INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

WOOD TOPS

Most wood will expand and contract as the humidity and temperature levels rise and fall. A base that can accommodate this expansion and contraction is crucial for the long-term durability of your table. Almost all of our products come standard with slotted or oversized holes that will allow the mounting screws to move through the hole with the shifting wood. Mounting fasteners are not included with our products, as there is no universal mounting system and there is wide variety of different hardware requirements depending on the details of the top. But for most wood tops, a #8 or #10 wood screw is the preferred diameter. If possible, you generally want at least ¾” of screw depth into the wood. The screw finish, head style, and drive type are completely up to you.

When mounting a base or table legs to a wood top, it is typically recommended to assemble the table upside down with the legs sticking up in the air. Place the legs in the desired location and use a tape measure to ensure the legs are equally spaced from the ends and centered. Drilling a pilot hole is almost always recommended to prevent the mounting screws from splitting the top. An 1/8” drill bit works great for most wood screws. If the top is relatively thin, a drill stop should be used on the drill bit to prevent the bit from accidentally drilling all the way through the table. The pilot holes should be drilled in the center of the mounting holes. Washers should also be used with the screws. This prevents the screws from burrowing into the metal mounting hole and creating a “nest” there which will prevent the screw from moving with the expansion and contraction of the top. Avoid over-tightening the screws, as this may strip the wood.

After the entire base or all of the table legs are tightly mounted to the table, get some help and flip the table over. If the leveling feet (if applicable) are not already installed, make sure the feet are fully threaded in before flipping the table

However it is not always practical to assemble a table upside down and flip it over after assembly. For very large and/or heavy tops that are being paired with a metal table base, or free standing metal table legs (such as our T-Shaped Legs, or Triangular Style Legs), the legs can be positioned in their desired location, and the top can be set on top of the legs, and secured to the metal base from underneath.

Custom Table Legs Installation Instructions for Wood Table Tops

Installation Instructions for Stone Table Tops on Custom Table Legs

STONE TOPS

It is recommended that a sheet of ¾” plywood be glued to the underside of the stone, as this will provide additional support to the fragile stone as well as create a suitable mounting surface for the table legs or base to mount to. For smaller stone tops, the table can be assembled upside and flipped over upon completion, but for most stone tops, this is not practical and the stone should be placed on top of the metal base once it is placed in the desired location.

When mounting table legs to plywood, it is typically recommended that you use threaded inserts into the plywood and machine screws to bolt the base to the plywood. Wood screws with the relatively thin mounting thickness can eventually wear out, causing the table to wobble and sway. Threaded inserts can be difficult to install, but they create a much stronger mount than standard wood screws. and allow for much easier disassembly and reassembly in the future if necessary

In many cases, plywood is either not necessary, or not desirable for a particular application. As long as you are using a free-standing metal table base or legs, the stone can usually be adhered directly to the metal base. We don't recommend letting the stone simply rest on the metal base, as it's much easier than you would think to slide even the heaviest of stone tops off of the base. A silicone adhesive is a popular choice for adhering the stone to the base. It is cheap, easy to install, and easily removeable if necessary and it does the job of holding the stone in place. It is always recommended that you get advice and a recommendation from the stone top fabricator, as different stones and top thicknesses can have vastly different mounting and support requirements.

Installation Instructions for Custom Table Legs

GLASS TOPS

If you inform us that the base is to be used with a glass top, we typically make the base a little different. We don’t put mounting pads or plates on the top of the base, and the top is finished off smooth so it has an attractive appearance through the glass. We also include rubber bumpers that stick to the top of the metal base for the glass to rest on so there is no metal-on-glass contact, which can cause rattling, scratches, and possibly crack the glass.

We always recommend using a free-standing base with glass tops, such as any of our Trestle Bases or Table Frames or table legs such as the T-Shaped or Triangular Style metal table legs. Some table manufacturers do use epoxy to glue standard table legs to glass tops, but we do not recommend this approach, as if this is done improperly and the adhesive fails, the entire table will collapse.

The installation of glass tables is as simple as placing the rubber bumpers on the base in the desired locations and placing the glass on top of the base. If you do not wish to use the rubber bumpers, we recommend using silicone to lightly glue the top to the metal base. Glass tables should never be assembled upside down using an adhesive to mount the top to the base.

Contact us if you have any more questions.

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