On average, an American buys a new dinner table every 7 years. If you're like us, that number seems a little small. Americans are not buying a new table because their style changes so drastically, they're buying one because the quality is poor and they do not have the ability to refinish it because it's particle board wrapped in a veneer. That's what Big Box Stores are banking on. One way they trick consumers is by using a cheap "solid" wood and then wrapping it in a veneer.