Folding tables are a storage-friendly stalwart of wedding buffets and Christmas dinners, but there are plenty of more innovative uses for even the most basic trestle table.
Here are five of the best ways to use folding tables around the house - from the more familiar to some fun and even surprising alternatives.
A versatile addition
First of all, it's worth taking a moment to appreciate the versatility of folding tables for the most common uses.
With legs that fold flat to the table top, they can be stored away against a wall, under other furniture, or anywhere from a good-sized store cupboard to a garage or shed.
On commercial premises, table trolleys allow for several folding tables to be placed in position quickly and easily, with minimal manual lifting required.
Clubs and games
A folding table makes an excellent platform for all kinds of board games, card games and war games like Warhammer 40,000.
Round tables let everyone face each other, with smaller diameters of 90-120cm when you want to get up close and personal with your opponents.
Larger tables can suit more ambitious war game maps or accommodate several laptops for LAN parties, with diameters up to 150-180cm.
Sales and fetes
Few people really sell directly from a car boot anymore, and a folding table will often fit in your vehicle so you can set up a proper display on arrival.
You can use trestle tables for other kinds of sales too, such as books, clothing and general jumble sales, lemonade stands and bake sales.
For food and drink sales, a rectangular trestle table with a plastic top makes good sense, as any spillages are easily wiped away in an instant rather than soaking into exposed wood grain.
DIY and decorating
Around the house, folding tables can do more than just Christmas dinner, as a larger rectangular trestle table gives you a four-foot plywood top suitable for use in wallpapering and other household DIY jobs.
Smaller tables are a good way to keep all your tools and materials for a specific job in one place and in easy reach, and can be brought out in moments when the kids want to turn their hand to arts and crafts in a confined space.
If you're running out of room in a property where the children rule the roost, consider a small folding table as a way to reclaim some floor space and encourage them to keep it clear for when the table is needed.
Shovelling snow
And finally, one Canadian man went viral after appearing in a video posted online that showed him using a square folding table to clear snow from his driveway.
Although he eventually fetched a shovel to finish the job, the video proves that a square table works pretty well to clear a fixed width of pavement all at once.
It's just one example of a truly innovative use for folding furniture - and hopefully offers some inspiration for how you might use folding tables in the future too.