I have the huge coffee table and end tables in the dark almost black finish. They are a little over a year old and one of the end tables is peeling down to the white color that everyone seems to be referencing. Wish I had read reviews of it - would never have bought it. I am waiting on the store manager to call me - customer service was not helpful. They kept telling me to get a quote from the furniture fixers they have and then decide if "it's worth it". Just spent $3,000 a year ago and now one end table is unsightly and the coffee table edges are wearing down. And now they want me to spend more money to have what I thought was a good quality, long term purchase, refinished? Whats to guarantee it won't happen again? I don't have kids so cant blame them for the "normal (not) wear and tear.. Horrible quality.

I’m on my second replacement table of the banks graywash table. Immediately it started flaking and the paint wiped off with a damp cloth. A store manager gave me a paint pen for the gray Indio furniture and it matches nearly perfectly. I spent an hour on hold waiting for customer service to pick up the phone. Kindly asking them to refund my money for all pieces (I bought 9 pieces) or change the finish but it sounds like they are all not good.

Btw the tables are not made from mdf. They are solid wood but have some veneer for some surfaces.

I have the benchwright dining room table from about 9 years ago. It was in the dark color, maybe rustic mahogany, I can't remember the name of the finish. We've used it about once a month over that time, maybe more around holidays with guests. I do think it chips with heavy knicks by a hard object. But after all that time, I would say there are only about 4 tiny chips in it and the laquer finish is otherwise like new--same for the chairs. We have always used placemats, and a dry cloth for general cleaning, but I just use a soapy sponge if there's food on it. No issue. However, the benchwright I bought 9 years ago must be way better than what's out there now. I know, because recently, I got this home decorating bug and felt like the finish color was dated and decided to sand it down--bench and table to paint on a 'seadrift' finish, and it came out beautiful. This was not veneers, and no mdf and I sanded down heavy with 60 grit till I got blonde wood throughout. The newest benchwright tables in that lovely seadrift and gray wash colors say right on their website description veneer and MDF, but I assure you, the old table was neither--it was all wood. So, keep in mind that an old pottery barn table is not the same as one from the last few years. Curious if anyone else ever sanded down their old benchwright table. I feel a little bad now that I sanded it since it probably had a good, solid finish on it, but at least it matches my decor better now and looks up to date with the new paint finish I put on it. I would not recommend sanding a newer pb benchwright, because I think you'd just end up with a mess if you sanded through the veneer and got into the MDF. i have no idea when they switched over, but they used to be solid wood. Probably cutting costs like lots of retailers these days, sadly.

This is my over ten year old Benchwright table. We have a 16 year old, a 7 year old, and a 4 year old. It’s used daily for everything - eating, homework, craft projects, and sometimes as a stepstool (that chandelier needs regular dusting!). Does it have scratches? Yes. Has it gotten white spots from careless kids putting hot/steamy paper plates down on a lacquer finish? YES (and remedied with a hand towel and dry iron set to medium heat - google it, it works!). This is a table with a rustic finish. Any scratches can be touched up with a mahogany stain marker and it blends right in and looks intentionally rustic. I’m SO HAPPY I chose a table where flaws from hard use can be part of its character. This table is solid wood. At some point in the future when I decide the finish is sufficiently degraded to need refinish, I know it can be stripped, stained, and relacquered quite easily. Hands down I’m 1,000% content with this purchase. This is a great table.

Hello everyone. After too many months of poor service, I finally received asistance and had the banks dining table replaced for the third and final time. They would not replace it again if this one failed but did offer to reimburse me to have a professional clearcoat added to the surface if it started to peel or chip. I was also told that this table was coming from a new vendor and they expected the gray wash finish to be much better. PB is aware of the defects in their finishes. Well, the first two tables I had were terrible. The paint actually would come off on a cloth of just water or from clean dishwashing water with a small amount of soap! That's absurd when you consider the table I purchased is $2800 (original price) plus tax and $299 to ship. This third one arrived with a few flaws but nothing to squawk about. So far, the finish is holding up. Its been a few weeks. Should it even begin to chip or peel, I plan to take it to a furniture refinishing shop and have a clear coat sprayed on it. I'm glad they worked with me to resolve the matter, but this shouldn't be happening in the first place.

For those of you replying that you have an older table that you love...I did too and I regret selling it. I had an old solid mahogany table and chairs from Pottery Barn. I debated having it stripped and refinished because I know that furniture is not what it used to be. Well, your tables are holding up because they were made better then. Furniture of today is not made with the same attention and quality. Even the expensive stuff. The new stuff is covered with veneers and cheap paints and stains and made from soft woods.

I paid thousands of dollars for my new pb set and I regret this purchase in its entirety. My original set was superior in every way and if I could get it back I would.

Has anyone successfully striped and refinished their old benchwright table? I have mahagony but would prefer it a much lighter color.

Is anyone having problems with the stability of the Benchwright table? We have the. 60” round one, no leaf, and it’s gotten really wobbly over the last couple of years. (We’ve had it for about 4 years.). I have crawled under it and tried to find a spot to tighten screws but no luck. We recently turned it over and there is nothing obvious as to how to tighten it up. I called PB and of course they were no help, but referred me to a furniture repair website they use (that charges of course, but as they don’t service the Seattle area I can’t even get anyone on the phone! Has anyone else had any luck tightening this up? Thanks!

Hey everyone! I found this thread so helpful. We purchased the benchwright table in grey wash and had major fading less than six months of purchasing. Luckily, I bought the table through their online store’s sales/designer during the pandemic so I had her email And she took care of the exchange. Curious to see how the new one does! Maybe I should get a credit?

What are you using to clean it?

This thread has really progressed in the last 6 months or so since I had my issues, but there's clearly a common theme. We were able to get a replacement from PB, but we didn't take any chances with this one and had it sealed right away. We didn't want to take any chances that it'd chip/peel in a year and be stuck with a crummy expensive table. I will never be buying their furniture again after these quality issues. This should have been vetted out before pushing it on their customers.

We have the benchwright table and bench in the blackened oak and chairs in the seadrift. After only a few months the table and bench started to peal showing the light coloured wood underneath. (The chairs have been fine) PB is replacing the table and bench. I want to have it sealed. What have others used to seal their tables and did it help? I wish I had found this thread earlier as PB offered me a refund but I love the table and we already have the chairs and they wouldn’t be replacing those. But now I’m thinking i should have taken the refund. Can’t believe the terrible quality. I will never purchase furniture from PB again.

We have had our PB table for 10 years and as you can see it’s in horrible condition...none of that is food, all worn down marks. The chips and marks started pretty much a few months after we got it. I wish I would have asked for it to be replaced.

For the 74in table, what size rug to you recommend to go under it?

@Lauren Bloomington I have the original ALL Hardwood Benchwright mahogany finish that is about 15 years old now. I am OCD about this table and it still looks pretty amazing overall considering the comments that are in this feed. However I do have marks that look like grease marks that don't come out. But they are not grease marks because I don't put anything on the table. It's rarely used. I went on this site to see if anybody had any good ideas on what to do but it sounds like I might be one of the lucky ones like you to have a solid wood table. I have thought about sanding mine down to. I have the same color you did. Can you please upload a pic of your after product. I would love to see it.

I have the white bench right table on order and now I'm very leery about the quality of it, since it's no longer made of solid wood. And the table is about $1,000 more than it was when I bought it 15 years ago. Very disappointed to read how cheaply made the table now is and more money. I need to reconsider my decision. Thank you everyone for the great comments.

All of these woods from Asia need to have a good coat of paste wax when new, and refreshed periodically thereafter. That’s a tip from someone who sold those woods.

The problem is that the newer tables are not wood on top it's either a veneer or MDF. Such a shame they charge more for the table and it isn't even wood anymore!

I'm glad it's not just me. I bought the benchwright rectagle table in Mahogany 10 years ago. It's held up beautifully. I just received the round, benchwright in Sea Drift and I can't believe the difference. I thought maybe it was the Sea Drift color. But I guess not. You can just tell it's not 100% wood. And the finish is so bumpy that it actually hurts my elbows sitting at the table. The mahogany top had a softness to it.

Get your act together Pottery Barn! They have nerve with their prices!

I have a 10 year old Benchmark table in Rustic Mahogany. I recently ironed a table cloth on top of my table pads (rated to 550 degrees). when i removed the pads I had white marks on the table where the pad seams were. Thank you to post above that talked about using a cloth and iron to remove mark. worked like a charm! No issues with table functionality. One nick from a heavy object dropping on it. Use Chilewich placemats for daily use. Love the rustic style table.

I bought this table in Seadrift last year. When we had it delivered my daughter asked, ”Why did you get a plastic table?” It looked NOTHING like the pictures. It looks like a tan colored plastic top. i called PB and they said i could return. It is very heavy, but didnt have the look i was going for

If you are lucky enough to live close to an Amish furniture store consider buying your wood futniture from them. I’m able to select the size, style of top and base, the edge profile, the species of wood and the stain color. In my opinion the price is extremely reasonable for custom solid hardwood, custom made furniture. When I chose my table and chairs a few weeks ago the lead time was between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am going with wormy maple but I can’t order until I choose the stain color.

Thank you ALL so much. Just sold my solid wood Tommy bahama today and couldn’t wait to purchase the Benchwright table and chairs. I am now not even going to look back at it. I liked more than anything out there I saw, but not going to buy poor quality and regret what I just sold just cause I wanted a different color!!!!!!

I bought the Benchwright table from Pottery Barn as well and it started chipping within monnths and white ring marks started showing where we had set plates. I didnt get around to dealing this problem fast enough. I started covering the table with a cloth because I could not stand the look of the table. I called Pottery Barn today. I had the table for the last 2 years and they refused to do anything about it as they said it had been more than a year since I bought it. So instead of doing something about a crap table that I paid $2700 for they acted like they had no responsibilty. When I told them that I had read tons of terrible reviews on line they pretended they had never heard of any issues. Complete liars. Not buying crap from Pottery Barn ever again.

How interesting to read all these terrible reviews. My brother has owned a Mahogany Benchwright for the last 7 years or so and based on how well it has stood up to time, we purchased one for our house - but in Seadrift. We paid to have it shipped to our house in the British Virgin Islands. Due to covid, we have spent literally 2 weeks at the house and the table was actually only installed in November 2020. On my last visit to the house in June 2021, the table was clearly deteriorating. I sent photos to Pottery Barn and their response was to give me a link to Furniture Medic! They are now saying that they would replace the table but obviously, not to the BVI and they want me to ship the damaged table back to them. I am utterly disgusted with them.

i dont have not even 6 months with my table and only 4 weeks using it and i already see the paint or whatever cheap think it is coming off i wanna cry i paid like 7000 on this including chairs this is crazyy i will never go back there really thought it would of been good quality! since is so expincive my ashley funiture lasted longer then this so disappointed pottery Barn!!

I’m on the hunt for a dining table and it will NOT be a Benchwright rustic mahogany finish. Our sleigh bed and buffet do have the white peeking through. It is mainly where two boards meet and they separate over time. It is also due to even the slightest use. I needed to order the touch up kit to help disguise the fact that the pieces look…and are…. cheaply made. To top that off, our PB sofa fell apart in less than 6 months. And customer service is difficult if not impossible to get. Me? I’m having a custom dining table built of real wood! Let’s stop supporting companies where their products end up in the landfill within 3-5 years.

I have 4 pieces of the Benchwright collection furniture in blackened oak purchased a year and a half ago. With minimal use the paint is chipping off down to the bear wood, dining table, coffee table, and 2 end tables. I have dealt with customer service x3 and the store manager who sold me this crappy furniture! I have been told “there is nothing they can do” I am so discussed. I spent $5000 of my hard earned money on JUNK! Pottery Barn is knowingly and willingly selling these defective products. I WILL NEVER PURCHASE FROM POTTERY BARN AGAIN!

Agreed. If I even look at my Benchwright (and a rustic mahogany bed) the white shows through. Especially at seams. They know this occurs and have not addressed the issue. They just continue to sell to unsuspecting customers. Shameful.

We have the PB Benchwright Rustic Mahogany round table and it is about 10 years old, while the wear and tear does show (we have 3 kids), we still like it. Our issue is, we bought it from the outlet and it didn't come with the extension leaf which we now need. Does anyone have an extension leaf they would like to sale?

I have three kids under 4, would anyone recommend buying a cut piece of glass to cover the top to prevent wear and tear that comes with messy little kids :) I have the rustic mahogany benchwright extended table.

I have this tabke in the grey wash and the touch up kit does nothing. for as much as we paid this is unaceptable!

Rochester Mn

My daughter is the owner of the Benchwright mahghogy table with 2 benches. It is at least 10-15 years old and very sold wood. It has lost it’s luster and I would like help her get that back. Reading all the posts has been helpful but I still not certain if it needs just good wax or should it be poly coated? It has lots of water ring marks and has a cloudy film on it that doesn’t go away when wiped down. Help!

@Hanna Miller My banks in gray wash did the same thing immediately after I purchased it. The painted finish would come up with the wipe of a damp cloth. They replaced it for me three times because the second table did the same thing. The third table was the magic one and the finish is good now. I don't know when you bought yours. Mine arrived in Spring 2020. It took nearly a year for them to get a table with an acceptable finish to me. It's frustrating. The finish is still holding up but I wish I hadn't purchased this set.

Same!!! I wish I knew! Spent thousands on the side tables, dining table and coffee table and white chips all over the coffee table. We don't really use the dining table and side tables that much but the coffee table is used daily and we have cork coasters I religiously wipe yup any water but it doesn't matter! They told me I needed to mail back the 75lb coffee table!! I'm like no send me the new one and then I'll send this crap back. Still haven't gotten this resolved back and forth with them for mths now! Because it all matches I'm screwed and can't just get a different coffee table. I'm so mad. Now I'm stuck with all these items that I paid thousands for and have to figure out how to salvage them.

Me again. My Pottery Barn Benchwright Collection after 2 years wear (2older adult home). Wasted 5 grand. Disgusted!

Me…

Putting out on curb!

Just got off the phone with PB. I have the exact same issue with the Banks gray wash dresser and nightstands. Ours immediately started peeling off even though we just used dry, soft rags. I would look at it one day then the second day after nothing was moved etc, and there would be a new eroded area. Have been battling serious health issues so calling wasn’t my priority. Should have made it one. Same answer - contact Furniture Medic. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars through PB. If they know this an issue they should resolve it. I would be happy just getting the paint, etc, and doing it myself but matching it will be tough. Not happy!

After selling my 30 yr old mahogany dining set, I decided to splurge on Pottery Barn furniture thinking it was great quality. I bought the Banks Seadrift table, a bench and 2 of their chairs. I received it in May 2022. I always use cork placemats and after eating, I wipe the table with a damp sponge. Several times while wiping the table, the sponge caught on a tiny bit of wood and a piece of wood splintered off.
Customer service said they cannot do anything with repair because it is a veneer top but they did offer to replace the entire table because it was still within the year. Just had the new table top replaced, after reading all of these comments, I am scared to death of what’s going to happen! I’m going to try to seal it with a wax and see if that helps. Otherwise, I will have them continue to replace it before my year warranty is up!

It’s junk! Send it back. Try for a refund. Didnt work for me!

I'm updating here: sad to write that the table I ordered from pb is starting to lose the finish. It is just chipping off or wiping away. I thought the third table was going to be the good one. I strongly recommend not getting the gray wash finish.

Do not buy any Benchwright product. All the colors chip!

This furniture is wood chips compressed with glue, with a slap of cheap stain on top. It's awful given how much the pieces cost and how long you have to wait to have them delivered. The upholstered pieces don't hold up to real life either. I've also experienced dye fading in expensive PB towels and bathmats with the very first wash, while using a mild detergent like Cheer to protect the colors. The spots never stop appearing. Pottery Barn would not even consider taking them back. So I buy all household textiles elsewhere. Walmart has better quality towels. We shall see how these retailers fair in the next year or so, as the economy is changing rapidly, and how responsive they are to customers when there are fewer of them.

I always wondered why there was no place to review the furniture online - maybe this is the reason. I had my eye on the benchwright set, which was going to cost about $6,000. I’m so glad I found this thread! Thank you the posts! I will not be purchasing it any longer from Pottery Barn.

Following 🥺

I purchased a gray wash Benchwright Hutch that was delivered on February 18,2023 . I contacted the store the next day when I saw that the glass panes had dark streaks through them and that the plastic molding strips kept popping out (so that the panes weren’t held securely). After two months of emailing, calling, and posting a complaint on Facebook, I finally got an appointment for the Furniture Medic to come to my home on May 3. He said the hutch was clearly defective and taped in the glass panes to keep them from falling out. I’m now scheduled for a replacement hutch with delivery estimated Aug 24-Sept 1 ! I will never buy furniture from Pottery Barn again.

#potterybarn

I'm soo glad I stumbled upon this post. I was going to pull the trigger today and purchase the Benchwright pedestal dining table and buffet today.

Does anyone have a POV on the Toscana collection? If that one is of higher quality, that would work. If I hear that this a dud too, I'd greatly appreciate hearing from this community with any recommendations on a round light wood -- similar to the Pottery Barn Seadrift -- round table with an extension, e.g. from 48" or so to 72". And a matching buffet, no longer than 70-75" would be ideal!

Thanks in advance for any guidance!

Deborah

I have an older benchwright table from PB (2015) and I noticed the newer versions in the stores today look and feel very different than mine. The newer ones are clearly not real wood. Funny, the prices have not changed!

Mine circa 2010 is most definitely solid hardwood. It has taken a beating from 3 children (now aged 18 through 6). There are gouge marks from my son assembling wood toys with a hammer, general finish wear, etc. It’s all real wood. Extremely sturdy. It’s time to refinish it but I’m trying to wait out the destructive years of the youngest two.

Same. My table looks horrible now. I wish I never purchased it.

To answer your question I would give it a light sanding and several coats of poly, based on how easily the finish wears out. Wax will leave water marks.