Buying a pool table? Here are some things to consider.
Room Size
What room are you going to put it in? How much space do I need? We can answer one of them. Pool tables come in different sizes as little as 3x6 to 6x12 feet. A good place to start would be the rule of thumb. You need around 5 feet off each rail. So, let's say you was thinking about a 8 foot table (4 by 8), you will need a 14x18 foot room. You may also be thinking about putting in a bar or TV or other games. In that case you will have to add space to the equation. I have seen more times than I can count where people will put to big of a table in a room and wind up having to use a short stick to play with. It's o.k. if you don't mind being in tight quarters. I think you will have more fun if its in a bigger room. You might also be thinking about putting it in a garage. That works too. But some tables are sensitive to humidity changes. Tables made of press boards will swell up and start breaking on you, cloth can become dry rotted, rail rubbers can become very hard. These things can cost you a lot of money. So keeping these tables in a garage will have to be climate controlled. Putting in AC will work fine. Solid wood tables will last a whole lot longer in these conditions, the only thing you have to worry about is the rails getting hard on you. If it does, Call us, we can fix that.
Looking for your pool table
Maybe your shopping for a used table. Nothing wrong with that, keeps us busy. Lets take a look at where to look for a used table. Sometime we carry them and you can look on craigslist which is a great place to look. Also check out OFFER UP and LET GO, I see tables there all the time. Google search the classified adds you may find the diamond in the rut and score a really nice table for cheap and cheap is always good.
Inspecting the table you found
The number one thing we find wrong with tables is the rail rubber (cushions). We run across many with dead rails. Take a ball and bounce it off the rail, Does it have a nice bounce? Did you hear any vibration in the railing system? That could indicate a loose or cracked rail do to poor installation. That can be fixed but could be costly. Shake the table a little bit but be careful, if the table has bad legs it could collapse on the floor OR you. You don't want to buy it and have it fall on you or your pet while your playing pool. This could be a minor fix or we may have to rebuild certain parts of the table and that can cost you too. Next feel across the bed of the table and feel for cracked slate, tap a ball lightly on the surface and listen for vibrations or really odd sounds that stand out. Broke slate can be replaced and or glued back together but not recommended. I have experience in granite and slate repairs, very few pool table movers can do what I do. Now you may see a seem that goes straight across from one side rail to the other. If it feels perfectly straight don't worry, that will be fixed during the installation. That usually happens when someone tries to move it for what ever reason.
You can hire us to come look at it for you. We only charge $50 to check it out. If it's a good buy and you want us to deliver it we will deduct the 50 off the delivery installation fee. If the table is bad and you are still looking and find another you will know a lot better on how to inspect the table for yourself however second call is $25 no deduction but a good peace in mind.
DON'T TRY TO MOVE IT YOUR SELF
There is a whole lot more to it than just grabbing four guys and picking it up and throwing it on the back of a pick up truck. Oh no, these tables have to be disassembled peace by peace. Four guys can destroy your table in 3 seconds. The slate can shatter, the legs can break, the rails will break, you name it, it can and most likely will. Never grab the corners to pick it up, never lean it on its side to carry it. Very few tables are made for that. If your a absolute DIY person and refuse to do it any other way I would suggest unbolting the rails and the pockets and wrap them up.Take the bed cloth off staple by staple. Unscrew the slates and PULL them apart carefully (they may have pins in them) don't pick it straight up without knowing that first. When stacking your slate on you truck bed, put a peace of plywood down and stack them on top each other, you can use hard foam between the layers should the truck bounce it less likely to shatter the slate. Now take the legs off the body frame and wrap them up and you might have to take apart the body frame, maybe. If you do , mark everything so it can be put back together the way it came apart. You tube, mans best friend, they make it look easy except every table has its own personality. Every part has a story to tell. Some of the parts was never meant to be removed. So before you take that route consider how much money you invested to be a total loss if something should go wrong. Our insurance covers us if something happen. It to much money to take a chance.
