Folding Tables

Folding Tables

Folding tables exist so a room can be more than one thing. A training room becomes a boardroom, a staffroom becomes a function space, a hall becomes an exam venue, and afterwards the tables go away rather than filling the room they are not being used in. NXP stocks 10 commercial folding tables and accessories from Knight, Accent and Mobel — rectangular, semi-circle and round — along with a transport trolley and a modesty panel.

What a flip table actually is

Most commercial folding tables are flip tables, and the name describes the mechanism. The top pivots from horizontal to vertical while the frame stays upright on castors. Once flipped, the table is a thin vertical panel on wheels that rolls away and parks against a wall — or nests against the next table, which is where the space saving comes from.

This matters because the alternative designs behave quite differently:

• Flip tables — one person can fold and move one, without lifting. They stay on their wheels the whole time. They nest, so ten tables occupy roughly the floor area of one.
• Folding-leg tables — the legs fold under the top and the table is stacked flat. Cheaper, but the tables must be lifted, they stack horizontally into a pile that is awkward to unstack, and one person cannot usually manage a full-size one alone.
• Trestle tables — a separate top and separate trestles. The lightest to store and the slowest to set up, and the least stable of the three.

If a room is reconfigured regularly by whoever happens to be there — rather than by a facilities team with time booked — buy flip tables. The entire value is that one person can turn a room over in a few minutes without help and without lifting anything.

Sizing and how many people fit

Allow roughly 600mm of table edge per person for comfortable working room, or 750mm if people need laptops, papers and a drink at once. Depth of 700–800mm lets two people work opposite each other without knocking elbows.

Against that, the sizes stocked here work out as:

• 1200 x 800mm — two people comfortably, or three at a squeeze. The most flexible unit for building larger layouts.
• 1400 x 700mm — two people with room to spread out, or three in a training layout.
• 1600 x 800mm — three people comfortably, or four in a classroom-style row.
• 1800 x 900mm semi-circle — a curved end section rather than a working table in its own right.
• 1500mm round — six to eight people for dining, catering or group work.

A useful rule when specifying a room: buy more small tables rather than fewer large ones. Six 1200mm tables reconfigure into far more layouts than three 2400mm tables, and they are easier to move.

Shapes, and what they configure into

Rectangular tables are the workhorses. Pushed together they make a boardroom block; placed in rows they make a classroom or exam layout; arranged in a horseshoe they make a training U.

Semi-circle tables are the piece people forget to order and then wish they had. Two of them close the ends of a rectangular block so the table reads as a single continuous surface rather than a row of tables. Placed at the open end of a U-shape they give the presenter a proper head position. Two joined together also make a complete round.

Round tables suit anything conversational — catering, workshops, group exercises, staff functions — because nobody is at the head of the table and everyone can see everyone.

Storage: the specification that decides whether they get used

This is where folding tables succeed or fail in practice. A folded table still has to go somewhere, and if that somewhere is inconvenient, staff stop folding them and the room quietly stops being flexible.

Before ordering, work out where the tables will live. Measure the storage space, and remember that nested flip tables need clear floor plus a run-in path wide enough to wheel them through — check doorway widths, which is the constraint that catches people out. A table trolley, like the one stocked here, is worth including if tables move between rooms or floors rather than parking in the same room.

Castors, modesty panels and the details worth checking

Locking castors are essential, not optional. A table on unlocked wheels drifts when someone leans on it, and in a room full of people it becomes a hazard. Lock them once the layout is set.

Modesty panels — the panel between the top and the floor at the front edge — matter more than they sound. They give people sitting on the far side something to look at other than legs and bags, and they make a table look finished in a client-facing or filmed setting. Worth specifying for boardrooms, reception areas and any room used for video calls.

Finish. Lighter tops photograph and video better and show fewer marks than dark ones; timber-look finishes such as atlantic oak and classic oak read as furniture rather than equipment, which suits client-facing rooms. Match the finish to your meeting room tables if the folding tables will share a space with fixed ones.

Ordering and lead times

These are made-to-order commercial furniture items rather than stocked consumables, and they typically ship within four to five days rather than same day. Plan around that if the tables are for a dated event or a fit-out with a deadline, and talk to NXP customer care before ordering for multi-room quantities, delivery to an upper floor, or anything needing assembly on site.

Order the seating at the same time. A room's capacity is set by whichever runs out first, and meeting and visitor chairs that stack are the natural partner to tables that fold. If the same space needs dividing as well as reconfiguring, screens and partitions do that job, and the wider tables range covers fixed boardroom, café and bar leaner options.

Frequently asked questions

What is a flip table?

A folding table whose top pivots to vertical while the frame stays upright on castors. Folded, it becomes a thin panel on wheels that can be rolled away by one person and nested against other tables, so a set of them stores in roughly the floor space of a single table.

What is the difference between a flip table and a folding-leg table?

A flip table folds upright and stays on its wheels, so one person can move it without lifting and the tables nest vertically. A folding-leg table folds flat and has to be lifted and stacked horizontally. Flip tables cost more and are far quicker to set up and pack down.

How many people fit at a folding table?

Allow about 600mm of table edge per person, or 750mm if they need a laptop and papers. On that basis a 1200mm table seats two comfortably, a 1600mm table seats three, and a 1500mm round table takes six to eight for dining or group work.

What size folding table should I buy for a training room?

Several smaller tables beat a few large ones. Six 1200 x 800mm tables reconfigure into rows, a boardroom block or a U-shape and are easy to move; a small number of very large tables lock you into one layout. Add semi-circle ends if you want the block to look like one continuous table.

How much storage space do folding tables need?

Nested flip tables occupy roughly the floor area of one table plus a little depth per unit, but they need a clear path to wheel them in. Measure the doorway as well as the storeroom — door width is the constraint that most often catches people out.

Do folding tables need locking castors?

Yes. Unlocked castors let the table drift when someone leans on it, which is both irritating and a hazard in a full room. Set the layout, then lock the castors before people sit down.