I was just sitting down to address the question of why I would want to use styrofoam covered with cement for a tabletop when I could make a form and fill it with rebar and 4 inches of cement and be done with it. I saw that NathanHurst had addressed the topic with his usual gentle wit and his own experience. I liked everything he said and I loved the site he sent us to. For me there is an additional component to this desire to make a lightweight concrete table/bench/sphere/leaf/etc. It amazes me. I have been around a long time and am still thrilled when my assumptions are proven wrong. Last summer I saw some men making an EIFS system exterior wall and went over to see if they knew where to get fiberglass mesh you could use with concrete. While I watched them I wondered why I couldn't use the neat stuff they were smearing on the wall to make myself a thin concrete leaf. I couldn't buy any (you have to be trained in the EIFS system before a manufacturer will sell it to you) so I started researching the product and came upon Quickwall and fiber concrete and knowledgeable people on this list and before long I was making 3 pound leaves that seemed as strong as the 20 pounders I had started with. What a surprise! Everything I have done with this mesh and fiber concrete has been a surprise to me. It always is harder/ stronger/ lighter than it "should be" according to my intuitive grasp on the world of physics . My personality wants to see how far this idea can be stretched. If I make 100 pound or 200 pound tabletops I will not be able to move them. If I make 40 pound tabletops I can deal with them. Now all I have to do is make them strong enough to be durable and safe. I think I can do it with cheap materials and some experimentation. Right now I have taken the foam in the pics and gotten rid of the rebar. I have given all sides of the tabletop one quarter inch thick coat of quickwall (fiber/portland/admix) and EISF mesh (alkali resistant fiberglass). My plan is to cure this for a few days and see what I think but probably add a second coat of everything . Then I will think of some way to test the strength of the piece and post the resulting success or failure photo here. Any suggestions what test would be dramatic but realistic for this purpose???? Laura ps I have a horse. Would it be impressive to get her to stand on the tabletop (it would be resting on the ground) --- or would this prove anything?? She weighs about 1200 pounds. It isn't like she is going to "fall thru" styrofoam but she might crack off the concrete covering. I think I could get her to put her front feet on it if it was propped up on a couple of concrete blocks..... would that be better? I would have to lug the whole project 30 miles to the place I keep her so this may not be the best idea.... (for anyone worried about the safety of my horse during this testing.... be assured I value her more than I do most humans. I would do a lot of pretesting to convince myself whether or not it made sense to ask Ellie to be the crash dummy.)

Thanks for the suggestions, wasn’t really planning on putting glass at all, unless I could find a thin piece of plexi to go over. Nothing fancy, just wanted an easy diy. I can get tempered glass cut myself, family business. But I’d rather not go that route. Looking more for a maybe woven diy? Tips for that type. I don’t want no rudeness going on either, I’m no expert and I don’t expect pro advice to be thrown my way, we all live and have our mistakes, but sometimes it’s more unique to do it a different way. Thanks anyway!

Well, just how young are your children? People are supposed to know to use a coaster. Should we never have wood furniture anywhere in the home, not on a dining room table or coffee table or end tables? Maybe the problem is your guests, not your furniture. The other thing is, although it is usually not done, You can get a wood table, and then get it finished with the type of finish they put on wood for the inside of boats, something like epoxy plus varnish. But talk to a fine woodworker. This will not allow hot pots on your wood table. Nor should you put wet glasses on it either. It will just help for those random bits of water and to prevent UV damage Really, please buy plenty of coasters and set them on your table and side tables and coffee tables. Your children should learn to use coasters and proper table manners, too if they haven't already. For crafts but plenty of tablecloths to cover the table. And you need to supervise closely if they are using scissors if you think they are that wild with the scissors that they are going to gouge or cut the table. Because then they are really not safe with the scissors. There is nothing wrong with using placemats on a wood table. Taking care doesn't mean one isn't enjoying something. If you want a wood table for which you don't want to feel you need to use a table cloth or placemats then you are best off purchasing a picnic table.

Since you commented on weight, you probably know this already, but there is nothing more annoying (IMHO, anyways) than flatware with heavy handles. Someone had told me to avoid heavy handled flatware, but I forgot when we bought new for our cottage. I was so thrilled to get a good brand on discount, it must have gone out of my head. I curse every time a heavy handled knife or fork flips off a plate as I carry them to the sink. Just because of that, I'd suggest getting the sample.