Porch table advice needed

[Joseph Skoler]

Can anyone suggest how to make a large dining table for a covered porch?

I would prefer not to use a common picnic table style with gaps between the table-top planks, but I am concerned that the indirect exposure to the weather will be problematic.

Any advice as to material and construction technique?

It won't be rained on, but will be exposed to temperatures from -20 to 100 degrees F and humidity of 5 to 95%.

I'd like the table to comfortably fit 12 (and uncomfortably fit 14).

Thank you!

[Bill Dufour]

Marble, granite, cast concrete, Aluminum plate
Bill D

[Joseph Skoler]

Marble, granite, cast concrete, Aluminum plate
Bill D

Great suggestions, thank you, but each has substantial cons like cost, difficulty, aesthetics.

I was thinking about wood.

[Mel Fulks]

Old proven weather proofing. Use Titebond 2 and glue light canvas onto top and and edges. Prime and paint. One of the first uses was for
porch floors.

[Jamie Buxton]

Consider a cover for the table -- y'know, a canvas or oilcloth cover for it. The cover protects the table for the 99% of the time you're not sitting at it. And the wood table top looks beautiful when you do sit at it. You get to use pretty much any species you like, and any structure you like.

[Don Stephan]

Both white oak and cypress are considered suitable for exposure to the weather. White oak may be available in your area quartersawn, which will not be prone to cupping across wide boards with weather changes, and won't expand and contract as much across the width. With any wood, greater allowance for seasonal expansion and contraction in width will be more important. My primary suggestion is protect from exposure to precipitation rather than plan for lots of wetting and drying.