Thanksgiving tables: planning for a large family dinner

On Thanksgiving the table plan is decided by the furniture, not by the guest list: leaves come out, a folding table appears in the hallway, and a low table gets pulled in for the children. Measure first, order once.

Measure the table in every shape it will be in

A table that seats six the rest of the year is a different object on Thursday. Put every leaf in before you touch a tape measure, then record two numbers per table: the length with all leaves in place, and the width at the widest point.

Length decides the cover; width decides the side drop. A 54 × 108 in cover is the standard rectangular size, and the arithmetic is the same every time:

• End drop = (108 − table length) ÷ 2. A 6 ft (72 in) table gets 18 in at each end. An 8 ft (96 in) table gets 6 in.
• Side drop = (54 − table width) ÷ 2. A 30 in wide table gets 12 in per side. A 40 in wide table gets 7 in.
• A 100 ft roll cuts about 12 covers of 54 × 108 in, because one cover uses about 100 in (8.33 ft) of film.

Keep the end drop at 8 in or more. Below that a cover stops reading as a cover and starts reading as a runner, and the first time someone sits down they will pull it off the end. If your table is longer than 8 ft, do not squeeze a standard cover onto it.

When the table is longer than the cover

Leaf tables open further than most people expect, and a 9 ft table has no end drop left under a 108 in cover. Cut to length from the roll instead: cut length = table length + (2 × the drop you want).

A 120 in table with a 12 in drop needs a 144 in (12 ft) piece. A 100 ft roll yields eight pieces of that length with about 4 ft left over — so a room with two long tables needs its own roll even though the cover count is low. This is the case where the roll beats buying covers.

Round tables are a separate line on the order

An 84 in round cover is cut for a round table, and the 54 in film does not reach across an 84 in round. Count rounds one for one, separately from the film. A room with 16 rectangular tables and 6 rounds is two orders: about 160 ft of film, plus six round covers.

The kids' table

Do not spend a printed cover on a low table. Children sit lower, reach further, and finish with something on the surface by the time the turkey lands. Cut a 54 × 72 in piece: a 48 in table gets a 12 in drop at each end, and a 100 ft roll gives sixteen of those pieces. Choose a solid colour over a print, and cover the floor before you build the table on top of it.

Two seatings

A large family often runs two rounds: a first sitting for the older relatives and a second for everyone who arrives after work. Plan covers per seating, not per person.

1. Two seatings of 12 is 24 covers, not 12. A fresh cover between seatings is the difference between a room that looks reset and a room that looks used.
2. Prep, serving and dessert tables get their own covers. Three of those is 36 ft of film on top of the seating count.
3. Add two covers to any roll that lands within 10 percent of its total. Twelve covers from a 100 ft roll leaves nothing for a crooked first cut or a table added at 4 pm.

The order list, by cover count

Covers needed	Film required	Order
Up to 12	about 100 ft	One 100 ft roll
13 to 24	about 108 to 200 ft	One 200 ft roll
25 to 36	about 208 to 300 ft	One 300 ft roll
Two long leaf tables	about 48 ft	Cut to length from a roll
37 to 48	about 310 to 400 ft	One 300 ft plus one 100 ft roll

Set-up order on the day

1. Place every table at its final position first. Cutting around half-placed furniture is where square cuts die.
2. Set one cutting station: a clear run of at least 15 ft on hard floor. The cutter box on the roll does the work, so the station only needs room.
3. Cut in batches of 12 — one 100 ft roll per pass, one stack to carry out.
4. Cover the longest table first. It is the one that will need a second cut, and you want it done while the room is still empty.
5. Dress from the back of the room forward so nothing drags across a finished table at the end.