THE BENEFITS OF FOLDING TABLES

Easy to store, transport and clean, folding tables are a wise investment for any catering or hospitality business. Their adaptable size means they are especially practical for smaller dining spaces, or can be used as overflow tables during busy food services.

WHAT IS A FOLDING TABLE?

A folding table can be collapsed in half for quick and easy storage and moved between venues with ease. Foldable tables are often made from a lighter material such as plastic or aluminium for straightforward portability. Like all foldable furniture, folding tables are convenient for making the most of available space or extending existing interior space to exteriors in warmer seasons. Folding tables provide quick pop-up furniture that is simple to assemble and compact when folded away.

For example, a small café looking to extend its footfall in the summer may use bistro café pavement style steel tables to attract more custom for alfresco dining. Plastic folding tables are also a popular choice for pop-up street food vendors as they are easy to clean, carry at the end of service and fit into small vehicles.

WHAT TYPES OF FOLDING TABLES ARE THERE?

Our folding tables come in a variety of lengths, shapes, heights, colours and materials. View the tables below to see the advantages of each style. Each variation of folding table has its purpose, whether it’s for mobile caterers or permanent furniture in small cafés.

Shapes

Round

Round tables are perfect for larger group dining and are popular at weddings or business functions. Because of their size, they easily seat parties of 8 to 10 people. They offer a communal feel to dining and keep everyone seated close to each other for fluent, intimate conversation. Round folding tables are best suited to larger dining halls as they require plenty of space when assembled

Rectangular

Ideal for narrower rooms, rectangular folding dining tables are especially helpful when you’re limited on space. Our rectangular tables are available in multiple lengths to help you seat as many guests as you need, ranging from four foot to eight foot for seating up to 12 people. Despite their extended design, they still provide ample leg room.

Because of their length, rectangular portable tables work particularly well as buffet tables and can be placed against walls to maximise space. With enough height for under table storage too, a rectangular folding table is great for keeping food and drink consumables topped up. Alternatively, place them end to end to create banquet style seating.

Square

Our affordable square tables feature all the benefits of a café bistro patio table with the practical function required multipurpose venues. If you’re not sure how much space you’ll have available, square tables are a smart, flexible pick.

Like rectangular fold down tables, their flat edges with rounded corners mean they can be pushed together for a flush fit to create larger dining surfaces. Cover square folding tables with table skirts and covers for attractive decoration. Also useful individually, square tables can be used as spotlight tables to upsell products in cafés and bars.

Materials

Polyurethane and Plastic Folding Tables

Water resistant and low maintenance thanks to a non-porous smooth surface and extremely lightweight plastic, these tables offer excellent reliability and flexibility. A plastic tables’ hard-wearing exterior and non-marking foot bungs (rubber feet) mean they can be placed indoors or outdoors with durable resistance to frequent use or movement. Rubber feet also help add overall stability.

Denser polyurethane boasts its own benefits. With high abrasion and shock impact resistance, polyurethane can withstand excessive use. Polyurethane can be used in all weather conditions because of its durability. A strong construction means Polyurethane has a naturally elastomeric memory, so it will never stretch out of shape and will always have a sturdy surface when loaded evenly.

Steel Folding Tables

These versatile tables have sturdy frames and dining surfaces that endure. Available in a huge variety of colours, from seaside blue to eye catching light green and red, foldable steel tables are truly diverse.

Slender in design, each table is robustly made and reliable, offering style with carry handles for indoor storage. Each steel table has been powder coated for abrasion resistance from weathering. Our colourful small collapsible tables are perfect for petite patios and pavement areas. Easily store them indoors overnight.

Aluminium Folding Tables

A durable metal, aluminium makes a strong table material thanks to its sturdiness and low maintenance upkeep. Unlike some metals, aluminium cannot rust and is not vulnerable when exposed to high levels of heat or cleaning chemicals. This means when wiped down after each use with some simple soap and water it will keep well and not deteriorate over time.

Our light aluminium tables are completely sealed for hygiene. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use too, each aluminium table is treated for weather resistance so you can get maximum use out of it without rust or deterioration.

Metal and Wood Folding Tables

Metal and wood tables combine the attractive style of natural wood with the toughness of a metal frame and table top edging. With all our flip-top metal and wood fold up tables, the wooden table top has been pre-oiled for low maintenance. To maintain a well-protected stylish wooden surface, make sure you regularly treat the wood top with teak oil

ABS (Laminate) Folding Tables

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) tables are a brilliant alternative to other materials. Made from a sustainable laminate material, ABS offers an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic with the stability and strength of a metal folding table.

Low in density and light in composition too, laminate tables are lightweight enough for easy lifting and transportation. With similar properties to PVC, ABS laminate foldable tables are weather resistant for placement indoors or out. Unlike PVC however, ABS is an acid-free material making it well suited to family restaurants and cafés.

FOLDING TABLE BRANDS

Bolero

Our largest collection of foldable tables comes from Bolero, supplying stylish stability in seconds to your catering and hospitality businesses. In a few quick motions, Bolero tables can quickly be dressed up with table skirts and covers to decorate community centres or placed in temporary dining venues to accommodate unexpected footfall. Bolero's tables also include colourful bistro tables for your café or bar, available in square and round styles.

Bolero Folding Table Tutorial: How To Quickly Assemble Your Folding Table

Gopak

Gopak fold up tables are commonly seen in schools and churches thanks to their lightweight nature and high quality finishes. From white round tables to classic rectangular tables they provide a huge variety of styles to cater for your commercial space.

Choose from faux wood effect benches in oak, teak and beech to more playful, polished colours of blue or red folding tables. Created for efficiency in limited spaces, each Gopak collapsible table is easy to set up and fold away again. Are you after somewhere to store your foldaway tables? We stock Gopak small and large table trolleys with wheels to help you manoeuvre your foldable table.

GoPak Folding Table Tutorial: How To Set Up a GoPak Table

Vogue

Solidly manufactured, Vogue’s polished stainless steel fold-in table is the perfect pop up table for prepping food. Craft Guild of Chefs catering industry suppliers, Vogue, specialise in kitchenware, utensils and consumables to make your business thrive, so you can trust the quality of their folding table will be just as high.

Easy to unfold and collapse again, the Vogue foldable steel table takes mere seconds to set up for sturdiness that lasts as long as you need.

FOLDING TABLE ACCESSORIES

Need to dress up your collapsible tables or complete the look with folding chairs? View our collection of accessories.

Foldaway Utility Chairs

Bolero’s comfortable fold up chairs fold flat for simple storage. In one simple motion, each utility chair unfolds for frequent use and placement anywhere. Each folding chair is appropriate for indoor or outdoor with high water and UV resistance treatment.

Available in black or white, the chairs conform to EN581 for guaranteed strength and sturdiness. Also available in a pack of 10 chairs to help you save on spending. We also stock banquet chairs and banquet chair covers for formal and fine dining events.

Multi-purpose Stackable Chairs

Resol’s lightweight, easy-care multi-purpose stackable chairs are a smart way to dress your venue up whilst keeping costs low. Made from durable polypropylene each chair is suitable for indoor or outdoor use and is ideal to have in storage as back up seating.

Table Trolleys

We stock small (holds up to 7 tables) and large (holds up to 14) folding table trolleys from quality UK supplier Gopak. Table trolleys are available for square, rectangular or round fold up tables.

Table Skirts, Table Covers and Table Runners

For when you’re using portable tables at conferences and banquets, table skirting and table cloths are an excellent way to instantly add finesse to any interior. For an extra touch of class, dress up your foldable table with a table runner.

Spare Spanner Sockets

Always have a back up to hand with our spare spanner sockets for Bolero foldaway tables.

FAQS

Q: How do I open and collapse a folding table safely?

It’s important to note that all foldable tables open differently, but as a general guide this is how the majority of fold up tables open and close. For a visual aid, see the Bolero video table above.

To open:

1. Using the carry handle, set the table down safely on its side on an even surface, then keep it steady and upright with the flat of your hand.

2. From the edge with rounded corners, prise the table top open until the surface is flat.

3. Slide the locking mechanism gently into place until you hear the faint click to confirm the table is in an locked an open position.

4. Open each table leg smoothly and ease the latches down to the table leg joins to keep the legs locked outwards.

5. Lift the table onto its legs, and it is ready for use or decoration.

To close:

1. Place the table on its side, or flat if this is more convenient for you.

2. Slide the latch on each leg down, then fold down each leg until they click back into their original position.

3. From a rounded edge, fold one side of the table to the other.

4. In an upright position, use the carry handle to transport the folded table to storage.

Q: How long or tall are folding tables ?

The length of a table depends on it’s design. We sell round and rectangular folding tables ranging from four foot (122 cm) to eight foot (244 cm) in width. Similarly, the height depends on construction.

GD386 Bolero Folding Chair And Table Set

Keep in mind the table’s purpose when considering which height folding table to buy. Our stock includes standard dining height tables, foldable bistro tables and taller fold up poseur tables.

Q: Do you sell folding table and chair sets?

Yes! We sell multiple folding table and chair, or fold-in table and bench sets – a cost effective solution for endless commercial use. We also sell a rattan armchair and table set for indoor and outdoor use.