School Hard Placemats, Rectangle, Set of 4

The surface has an attractive soft gloss and the cork backing protects the table. They come in a very nice box that makes a special presentation for gift giving, but is unnecessary when buying for oneself, I think.They are about 15.75" x 12" and are critically smaller than my old 19 x 13 ones from Pier 1 that needed to be replaced. When we have water and wine with dinner, or juice and coffee wth breakfast, one of the beverages often has to sit on the table because there's no room for it. (That depends on what tableware we're using. My everyday dinner plates are 12".) Of course I knew they were smaller when I purchased them, but I cannot find larger ones at this time. I thought they were worth a try even though you often can't know how a change will pan out until it's experienced. I think they would be much too small for most entertaining.They are in place for my husband and myself for breakfast and dinner, and sometimes lunch. They've been on the table for less than a month and I see fine indentations here and there on them. A fingernail can make a mark in the Hadley mats. There are also a few raised razor thin marks of varying lengths, one of which is a curve. Some appear to be teeny raised folds in the surface but some feel a little like teeny splits when I run my fingernail over them. I've no idea what would have caused them. The Pier 1 mats never developed mars such as the above, only some worn edges after we used them for years.As nice as they appear at first, these mats are too small for some tableware and the surface is too soft for everyday. Maybe that's why they come in a box that seems to be a bit of overkill. Without the box they would look shopworn very quickly if sold in a store. I can adjust to the size difference, but if I'd known the durability was poor for everyday use I wouldn't have purchased them.

Really sturdy, well made and fun