Garden table material table top

I would recommend wood. It’s not that maintenance-intensive. Once well oiled towards autumn.. It takes about 30 minutes including washing the brush. Well oiled tables endure a lot. Besides, I think wood matches everything and is cozy. My neighbors have a glass table. I find it terribly cold and would never want such a monstrosity in my own garden.

I would recommend wood. It's not that high-maintenance. Once well oiled in autumn.. Cleaning the brush takes about 30 minutes. Well-oiled tables withstand a lot.

Besides, I think wood matches everything and is cozy. My neighbors have a glass table. I find it terribly cold and would never want such a bulky thing in my own garden.

With ceramic or plastic or polywood or even HPL, you get the option of "wood look." I'm really a fan of that... We also have tiles with a wood look indoors - to me, that combines the coziness with durability.

But since I've only ever had a glass table and don't want one anymore, I'm pretty inexperienced with outdoor tables...

You read a lot about teak wood - is it really enough to oil it once and otherwise can it stay outside uncovered in wind and weather?

They should be materials that you can get for a price budget up to 500€.

The question is, what exactly do you get for that?

You read a lot about teak wood

In my opinion, you don’t get anything for 500€ that meets your requirements.
Except for the mentioned hardware store goods, which may not be UV-resistant for long or whose surface is not really what they promise.
In the damp season, I would cover everything, since dust, bird droppings and rain leave their marks.
Even light rain sets dust from a few days on the surface so that you can see it.
For example, we have this surface, maybe it's Polywood or something similar. The table, which is already several years old, works, but it’s not exactly beautiful. For the first years it stood freely with a cover in winter, now it has a roof.
I personally consider teak as an alternative, but it’s very expensive. There are many “fakes.” I also don’t know if it’s the right surface for you, since it’s too open-pored if you mean the varnished teak.

In my opinion, you won’t get anything for €500 that meets your requirements. Except for the mentioned hardware store goods, which may not be UV-resistant for long or whose surface may not be what it promises. I would cover everything during the damp season, as dust, bird droppings, and rain leave their marks. Even light rain makes dust from a few days visible on the surface. For example, we have this surface, maybe Polywood or something similar. The table, which is already several years old, works, but it’s not exactly beautiful. For the first few years, it stood freely covered in winter; now it has a roof over it. I personally consider teak an alternative, but very expensive. There are many “fakes.” I also don’t know if it’s the right surface for you, as it’s too open-pored if you mean the glazed teak.

I’m aware that with a €300 product from the hardware store like Polywood, the durability of the tabletop concerning UV, etc., is not going to last the next 10 years – I’m fully aware of that.

In the near future – 3-4 years – a roof is also planned, so I might come around to using wood then.

The current goal is to get a table as cheap as possible that requires little maintenance and looks decent for the next few years. It should be relatively insensitive and stable.

I ordered a product from a large supermarket chain. Visually very nice – but way too light and unstable. Many cheap products from the hardware store only weigh about 25 kg – that’s definitely too little.

I imagine a stable aluminum frame with a resilient tabletop.

In case of heavy rain on some following days, I also want to cover the product – no question... I just honestly don't feel like covering my furniture every time the weather changes a bit.

Bird droppings, dirt, rain, etc.… I was rather thinking: I sit outside again and quickly wipe the table off – therefore: resilient! I hate garden furniture covers above all... They so often take away the feeling of sitting outside because afterwards everything has to be nicely covered again...

So I need a reasonable interim solution for the next 3-4 years.

I would snag a second hand wooden table for 50 euros and use it for now until the [Überdachung] is there and you have made your final decision.

Even if there really are robust material [Lien], they will have plastic inside and give off a plastic vibe. Also the wood imitations.

In your situation (I don’t like cleaning either) I wouldn’t immediately look for the all-round perfect solution if there will still be major changes on the terrace.

Wood weathers a bit more elegantly, plastic unfortunately not. Another point in favor of second hand wood.

So I need a reasonable interim solution for the next 3-4 years.

Then you are actually well served with the wood-look variants. I don't consider 25 KG light – ours (100 x 200) is probably lighter with an aluminum base, but stable. And we see it as an advantage to be able to turn it quickly or even move it alone when sweeping.
Just go to a hardware, furniture, or garden store and convince yourself of the stability.

Wood weathers a little more stylishly, plastics unfortunately do not. Another point for second hand wood.

If you read all the questions and backgrounds of the OP or recall how the OP ticks, then wood is definitely the wrong choice.
please don’t take it negatively.