How to Dispose of a Dining Table and Chairs

How to dispose of a dining table is easier once you remove the legs. Most tables have bolt-on legs and removable leaves, so a table that would not fit through a door or in a car comes apart into a flat top and a bundle of legs. Usable tables sell or donate well, especially solid wood ones with their chairs. Damaged tables go as bulky waste, and glass or stone tops need special handling.

Sell or donate with the chairs

A table and chair set is far easier to rehome than a table alone. Solid wood tables, farmhouse styles, and small apartment-sized sets move quickly on resale sites. Donation stores and furniture banks often take dining sets in good shape. Clean it, tighten loose chairs, and photograph it with the leaves in.

Taking it apart

1. Remove leaves and set them aside.
2. Flip the table onto a blanket.
3. Unscrew the legs, which are often held by a bolt or hanger bolt at each corner.
4. Remove the apron or pedestal if it unbolts.

Keep hardware in a bag taped under the top if you are giving it away.

Glass, marble, and stone tops

Glass tops should be wrapped and handled as trash or bulky glass, not bottle recycling. See disposing of a glass table top. Marble, granite, and quartz tops are heavy and may be accepted with concrete or rubble at some sites, or as general waste at others. Ask before you go.

Where a broken table goes

• Bulky curbside pickup where your city offers it.
• Transfer station or landfill, usually as furniture or bulky waste.
• Junk removal, if the table is too heavy to move yourself.

Solid wood with no finish can sometimes go in a clean wood pile; most finished furniture cannot.

Chairs

Wood chairs can go with the table. Upholstered chairs may have foam that some sites charge for, and metal chairs can go to scrap. Small chairs often fit in the trash once broken down, but check local rules.

Outdoor tables

Patio tables of aluminum, resin, or wrought iron follow different paths; see how to dispose of patio furniture.

How to dispose of a dining table FAQ

How do I get rid of a heavy dining table?

Remove the legs and leaves, then haul the top flat. For very heavy tops, use two people or a junk hauler.

Will charities take a dining table without chairs?

Some will, but sets with chairs are easier to place. Call ahead.

Can a dining table go in curbside trash?

Usually only through bulky-item pickup, which many cities schedule by request.

How do I dispose of a glass dining table top?

Wrap it and put it in the trash or a landfill’s bulky area. It is not recycled with bottles.

Are marble table tops accepted at the dump?

Many sites accept them as rubble or general waste, sometimes at a weight-based fee. Ask first.

The bottom line

How to dispose of a dining table: try selling or donating it with the chairs, take off the legs and leaves so it fits your vehicle, set aside glass or stone tops, and haul the rest to bulky pickup, a transfer station, or a landfill. Use the map to find a nearby site that takes furniture.