle to deposit some wax on it?

-ERD50

 

[tinlizzy]

It has 2 round gears with teeth in the middle and they grab a bar with teeth attached to each end. The 3 in 1 is at work so I'll try the mineral oil - I know I have some, somewhere.

 

[RockyMtn]

We slide them under a bed in a carpeted room. Flat so no warp, carpet minimize scratching, under the bed, so no one is likely to bang or drop them.
Nwsteve

+1

 

[Bestwifeever]

We have four for our 100+ year old oak table. They slide into a simple wooden case, which we have kept upright in a closet near the table for the past 35 years. I imagine they are past the point of warping, but maybe not.

 

[pb4uski]

With our old table I put up a couple brackets a bit higher than head level along the wall of in a walk-in closet/pantry that we have and I stored them horizontally on edge and the leaned slightly against the wall of the closet.

In our new table there is a gap between the top of the pedestal and the bottom of the table surface that we slide them into. Neat.

 

[Chuckanut]

The table does not have built in storage for leaves that are not used?

 

[sengsational]

Exception to the floor, under a bed thing...if you're on a slab, I'd not do that. Too much moisture!

 

[tinlizzy]

The table does not have built in storage for leaves that are not used?

No, but I like that idea!

Seng - I have a basement so for me the bedroom will work.

 

[Meadbh]

I second, third and fourth the under the bed on a carpeted floor not on a slab idea.