We bought two of these tables for our great room and have them pushed together with the leaves in.  We had to epoxy the entire tabletop because not only does it have grooves because it is distressed, but it has a major design flaw having the grooves around the edges of the table. The first pic is so shiny and you can see the grain better because  it is after being epoxies.  The second shows a penny in the outside edge grooves.  Imagine having food stuck in there!  After epoxying and realizing that there were so many cracks that leaked through, I wish we would have bought a custom cut glass top for the tables.  Either way, it increased the cost of the table significantly.  I do love the design and look.  It is very sturdy, but not practical unless you cover it.