Manufacturers count places by dividing the length by whatever a chair is wide. It works on paper. In practice three people down a 63 in side get about 21 in each, which is less than a place setting needs, and the whole meal is a negotiation over space.

This top runs 86.5 in by 37.5 in. Three side places on each long side come out at roughly 28 in of table edge apiece, past the 24 in a setting takes, and the 37.5 in width leaves a full strip down the centre for serving after all eight places are laid.

The whole thing laid out

Three chairs down each side and one at each end, on a top nearly seven feet long. The manufacturer prints two lines on this photograph and they are the honest part of the listing. Avoid rain exposure, and oil the wood regularly.

Pushed in, it is a table

The legs are slim splayed metal rather than heavy timber, which keeps a table this long from reading as a barricade across the patio. The armrests sit 25 in from the ground under a 29.5 in top, so the chairs go in rather than stopping at the edge.

The top, close up

Natural acacia laid in slatted panels with a framed border. The manufacturer's three words are splinter free, low maintenance and long lasting, which sits a little oddly beside their own instruction elsewhere on the listing to oil the wood regularly. Both are printed here.

Shade, and a cover for the hole

A 2 in hole through the centre with a cover supplied in the box, so the top stays flat and closed when no umbrella is up. The manufacturer's note beside it is clear. Neither the umbrella nor the base is included in this order.

By 37.5 in wide at 29.5 in high, which is a genuine eight place table rather than a nominal one.

Nine pieces in total, each chair rated to 400 lb over a metal frame under the weave.

Twice the figure most wooden patio tops in this category publish.

The cover comes in the box, so the hole is closed when there is no umbrella in it.

Metal rather than timber, which keeps a table this long visually light on a patio.

Armrests at 25 in from the ground under a 29.5 in top, so the chairs push in.

Padded cushions with covers that come off and go in the wash.

On the tabletop, described by the manufacturer as splinter free and long lasting.

Ships from our United States warehouse. Delivery to Canada usually takes 8 to 14 business days, with no customs charges or duties to pay on arrival. Free shipping on orders over $150, a flat $18.90 below that, and tracking by email as soon as it leaves.

Return within 14 days of purchase, unused, in original condition and packaging.

Covered directly by the manufacturer under their warranty terms for material and manufacturing defects.

Found it cheaper at a Canadian retailer? Send us the link and we will match that price. It has to be the same item, in stock, sold and shipped inside Canada, and compared like for like on what comes in the box.

Eight settings with room between them, rather than eight people asked to sit closer than they would like.

Eight matching armchairs, so nobody is on a folding chair from the garage at their own table.

Slim metal legs under a seven foot top, which keeps a big table from dominating the space it sits in.

Natural acacia across the whole top, with metal and woven rattan doing the work underneath.

What we stand behind

• Every measurement above, both weight capacities and the 2 in umbrella hole come from the product's own dimension drawing.
• This product's title and description both call the table square. Its own dimension drawing gives 86.5 in by 37.5 in, which is rectangular, and the photographs agree with the drawing. The measurements are used and the word square is not.
• Splinter free, low maintenance and long lasting are the manufacturer's words. The same listing also asks that the wood is oiled regularly and that rain exposure is avoided. Both are printed rather than one being chosen quietly.
• The place setting figures are arithmetic from the published table length, not a manufacturer claim.
• Ships from our United States warehouse, free shipping over $150, and 14 day returns unused in the original packaging.

Is the table square or rectangular?

Rectangular. The listing text calls it a square table, but the manufacturer's own dimension drawing gives 86.5 in by 37.5 in and the photographs show a long rectangle. Go by the measurements.

Does it really seat eight?

Yes, three down each long side and one at each end. At 86.5 in each side place gets roughly 28 in of table edge, which is comfortably more than the 24 in a place setting takes up.

Is the umbrella hole cover included?

Yes. The manufacturer supplies the cover in the box, so the top stays flat and closed when there is no umbrella. The umbrella and base are separate and are not included.

What upkeep does the wood need?

The listing calls the acacia low maintenance in one paragraph and asks you to oil it regularly in another. Take the instruction. A coat of outdoor wood oil once or twice a season keeps the colour, and no oil is supplied.