Step-by-Step Guide: Preparing Your Pool Table for Relocation
A pool table is not only a piece of furniture, but it is a heavy, multilinked and valuable object that should be handled with care when moving. Wherever you intend to move it (another room in your home, a new property, or even across state lines), pool table relocation is never as easy as a slide on the floor. It can become damaged, tear the frame or felt, or injure one due to its weight when improperly handled. This is why many homeowners choose professional furniture removal services when dealing with oversized or fragile items.
This blog will help you with putting your pool table through the process of relocation in several steps. By the end, you will be well aware of what this entails, when it can be done by one person and when it does not pay to do it yourself.
Why Pool Tables Are Tricky to Move
It is best to understand why pool tables need more care before going into the steps.
- Weight: Pools tables can weigh 200 kg up to 450 kg and above, depending on the type, single-piece slate or three-piece slate.
- Size: They are cumbersome, with many measuring 7-9 feet long, and may be challenging to negotiate through doors and related openings, walkways, and staircases.
- The table: The table is heavy, but the felt, slate, and pockets are delicate and can get pulled easily.
- Disassembly Required: Pool tables often must be taken apart to move them safely, similar to how professionals handle heavy or large items like pianos and pool tables.
Having these challenges in mind, step by step, we shall go further.
Steps To Prepare Your Pool Table for Relocation
Step 1: Gather the Right Tools and Supplies
Bare hands are not enough to move a pool table. Gather the tools and packing materials you need before getting started. Using proper materials or professional packing and unpacking services can significantly reduce the risk of damage:
- Wrench or screwdriver (depending on the bolts in your table)
- A staple remover or a flathead screwdriver (otherwise known as the felt one)
- Power drill (optional, to take apart faster, disassemble)
- Relocating padding or blankets
- Taping and plastic transparencies
- Hardware strong boxes
- Furniture sliders or dollies
- Bags with screws and bolts labelled
It will facilitate the process greatly to have such pieces available.
Step 2: Clean up the Area of the Table
Moving a billiard table needs a lot of space to operate. Clear the table by removing chairs, stools, or other pieces of furniture, to provide movers with the necessary space to disassemble and carry each piece devoid of any damage. Proper preparation follows the same principles used when moving heavy furniture safely.
Step 3: Removal of the Pockets
Start with the pockets removed. The majority of the pockets are stapled or screwed to the frame. Gently remove them with a screwdriver or staple remover. Put all screws or staples into a labelled bag to ensure that they can be easily put together again.
Step 4: Detach the Rails
You have the rails removed when the pockets are out. Remove the bolts holding the rails onto the table. The rails of some tables are united in pairs, so do not forget the order. Under the rails, cover with moving blankets or bubble wrap to keep them from being scratched.
Step 5: Remove the Felt
The cloth is one of the most sensitive components of a billiard table. The slate has either stapled or glued material on it. The staples should be removed with the help of a staple remover, or the glued felt should be torn away. Be patient, the temptation to align the felt quickly is high, but the results can be ripped or stretched. After removing, fold the felt neatly and store it in a dry clean bag/box.
Step 6: Separation of the Slats
The table has the heaviest part, which is called the slat. Most of the modern pool tables have different slats. This could be three pieces of slats or just a single slab of slats. Each of the slat pieces could be more than 100 kg, so you will require several people (or professional movers) to move it without risking injuries.
Unscrew the slat from the frame and keep the screws in a bag labelled accordingly. When removed, place the moving blankets around each piece of slat and tape or strap them in place to protect against chipping.
Read More: How We Successfully Transported a 900kg Pool Table Without Damage
Step 7: Disassemble the Frame and Legs
The legs and a frame are left, which do not weigh much and are handy to hold because of the removal of the slate. Take off the legs from the frame and pack them separately. In the case where the frame is large, see whether it can be disassembled or not so that it is easier to carry it.
Step 8: Pack and Protect Each Component
Since the pool table is now completely broken down:
- Put moving blankets to cover each part (rails, legs, frame, slate, pockets).
- Tape or strap blankets.
- Put screws, bolts and other hardware in separate labelled plastic bags.
- Keep all parts intact so that you do not lose any parts in the process of moving it.
Step 9: Load Safely
Move the parts using dollies or sliders on heavy pieces, particularly the slate. In case you can not manage going up or down stairs or need to go through narrow corridors, contract professional movers to avoid injuries or disturbances to your property. Load the slat and frame into the moving truck first and secure it with straps to the sides. Put lighter objects over them or on top of them.
Step 10: Reassembly at the New Location
After arriving at the new site, the pool table will require re-assembly with caution and levelling. This is one of the most problematic sections because the slats must be ceiling lined up to ensure a smooth, polished play. Sometimes professional installers will use some special tools and fillers to eliminate the exposure of gaps and bumps between sections of slats. Unless you feel more confident to reassemble the table by yourself, it is strongly advisable to find professionals who can help you do it.
DIY vs Professional Pool Table Movers
As much as you can dismantle a pool table and relocate it yourself, there are obvious benefits to hiring professional movers. Pool tables fall into the category of specialised items, much like those covered in heavy or large item relocation services :
- Experience: The professional is knowledgeable about how to manipulate slate and frame without destruction.
- Equipment: They possess heavy-duty dollies, straps, and safeguarding materials.
- Caution: Pool tables are very heavy, and they can injure one when manipulated carelessly.
- Efficiency: A professional crew takes up a much shorter time to disassemble, move and reassemble the table.
When it comes to the short moves within your house, a DIY method can help. In the case of moving over vast distances, it will be preferable to employ professionals.
Tips for a Smooth Pool Table Relocation
- Measure doorways and hallways before relocating to make sure that the pieces can fit.
- Photograph as parts are removed to help put them back together.
- Label all the parts so you do not lose them.
- Hardware should be kept together in identifiable bags.
- Never drag the slat, but pull with enough hands so that no one gets the strain.
- Make sure that your home policy or the insurance of your movers can cover possible damages.
Common Mistakes to be avoided
- Moving a pool table that has been fully assembled- This can result in damage to the legs, frame and the floor.
- Rushing when filing the felt off - One misplaced effort, and it is ruined.
- When carrying slats as an individual, severe injuries may take place.
- Not marking screws and bolts - makes it unpleasantly frustrating to put back together.
- Cutting the costs of professional assistance when changing residences over long distances.
Final Thoughts
Moving a pool table is not as simple as one may think, since it involves a delicate dismantling, moving and heavy slate components, and a careful reassembly to provide proper playability to the pool table. With the proper equipment, this may not be easy, particularly when you are transporting the table over long distances.
Take time and plan: squirrel away every part, and mark everything. Attempting to reassemble without planning, covering, and labelling can be very stressful. Although the relocations that are done within your home can be small-scale and manageable, the use of professional movers will come in handy to ensure that everything is safely delivered. When properly supported, it is possible to move your pool table without incurring any damage and enjoy many more games in your new venue.
Thinking of transporting your pool without the hassle? Our skilled relocation crews can take care of all work, disassembly, secure moving and installation. Contact our team to make your relocation booking or receive a free and non-binding quotation depending on your requirements.