Argthtjtr

Is there a way to add a patterned shade (fill) (like diagonal strips or checker board etc.) within a table in Word 2010?

If not - I guess the only way is to insert a shape and auto fit it to the cell size... Is there a way to auto fit the shape to a cell size permanently?

Thanks!

Got it..

So ridiculously easy….
Borders & Shading - Shading tab – Under Patterns – Select style – Apply to Cell

How can I insert pictures/background in Microsoft Word table cells?

1. Start with a plain table, with the right number of cells, and fill it with data. Merge the top row into one cell, and go into the Table
   Properties dialog to set the row height to an "Exactly" value (say,
   0.75").




2. Select the rest of the rows and drag the first column's right edge to the proper size. Then select the block of data cells, and use the
   Distribute Columns button to make them all the same width (narrower
   than the first column).




3. In the Borders & Shading dialog, set all the borders to light blue. Then set the outside border of the table and the top/bottom borders of
   the second row to Automatic, 1.5 pt. Word can't do rounded corners on
   tables; you can fake it with a text box sized to fit over the table,
   but that might run into problems with the next step.




4. The "trick" that you need in Word is this: The dialog provided by the Shading button on the Table Tools > Design tab offers only flat
   single colors and nothing else. However, the Shape Fill button for a
   text box also offers picture fill and gradient fill, so you can draw a
   text box to the size of one or more cells and fill it as needed.




5. On the Insert tab, click Text Box and choose Draw Text Box from the bottom of the gallery. Draw a text box the same size as the one-cell
   top row. Click the Shape Fill button and choose Picture. Select the
   file that contains the background and click OK. Drag the edges/corners
   of the text box to eliminate any white around the picture (you may
   also want to click Shape Outline and choose No Outline). Finally,
   click Wrap Text and choose Behind Text.




6. Draw another text box to cover the second row. On its Shape Fill button, choose Gradient > More Gradients. (For some reason, in the
   dialog that appears, you have to click the Gradient option button; it
   isn't selected by default. #Fail.) Choose the top-to-bottom direction.
   Click the left stop and choose the color you want (I prefer the More
   Colors > Advanced dialog for this), then repeat for the right stop.
   Again, turn off the text box's border, and send it Behind Text.




7. Repeat for each of the other gradient areas.




8. If you need to re-select a text box after sending it Behind Text, go to the Home tab and click Select > Select Objects to get a mouse
   pointer that can reach the box.

Source How can I insert pictures/background in Microsoft Word table cells?