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Moving A Pool Table
Do you own a pool table and are about to move house? Or you want to move the pool table to a leisure room in the house. Moving a pool table by yourself can be an uphill task if you do not know the steps involved in moving one. Or you might be thinking of hiring pool table movers to do the heavy lifting as you sit back and enjoy your drink.
This article will provide you with the required information you need to know if you plan to move your pool table yourself. It will list the tools you need to move your pool table, take it apart, and reassemble it once it reaches the destination. The article will also compare moving the table yourself vs. hiring professional movers to safely transport the pool table.
How To Move Your Pool Table
Equipment Required
A pool table consists of many tiny separate pieces and screws. Before disassembling the pool table, we recommend you go through the manufacturer’s instruction manual (if it is still around). If you cannot find the manual, you can put your model number in a search engine and get the instructions.
Gather a few boxes and bags and label them appropriately. Put the pieces and screws in the correct load or box as labelled. You don't want to mix them together as you disassemble. Collect the tools you will require for this job. The tools include:
- Power drill
- Screwdriver
- Socket wrench
- Staple remover (for your feet)
- Shrink-wrap
- Thick blankets for protection
Take Measurements
One moving tip that comes in handy when moving a pool table is measuring the pool table's route until its designated destination. Measure all the doorways, staircases, or hallways that the pool table will move through. By doing this, you can gauge how effortless it will be to move the pool table and its different parts around the house.
Before moving the pool table, open all entrances, and cover the floors and walls appropriately. If you have sharp edges, cover them with baby-proof bumpers or heavy towels before moving the pool table.
Disassemble the Pool Table
This is a crucial step in moving a pool table. Below are steps to take when disassembling the pool table so that you can move it quickly and safely without any damages along the way:
Step One: Remove the pockets
Removing the pockets is the first thing you should do when taking the pool table apart. Depending on the model and type of your pool table, the pockets can either be stapled or screwed down.
Use a staple remover that is located under the table to remove the staples. You can also use a flat-head screwdriver to remove screws and corner pockets. Protect your eyes from detached pins when taking out the pool table pockets by wearing protective goggles.
Step Two: Take apart the slate
You will need the correct socket wrench to remove the table rails that are typically screwed down to the slabs of the slate. Unscrew all the bolts from the rail, then, with help from others, remove it from the rail by slowly and carefully sliding it until it is separated from the table.
Place the rails in a furniture blanket and cover them well. Put all loose bolts, nails, nuts, washers, etc., in re-sealable plastic bags to keep them safe.
Step Three: Take off the felt
The felt is removed from the pool table so that you can:
- Prevent damage when moving the pool table.
- Face the most challenging job when moving a pool table to another location—removing, protecting, and shifting the weighty slate slabs.
If your felt is old and tattered, it is easy to rip it off. This can be done if you plan to put a new felt once you are done with house moving. If your felt is stapled to the table, use a staple remover to remove the staples and free the cloth.
Remember to use protective goggles when removing staples. Fold the fabric after removing it but do so in a way that does not form permanent fold lines on the fabric. If the pool table's felt is glued to the surface, you will have to try and take off the cloth slowly and gently with a backward movement. Make sure you always go backwards. Going forwards or upwards may cause the fabric to stretch, rendering it useless. To prevent creases, always fold the felt carefully.
Step Four: Detach the slates
This is the most complicated part of moving a pool table to a new home or room. You want to ensure that it is not damaged as you move it.
The pool table is set so that its individual slates are bolted down one besides the other. This creates a level playing field. The number of slates varies according to your pool table construction. If it has one slate, the job is going to be more complicated. The only way to find out how many slates your table has is to take off the felt.
Step Five: Handle everything with care
Unfasten the slabs of slates one at a time using a power drill or a screwdriver bit. Remove the plates by hand using a standard screwdriver. Have a plastic bag handy to put all the screws so that they don't get lost.
Ask your helpers to raise and remove slates from the table frame one by one. Put it on the floor gently. Wrap all the detached slabs of the slate in heavy furniture blankets. The slabs are weighty, roughly 68-90 Kgs, so handle them carefully.
On top of it being heavy, the other issue is that the slab is made from slate. This delicate rock gets chipped, scratched, or cracked easily if accidentally dropped on the floor or hit against the wall. Even worse, if you damage one piece of the slate, you will probably need to buy three new slates as the three slabs are made to fit perfectly.
Step Six: Take out the frames and legs
After taking out the heavy slabs of slate from the pool table, the last step is taking out the frames and legs. This is not a difficult task. Reverse the pool table and remove the rest of the structure and legs separately in the correct order.
Step Seven: Reconstruct your pool table
You have successfully transported your pool table to its destination. Now you are faced with the dreaded task of putting it back together. Go through the instruction manual, and it will give you a step-by-step procedure of how to reassemble your pool table.
Call your friends to help you reassemble the billiard table. Start by reattaching the frame together. You could always skip this step if your frame came pre-made. Put the legs to the bottom of the frame. The legs should fit perfectly at the corners. Fasten the nuts with a socket wrench.
Find the middle of the table by measuring it with tape and secure the middle slate and then the next two on the sides. The instructions will be different if you have a one-slate table. Put the felt back on top and find the holes for the screws.
Hire Movers To Move Your Pool Table
Most people move pool tables themselves because they do not want to incur the additional cost that comes with hiring professionals. Hiring a licenced professional can save you time, money, and stress in the long run. Since moving a pool table is a difficult job and it is very delicate, hiring professionals is recommended.
Why Hire Professional Movers?
Below are reasons why hiring professionals is important:
- There are special tools needed for taking it apart, shifting, or transporting a pool table. Professional movers will come with the required tools, so you won’t have to buy them.
- The professionals have moved pool tables before and so come with the experience to safely move one. You will take a bit of time trying to read instructions, take your pool table apart, and reassemble it yourself. Movers will spend little time doing this as they are used to this kind of job.
- Professionals are insured. Suppose one of the professional movers is injured while on the job; the insurance takes care of it because they are covered. However, you will likely foot the medical bill if you use your friends to help you move the pool table and someone gets hurt.
- Professional movers are well aware of the steps they should take, from taking the pool table apart to moving it to the truck and finally to its destination and reassembling it again.
More Reasons to Hire Professionals
- You will save time if you use experts. If you use your helpers, it will take a bit of time because they will need to be extra vigilant when moving the pieces so that it is not damaged and they are not injured.
- Hiring reputable experts will save you money in the end. They will be responsible for fixing any damages to the property, repairing and replacing a damaged table, and they will come with the necessary tools. You can focus on other aspects of moving instead of worrying about moving the pool table.
- The movers will also assemble the pool table again once it has reached its new home.
If you are moving a pool table a short distance, you can move it without taking it apart. You will need to enlist pool table movers to help you and also use furniture sliders. It is very risky as it can be easily damaged. The bumpers will need to be readjusted, and the slate levelled again. It is recommended that you use experts if you wish to move your pool table without taking it apart.
Use Experts To Move Your Pool Table
As discussed in the article, moving a pool table is not easy. However, if you do decide to do it yourself, follow the manual instructions step by step and the guidance above. However, if you don't want to be stressed, kick back, grab a beer and let the professionals do the heavy lifting.
