How to move a pool table?

If you own a pool table at home, then you should consider yourself lucky. It’s just so exciting to be able to play a good game of pocket billiards, whenever you feel like it and as much as you want, for relaxation after work, for fun with friends during your days off work, or for practice if you’re really serious about perfecting your pool skills.

However, you will surely not feel too excited if circumstances force you to move to another home. Then, the mere thought of having to take your favorite pool table with you will probably strike fear in your heart – fear about the well-being of your expensive possession, and fear about the amount of money you will need to pay for it relocation.

And, of course, you’ll be right to feel this way. Moving a pool table is a tricky business for a number of valid reasons. Also, it can be rather dangerous both for the table itself and for all participants in the move. Oh, and let’s not forget expensive too.

No matter how you look at it, moving a billiards table from one home to another is definitely no child’s play. To help you rise up to the relocation challenge, we have prepared invaluable tips for moving a pool table. Here we go:

What you must know before moving a pool table

Before you can make up your mind about the best way to move your pool table, you must be well familiar with what is involved in moving a pool table so that the best decision can be made for you and your valuable item.

• Size and type. You will need to know the size of your pool table prior to the move. Slate pool tables are standard and come in 7 ft., 8 ft., and 9 ft. length versions. Refer to the user manual if you’re not sure about the size of your table, or simply take a measuring tape and see for yourself. Also, is yours a drop pocked billiards table or does it have a ball return mechanism?

• Weight. Pool tables are super heavy /anywhere between 700 lbs. and 1,000 lbs./ and that is one of the main reasons for the relocation challenge they pose. The exact weight depends first on theirs sizes, and then on the number of slates they are equipped with.

• Special conditions. The unique conditions in your current home and in your destination house will determine the additional degree of difficulty of the challenge ahead of you, and will affect the final relocation cost. Narrow hallways and doors? Flights of stairs? Corners too tight to navigate freely? All these circumstances can add up quickly to the price of moving a pool table.

• Price. Here comes the interesting part: how much does moving a pool table cost? You should know that the cost of moving and setting up a pool table is calculated on a case-by-case basis once all of the factors above are taken into consideration. Just to get a rough idea of the average cost of moving a pool table, be ready to pay between $500 and $700 to have your valuable item transported safely to your new home by specialty pool movers.

• Specialty pool movers. Without a doubt, the best way to have your billiards table properly disassembled, carefully packed, safely transported and delivered, and then correctly reassembled and accurately set up is to use the services of an experienced moving company that specializes in moving pool tables.

SEE ALSO: What are the benefits of hiring reputable state to state movers?

How to move a pool table by yourself

Now, before we discuss the detailed steps of moving a pool table by yourself, let’s point out that you should only attempt a self-move if you’re moving your pool table a short distance – across town or to another close-by destination. Moving a pool table within a room or to another room in the same house is also a good option to try out your moving skills with the help of a few friends. However, if you intend to be moving a pool table across country, then you should do the sensible thing and rely on the pros.

How to move a slate pool table?

• Step 1. Reach to 4-5 reliable friends of yours and don’t start any moving procedures until they are all there by your side.

• Step 2. Get hold of a staple remover, a set of screwdrivers, a socket wrench, a power drill, moving blankets, bubble wrap, and packing tape.

• Step 3: If you keep the construction manual of your billiards table, use it to remove safely its main elements. If not, read on.

• Step 4: Take down the six ball pockets by either removing the staples that hold the pockets or unscrewing the screws that hold them in place. Use safety goggles to protect your eyes when taking out the staples.

• Step 5: Remove the bolted side rails with the help of your socket wrench. Gently slide each rail outwards until it is free from the table structure and wrap it up in thick moving blankets.

• Step 6: Remember to keep all small fastening elements such as bolts, screws, nuts, and so on in individually labeled plastic bags.

• Step 7: Remove the felt by either un-stapling or un-gluing it. Be extremely careful not to stretch or rip the felt if it’s still in good condition. Then, fold the felt with caution in a way not to cause wrinkles in it.

• Step 8. The hardest part of moving a pool table by yourself is to remove and safeguard the expensive slates. Slates are usually screwed down, so use a power drill to release them one by one. Be on your guard as a single wrong step here could cost you dearly. One pool table slate can weigh from 200 lbs. for multiple-slate models and up to 800 lbs. for single-slate models, so slowly lift them off the main frame and place them directly into protective moving blankets. Despite their extreme weight, slates are rather delicate and can easily be damaged forever if dropped.

• Step 9. Turn the remaining table structure upside down, and remove the legs one by one, as well as any other still attached elements that can be safely taken apart.

• Step 10. How to pack a pool table for moving? If you and your friends have come this far without any accidents, then you’ve really done an outstanding job. Packing the individual elements of your expensive table is fairly straightforward, and the only rule you must follow is to be generous with the moving blankets, sheets of bubble wrap and packing tape you’ve prepared in advance.

• Step 11. Loading the wrapped up elements of your disassembled billiards table into the moving vehicle should not cause any problems. Remember to keep the heavy slates protected at all times.

• Step 12. Once you’ve reached your new home, the idea is to re-assemble your pool table in reverse order. The 3 main challenges here will always be 1) the safe placement of the slates, 2) re-installing the felt properly, and 3) making sure your table is perfectly leveled up and ready for play. If you’re not sure how to do any of these post-move steps, then you’d better call in the pros.