Home Improvement → Anyone every move a pool table?

At my parents house I have a pool table that needs to be moved to my house after some work is done. It needs new felt on the field and bumpers. Couple things, to have it moved and felted about 6 months ago was about $600. Also I would like to move it here and possibly store it for awhile before setup. Since that is the case how hard would it be to breakdown the table and move it myself and how much might I save in doing so? I know the table is 3 piece slate the thickness I am unsure of.

It's probably not too bad too move. Just tilt it on one side, unscrew the leg screws and use a dolly to cart it away while its on the side.

You can crawl under it first to see the screws. I never moved a pool table but this is how I moved a large dinning table.

"NEVER, EVER try to move a pool table by getting a bunch of guys and picking it up! NEVER! There are only a handful of tables made that are designed to be moved in this manner and they are 8 foot bar tables, usually with coin mechanisms and 1 piece slate beds."

Each piece probably weighs 150 lbs, and there are probably 3. The entire table may weigh 800-900 lbs. You need to figure out how to take it apart and move the slate separately.
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Well, if there's a chance the dolly will break. Use a dolly on each end.

A simple search on google yields that typical dollies will hold up to 1000 lbs.

How much is the table worth -- that will help with the advise! The fact that you need to store it suggests that what you are really asking is "can I break it down myself and put it in storage"? Question -- how did the felt and bumpers get damaged in 6 months?

I used to move them all the time with two guys; including up and down stairs. These were bar tables with one peice slate. I agree with DataDoc that you should DataDoc that you should find the dis-assembly instructions for your table and go from there. I will tell you how we moved them:

A good commercial furniture dolly, like the carpet-end type in NinjaTurtle's post is necessary - and yes, it will move the heaviest of commercial tables. You also need a 20 foot long furniture strap with buckle. Without the strap, forget it. You could probably rent one of these from a place that rents moving trucks.

First step is to tip it on its side. With one guy holding the table from tipping over, remove the legs. Then the guy lifts the end (via the pocket as a handle). Slide the furniture dolly under, so that it is parallel with the table (lengthwise to give the most surface area under the table); and move it directly under the center, so both ends are balanced. Then take the strap, feed it under the center of the dolly and over the center of the table. Fasten the buckle - very, very tight. When you're done, make it tighter. The table is ready to move with one guy on each end.

If you have to go up or down stairs, get it on the stairs, on its edge. Remove the dolly and slide it up or down. Replace the dolly when done. When putting it in a truck; make sure you have the type that has slats, so two or more furniture straps can be used to fasten it to the slats. You keep it on its side, just like when moving; but remove the dolly.

Agreed, they can hold the table. The biggest problem is control. If it slips off and drops he risks cracking the slate. Unless it doesn't have a slate bed.

How about a pinball dolly?

Just spend the $600.

The table has to be dismantled to be transported. Its coming out of a basement with nasty corners in the stairs. My major concern about having someone move then setup is I don't know when the room it is going into at my house will be ready. The whole room is being remodeled including the floor. So it would be a waste to have someone setup and level the table then move it then re-level. Not to mention trying to protect the table during work.

I'm wondering if you can have the repair company pick up the table, bring it to their facility, do the repairs, store it until you're ready and then deliver and setup. It'll cost a bit more for the storage, but saves a few steps.

Depending on the style of table, a "piano dolly" may be a better choice. It'd designed to lift while it also squeezes the dollies together so they don't slip away. The dollies can also be used to lift up instead of the piano (or in this case, pool table) itself.

I moved a 3 piece slate table from my brother's house in Los Angeles to my house in Ontario, Canada, and have played billiards on it for 5 years since then - and had no one professional help me on either end. Here's what I did and how it worked out - if you need more serious work done, wait until its ready to be reassembled before having a table technician out to work with it.
1. Remove the pockets and the rails - typically 6 pieces - 2 on each side, 1 on each end, held on by 3 inch bolts from underneath. Carefully wrap the rails in bubble wrap. If a rail needs repair set it aside or mark it before you store it so you know its one that needs attention.
2. The felt will most likely be held on around the table with staples - a LOT of staples. Use needle-nose pliers, staple pullers, and whatever else you have to pull out every single staple. Don't miss any. This is time consuming and tedious - but ever so important. I did a good enough job that I could re-use my felt when I re-assembled the table. Roll the felt up in a 6 inch roll - put it in a large plastic bag, and tape the outside of the bag with packing tape to hold the roll in its shape.
3. Get a friend to help you remove the 3 pieces of slate. They will probably be held in place with clamps around the edge, bolts through holes outside the playing surface, or just by weight - they weigh at least 100 pounds each - could be closer to 200 depending on the table size, build quality, etc - wrap each one in bubble wrap and tape securely.
4. Disassemble the frame and mark the pieces to make sure you put it back together properly - you'll have 2 large leg stands, several pieces on the support frame, etc - some will be bolted together, other parts just set together. Keep all the bolts together and labeled for where they go as they will usually be of varying lengths, etc.
5. If you've got here and not broken anything including yourself, give yourself a pat on the back. Move the stuff to where you are storing it.
6. When its time to reassemble, start in reverse of the disassemble procedure - put the frame back together carefully. Use your level to make sure it's pretty close to level.
7. Put the slates back on carefully, line them up, adjust as needed, fasten, etc. let the table set up for 2 days if you aren't in a hurry. The wood frame and the floor may sag, change, move, etc with the weight on it. Re-adjust as needed to make it proper.
8. Get help with the felt - either install a new felt or put the old felt back on if it is in good condition. A felt needs to be pulled tight to prevent wrinkles. A felt usually has about 3 to 4 inches of material outside the playing area. I used heavy clips all around the entire felt with bricks hanging from them every 6 inches around the whole outside of the felt and let it hang for about 3 days to pull it tight and get rid of any wrinkles/etc from storage. Then I re-stapled it using a heavy duty electric stapler with 1/4" staples (same size as the ones I pulled out).
9. Reattach the rails - if they need repair now is a good time to get them fixed. If you are getting new felt, you might want to get the 6 rails re-finished by a pro with new cushioning and new felt to match your new playing surface felt.

That's it.... 3000 miles and 9 weeks of disassembly and mine went back together and looked like new when I was done - I was very patient however - and didn't rush any of the process. If anything above sounds out of your league, get help, call a pro, or do whatever else you can. I did have to replace the 2 side pockets as they were cracked before I took the table apart - once the rails were removed they split completely.

That is exactly how my table was built when I had it installed. In my case the base cabinet was one peice and they flipped over and installed the legs...then flipped it back over and and centered it in the room. Applied the MDF to the top and leveled the entire table in many directions. Then once it was leveled and centered where I wanted it..they applied the 3 peices of 1" slate. No way to level once that is on. They then had to shim the slate in some areas to make it all line up..and used car bondo for the seams to make them super smooth. So as long as you go slow you can do it your self. This order - Pockets, rails, slate MDF if you have it then Legs....you might be able to move the cabinet and legs at one time...since the weight of the table is in the slate!

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applied the 3 peices of 1" slate. No way to level once that is on.

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You should definitely level it after the slate is on. Typically, the legs have 'levelers' on the bottoms. They screw in or out to adjust the height of that corner. The way normally to level it is to determine how much adjustment is needed, and with one person picking up one end, the other makes the adjustments to that end. Then do the other end and check again.

If you are a masochist, you can level the table by yourself. I have done it. To do so, you crawl on all fours under the table. You pick up the table by arching your back upwards and lifting the table with your back. Use one hand to adjust the leveler while supporting yourself and the table with you other hand and knees.

SAme thing you do with Pinball machines...

problem is that if you have a "REAL TABLE" there will be no leveling feet to screw and un-screw. Real tables have fixed legs and there for require shims to level. That cannot be done once the slate is on. Good luck picking up even a corner of a table with 1" 3peice slate. You can do it...it by why risk your 2 - 3k table breaking something. as long as you are carefull in sliding on the slate...it should stay level.

Mine was put on brand new carpet leveled without slate and has stayed level now for 6 months.

Not sure what a real table is to you. This is how all coin-operated commercial tables I worked with were leveled. (I did this for a living.) If you don't have the levelers (and can't add them - check), then you will have to shim.Yeah - its heavy. All of ours were 1 piece, 1" slate. We were man enough to lift it, or we wouldn't have the job. Two guys - up the stairs. You may not have the muscle (not that there is anything wrong with that).Yeah, likely the ones that only cost $2-3k are cheaply built and fragile - you may break something. You're not breaking anything on a commercial model by lifting a corner. They are well built and cost much more than $2-3k.

this guys seems to have a home unit..not a coin op one. Real to me is Olhousen

Table is three piece slate pocket table. If I remember 1 size down from tournament size. As far as the brand it starts with a K? The logo one the table looks like a ball bouncing off a rail in the shape of a K. And no legs to screw unscrew here. Last time it was moved the guy leveled each leg with all things playing cards!

mine was leveled with what looked like 2inch by 12inch masonite. All they did was break off 2x2 inch squares and lay under the legs. Of course it was not Masonite because they would not have broken them...but that is what they used. There is only several on one side of the table because of the slope of the floor.