Read the simple tips and alternatives for you to know how to replace your pool table felt. You can check if your skills and tools are enough to save money and DIY instead of contracting a Pool Table Refelting Service. Your patience and focus on detail can make you join this rewarding activity.
The main steps to replace a pool table FELT can be summarized as follow:
- Determine the adequate felt for you
- Buy the new pool tablecloth
- Disassemble the rails
- Take off the slate (it depends on the model)
- Remove the felt from the slate and rails
- Put the new felt on the slate and rails
- Assembly the Pool Table
But you have to pay attention to the details of each of these steps since any imprecision could alter the normal development of the game. It is a job that must be done with care, patience and knowledge.
Part 1/4 Introduction
In this series of articles, I present some step-by-step guides to be added to your creative experience for replacing your pool tablecloth, or at least to get some tips to do it.
This is the first article of the series, and it covers general topics like:
- The Table Pool involved parts when replacing the Felt
- Pool Table Felt Replacement Kit
Next articles will be:
- Disassembling the Table Pool and Criteria to buy the felt
- How To replace the felt on the table pool?
- How to Refelt Pool Table Rails?
Building a pool table from scratch generally, require an experienced woodworker. It involves billiards mechanic knowledge. It is not a beginner woodworking project.
But the techniques used to replace the pool table felt require only basic to intermediate skills. It is a cool project. Replacing your pool table felt, is an enjoying task if you have the necessary skills and tools.
It is also challenging, as any error or irregularity will affect the development of the game later. It does not have to look good simply in view but also functionally. But it is a project that can be tried with some experience taking on a DIY project, some patience, and take care of details.
The goal is to have a pool or billiard table that will continue flat and level and having a stable and smooth playing surface. I am happy to impart some tips for replacing the cloth of your pool table I also provide you with some drawings with enough information to complete the task.
And remember the two cardinal rules of any DIY building project: measure twice, cut once. Why patience is so important? Because the project might take longer than expected due to unforeseen circumstances.
Involved parts when replacing the Pool Tablecloth
As there is no unique way the pool tables are built, This article mentions several alternatives you can face when disarming your pool table and some ways in which you can replace the felt.
To replace your pool table slate you will deal with
- The case
- The slate
- The rails (cushions)
- The Leather /plastic pocket cups or a ball return system
- The Pool Tablecloth
Alternatives on the parts that affect how to re-cloth the pool table
Case
It is the attachment point for the rails and the slate. The alternatives to this part are how the rails are attached to the case.
In some models, it has a sliding panel that hides the bolts. In other cases, the bolts are in sight or below the case. Generally, the rails can be removed with a screwdriver or a Socket Wrench.
Pocket cups
There are leather or plastic pocket cups. There are models on which you have to remove the pockets to allow removing the rails. In other cases, the pockets are part of the rail structure. Then you should remove them after removing the pockets.
It’s also common to have an entire ball return system.You don’t need to deal with it when replacing the felt, but you should take care to not interfere on it.
Slate
The slate is the horizontal surface where most of the game happens. It generally consists of mica, quartz, clay and other minerals. it can weigh approximately 400 pounds. There are mainly three features that affect the felt replacement.
- The slate thickness
- Slate with or without staples area
- Single piece slate or 3 pieces slate
The slate thickness
Slate used for pool tables is generally one-inch thick and supported by a frame that is at least the same thickness or much thicker to easily handle the weight.
If the slate thick is one-inch or thicker you may prefer adding some felt strips to the pocket areas in order to fully cover the border surface.
Slate with or without staples area
There are several ways in which felt can be attached to the slate. The two most common are using staples, glue, or both.
If the Pool Table has a wooden or particleboard layer beneath the slate, the felt is attached using staples. You can check whether this is true of your table by examining the table perimeter or vertical edge. As you are replacing the felt, you can check how your old felt was attached.
It the slate does not have that area or its material does not allow to attach using staples, it should be used Pool Table Glue 
Single piece slate or three pieces slate
This article will address how to replace the felt for a one piece slate with the pocket cutouts already made. Single-piece slate slabs that feature cut-outs are more common for home pool tables.
There are also available slates in three-piece sets. This article does not cover those kinds of slates but many of the principles exposed here also apply to them. Generally, they are needed some few additional actions to Seal the seams between the slates pieces.
Rails (Cushions)
Pool Table Rails and Felt are intimately related as they are the place where balls bounce. Then to refelt the rails is very important for the game development.
There are also several mechanisms to keep the felt tight depending on the parts that make up each rail. The two most popular ways felt is attached to the rails are:
- a feather strip
- a timber block with screws
If there is a feather strip, the felt is pressed by the feather strip set to the rail using a rubber mallet.
Rail With Feather Strip
If there is a feather strip, the felt is pressed by the feather strip set to the rail using a rubber mallet.In the timber block solution, the felt is attached using staples to the timber block which is attached to the rail by screws.
In the step by step section, there are divided instructions for each of these alternatives.
There are also alternatives to the relation between the rails and the pockets or how the rail structure is divided.
Pool Tablecloth
The Pool Tablecloth or simply felt is the fabric that covers the slate and part of the rails. Despite the name “felt” it is not recommended to use ordinary felt to cover your pool table. It should be a specialized felt created for this purpose.
Beyond the size, the feature that also affects the task of replacing the pool table felt is the material. The elasticity of the fabric affects certain details of the installation, such as the required distance between staples, or the direction in which the force must be applied to stretch it in different areas.
There are other variations about the felts, some of which will be mentioned later.
Pool Table Felt Replacement Kit
You might need to buy some woodworking supplies and tools to complete the project if you don’t already have them in your garage or toolkit at home. In this section are enumerated all of them. Not all tools and supplies are required for all types of pool tables.
Get the woodworking tools
Such woodworking tools might include but are not limited to,
- Box Cutter
- Staple Remover
- Staple Gun / Hammer Tacker / Manual Stapler
- Roller
- Screwdriver
- Socket Wrench
- Lathe
- Measuring Tape
- Pencil
- Wood Clamps
- Rubber Hammer / Rubber Mallet
- Level
- Electric Scraper
- Scraper
- Needle Nose Pliers
- A Friend
Supplies
- The Felt
- One roll of ½- or ¾-inch-wide white paper tape / Duct Tape
- Pool Table Slate Glue: Generally will be Two 16.5-oz cans of high-strength spray adhesive / Glue Spray Can / Contact Adhesive
- (Super 77 or other)
- Staples
- Sandpaper
- Pieces of Cardboard
- Mineral spirits
I hope you are encouraged to make your Custom pool table Felt Replacement
Continue reading the next article. To begin with the “Step by Step to Replace the Pool Table Felt
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