[eluser]Nick Husher[/eluser]
Tables can be styled through CSS as easily as any other element. There are a few unique concerns with the table element, but nothing insurmountable. He is correct that if you want tight control over your unstyled appearance, tables are the direction to go, at the expense of semantics.
Generally, all visual user agents will be using your author-provided stylesheet and all nonvisual or semi-visual user agents will ignore it. Very few users will bother to turn off your default stylesheet in favor of the browser defaults and usually these users will be using an aural or magnifying component to their UA, which requires its own degree of attention that isn't just 'does it look good without a stylesheet.' For instance, if aural users are a significant portion of your user base, you should consider building an aural stylesheet as well as a visual one and use @media selectors to differentiate between the two.
