Ping Pong Tables, Part of a Growing Tradition

It is a well know fact that ping pong has been growing as a popular recreational activity. If fact since the early 60's there has been no more popular recreational past-time than ping pong. The only exception would be the lingering effect that bowling had on the population here in the United States for the early part of the decade. Unlike bowling, ping pong did not require leaving one's home in order to participate and enjoy. Now families could stay at home and play til the early morning hours without having to worry about the cost.

Though it's popularity was on the rise, ping pong tables remained a bit on the pricey side for many families. A ping pong table was not considered a luxury item like a colored television set, but they were more expensive than a traditional toy for Christmas. In addition to the cost there was the space issue to consider. Homes that were built in the sixties and seventies were much smaller than the homes today. The average square footage was about 1500 square feet. Basements were not very common in most parts of the country excluding the Midwest. This factor alone did have an effect on the ability of some families to have a ping pong table, however it was indeed overcome by way of the carport and family room.

Early ping pong tables were simple but effective despite sparse designs. In fact it would take over two decades for ping pong tables to gain the attention to manufacturing details that would be required to meet with public demand. The sport of table tennis had much to do with this issue. The Chinese had a lot to do with ping pong as a sport. Perhaps any reason to legitimize the game was a welcomed endeavor. One would have to consider the effect of the very first video game as well. Pong as it was called, was a video version of the actual ping pong game. The concept was new, a ping pong game without a ping pong table! regardless of the path, ping pong has come a long way.

If you consider the simple paddle for instance. The very first paddles were not much more that a wooden paddle with sandpaper glued to each side. However it did not take long for the first innovation in the ping pong paddle to take place. The addition of a thin runner panel in place of the sandpaper helped to move ping pong into a more modern era. The ping pong table itself was another story. It took a lot of thinking outside of the traditional box to slowly create innovations dealing with the ping pong table itself. The first major test was with the thickness of the ping pong table top. The first commercially available ping pong tables were relatively thin, some as little as 3/8". Though it was hard to notice visually, playability certainly was left to chance. It was latter ascertained that thicker ping pong tables provided more stability and better bounce to to the greater mass. The fact that people tended to break their ping pong tables when making spectacular returns that left a wandering hand on the ping pong table with a bit too much force and weight. Being that most early, and even modern ping pong tables are made of particle board, the obvious progression would be to make the table tops thicker. Today the standard runs between 1/2" to 1". Typically the thicker the better. To address one of the very first problems with ping pong tables a unique approach was taken. The fact that many homes could not handle the size of a table within its walls, designers came up with ping pong tables made of specially coated materials and even aluminum so that they could be used outside. That is right, the thought was if the table is too big for the house just put it outside. Now any family could have a ping pong table even if their house was too small. These new ping pong tables could be left outside in the elements all year long without the risk of damage due to weather. However there is a downside to this approach and that is with respect to cost. These outdoor tables with their high tech tops simply cost more money to make. Perhaps a cost worth every penny, certainly to some!