Protecting Your Investment: Should You Add PPF to Your Table?

A hand-finished resin tabletop is remarkably durable on its own — but if you want an extra layer of peace of mind, especially for a busy household or a piece that will see daily use, we also offer paint protection film (PPF) as an optional add-on. It’s a question that comes up often during design consultations, so here’s an honest look at what PPF does, when it’s worth it, and when your table’s natural finish is already enough.

Paint protection film is a thin, transparent, high-durability film originally developed for the automotive industry, where it’s used to shield paintwork from stone chips, scratches, and general wear. Applied to a resin tabletop, it works on the same principle: an invisible, resilient layer sitting on top of the finish, absorbing daily wear before it ever reaches the resin itself.

One of PPF’s most distinctive qualities is that it’s self-healing. The film has an elastomeric top coat — a polymer layer that softens slightly when it warms up, whether from sunlight, a warm cloth, or ambient room heat. That gentle warmth lets the polymer chains in the film flow and settle back into place, smoothing out light scratches and swirl marks on their own, often within a couple of hours. Deeper cuts or gouges won’t disappear this way, but the everyday scuffs a table picks up over time largely take care of themselves.

• Everyday scuffs and light scratches from cutlery, plates, and general use — many of which fade on their own thanks to the film’s self-healing top coat

• Minor impact marks from dropped objects

• Surface residue from spills, making cleanup simpler over time

It’s not a substitute for basic care — you’ll still want to avoid placing very hot items directly on the surface or using abrasive cleaners — but it does add a meaningful buffer against the kind of daily wear that adds up over years of use.

PPF is especially popular with:

• Families with young children, where a dining table sees far more daily impact than in a quieter household

• Clients furnishing a high-traffic space, like a busy kitchen island or a frequently used entryway console

• Anyone who wants extra reassurance on a significant investment piece, particularly larger or more intricate designs like our gemstone inlay or Eclipse Collection tables

If your table will live in a calmer, lower-traffic setting — a formal dining room used mainly for special occasions, for example — the natural finish alone is often more than sufficient.

PPF is offered as an optional add-on during your design consultation, applied after your table is finished and before it ships. Because it’s added at the end of production, there’s no impact on your table’s design, color, or finish — it’s a purely protective layer, not a design decision.

Properly applied, it’s optically clear and doesn’t change the color or gloss of the tabletop underneath — though as with any film applied over a surface, it does introduce a slightly different feel to the touch compared to bare resin.

It’s most effectively applied during production before shipping. If you’re interested in adding it after delivery, reach out and we can advise on the best approach for your piece.

No — we still recommend standard care like using coasters and trivets for hot or wet items, regardless of whether PPF is applied.

It’s most commonly chosen for high-traffic settings or larger investment pieces, but it’s available as an option across our collections. We’ll advise honestly on whether it makes sense for your specific piece and household.

Mention it during your design consultation via our contact page, or ask us directly when finalizing your quote. You can also browse our full collection, email info@leonardogravina.com, or call +32(0)487.85.37.37.