We need a new dining table that seats 4 and is ideally under $500. I’m seeing many of the dining tables sold alone primarily have tabletops are made with particleboard blends vs some of the table and chair sets that have tabletops made of solid wood. For something sturdy that will last a while and stand up to kids and cats, would a solid wood tabletop be our best bet?

Part of me feels like that’s a silly question. I’d assume that solid wood would be sturdier and last longer than particleboard but it’s throwing me off that some of the least expensive sets come with solid wood tabletops and cost less than some of the particleboard tabletop tables sold alone. We’re looking at the INGO/IVAR set or the JOKKMOKK set but I haven’t looked through all of the sets online yet so I might find another that I like better.

We currently have an IKEA dining table and chairs set from 1999. The chairs lasted about 10 years but the table’s still here and being used as a desk. It has a solid wood tabletop. I don’t remember the name from back but it looks a lot like the Pinntorp table except it has straight legs. It came with the Skogsta chairs. We live in an apartment with no yard or space otherwise it could probably be refinished. It has white legs that show every single cat scratch in detail. Though with it being 25 years old and costing only $150 for the set, I think it’s just time to buy a new one. Thanks!