Day 52—July 30, 2013
It’s been over fifty days since we set up a 4-foot NES Rectangular Plastic Folding Table and a 4-foot NES Rectangular Wood Folding Table outside to test the effects of the elements on our tables. When we looked in on the tables on June 22, we saw that the wood table was starting to bubble at the edge with the layers starting to pull apart while the plastic table had not deteriorated at all. It’s been over a month, and the Toronto area has had really hot weather, days with copious amounts or rain, humidity in the 80-90% range, and cloudy days with temperatures in the low 20s. So how are the tables holding up?
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| July 30-Wide Shot of Wood Folding Table Layers Peeling | July 30-Close-Up of Wood Folding Table Layers Peeling |
As you can see from the pictures of the wood folding table, the layers of the plywood have begun completely separating with the top layer curling as it detaches from the layers below. The tabletop has been discoloured as it absorbs moisture from the rain and from the high humidity. The metal hardware on the table has not begun to rust and the powder-coated table legs are still in great condition.
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| July 30-Plastic Folding Table and Wood Folding Table | July 30-Mud-Splattered Leg on Plastic Folding Table |
The plastic table has not been damaged by its time out in the elements. The table top is in the same condition it was in when we set the tables up for this experiment. All it would take is a quick wipe with a wet cloth before the plastic folding table would be usable again. And as you can see from the picture, the powder-coated legs have not been damaged at all, and simply need a wipe to remove the mud that has splattered on them from the rain.
The separation we noted 14 days into the experiment is spreading quicker than I thought it would. It is still mainly concentrated around the edges where the PVC edging has been attached. It is clear that the clear coat is helping to protect the wood, but the longer the table remains exposed to the elements, the more likely it is to be damaged by moisture infiltration. We are going to keep the tables up and continue monitoring them for further damage as the summer progresses.
