Often, these traditional tablecloths were placed over plastic to protect furniture. While in small doses they may still work in a room, in most cases, they tend to be outdated compared to more modern, colorful tablecloths of today. While we're on the subject of lace, just ditch the lace doilies, too. 2. How much should a tablecloth overhang? Decide how much overhang you want from your tablecloth. For most purposes, an overhang or "drop length" of at least 6 inches (15cm) is appropriate. A shorter drop length may make the tablecloth look too small for the table. 3. What is the right size tablecloth for my table? First measure the length and width of your table. Next add twice the desired drop to each side's dimension. For example, if your table measures 42 inches wide and 72 inches long and you want a drop of 9 inches, add 18 inches to each side. 4. What size tablecloths are there?