diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFAbstractFootnoteEndnote.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFAbstractFootnoteEndnote.java
index 083ede0968..d924dcfef7 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFAbstractFootnoteEndnote.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFAbstractFootnoteEndnote.java
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ public abstract class XWPFAbstractFootnoteEndnote  implements Iterable<XWPFParag
                     bodyElements.add(p);
                     paragraphs.add(p);
                 } else if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                     bodyElements.add(t);
                     tables.add(t);
                 } else if (o instanceof CTSdtBlock) {
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFComment.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFComment.java
index 4393b93311..9d91f88953 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFComment.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFComment.java
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public class XWPFComment implements IBody {
                     bodyElements.add(p);
                     paragraphs.add(p);
                 } else if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                     bodyElements.add(t);
                     tables.add(t);
                 } else if (o instanceof CTSdtBlock) {
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFDocument.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFDocument.java
index f8f99d81af..c9d84c426e 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFDocument.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFDocument.java
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ public class XWPFDocument extends POIXMLDocument implements Document, IBody {
                                     bodyElements.add(p);
                                     paragraphs.add(p);
                                 } else if (bodyObj instanceof CTTbl) {
-                                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) bodyObj, this);
+                                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) bodyObj, this, false);
                                     bodyElements.add(t);
                                     tables.add(t);
                                 } else if (bodyObj instanceof CTSdtBlock) {
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFFooter.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFFooter.java
index ba077227a0..5084f39e6e 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFFooter.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFFooter.java
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ public class XWPFFooter extends XWPFHeaderFooter {
                     bodyElements.add(p);
                 }
                 if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                     tables.add(t);
                     bodyElements.add(t);
                 }
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ public class XWPFFooter extends XWPFHeaderFooter {
                         bodyElements.add(p);
                     }
                     if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                        XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                        XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                         tables.add(t);
                         bodyElements.add(t);
                     }
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeader.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeader.java
index 66740468c3..26e29902a3 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeader.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeader.java
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ public class XWPFHeader extends XWPFHeaderFooter {
                     paragraphs.add(p);
                 }
                 if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                     tables.add(t);
                 }
             }
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ public class XWPFHeader extends XWPFHeaderFooter {
                         bodyElements.add(p);
                     }
                     if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                        XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                        XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                         tables.add(t);
                         bodyElements.add(t);
                     }
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeaderFooter.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeaderFooter.java
index 4c7d4bdf56..84a02e10f7 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeaderFooter.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFHeaderFooter.java
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ public abstract class XWPFHeaderFooter extends POIXMLDocumentPart implements IBo
                     bodyElements.add(p);
                 }
                 if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                     tables.add(t);
                     bodyElements.add(t);
                 }
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFSDTContent.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFSDTContent.java
index 8223435efe..fc0bd3981f 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFSDTContent.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFSDTContent.java
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public class XWPFSDTContent implements ISDTContent {
                     bodyElements.add(p);
                     // paragraphs.add(p);
                 } else if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, part);
+                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, part,false);
                     bodyElements.add(t);
                     // tables.add(t);
                 } else if (o instanceof CTSdtBlock) {
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTable.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTable.java
index 82c08e260c..7de3ec20b6 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTable.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTable.java
@@ -156,11 +156,15 @@ public class XWPFTable implements IBodyElement, ISDTContents {
     }
 
     public XWPFTable(CTTbl table, IBody part) {
+        this(table, part, true);
+    }
+
+    public XWPFTable(CTTbl table, IBody part, boolean initRow) {
         this.part = part;
         this.ctTbl = table;
 
         // is an empty table: I add one row and one column as default
-        if (table.sizeOfTrArray() == 0) {
+        if (initRow && table.sizeOfTrArray() == 0) {
             createEmptyTable(table);
         }
 
diff --git a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTableCell.java b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTableCell.java
index 8537df186d..f91d9a1d81 100644
--- a/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTableCell.java
+++ b/poi-ooxml/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/xwpf/usermodel/XWPFTableCell.java
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ public class XWPFTableCell implements IBody, ICell {
                     bodyElements.add(p);
                 }
                 if (o instanceof CTTbl) {
-                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this);
+                    XWPFTable t = new XWPFTable((CTTbl) o, this, false);
                     tables.add(t);
                     bodyElements.add(t);
                 }