How to Move a Pool Table: A Guide
Follow our guide to avoid missing a trick shot when moving your pool table.
AnyVan's tips for moving your pool table
Pool and snooker tables are heavy, often weighing anything from 100 kg to 500 kg - the equivalent weight of five adults! So when moving one from A to B, you must be careful, even when working with a team; after all, if you damage the table, you can ruin it for good or injure yourself!
Here are our tips on how to move a pool table.
Dismantle the pool table for an easier move
The safest way to move a pool table is by taking it apart. You'll need to ensure you have enough space and the appropriate equipment to dismantle it. This process doesn't just require tools; you may also choose to use pens and stickers for labelling.
Labelling each dismantled piece is paramount, as it's a much easier job to put everything back together. Labelling can even apply to smaller items, such as screws, so you can reconstruct each specific table piece. It may help to take photos during different stages of the dismantling process, as this can again help when putting the parts of the puzzle back together.
As well as needing help moving, you will also need several people to help with the dismantling process too; components from slate pool tables, in particular, are hefty.
Remove corners and side pockets
Remove the rails
Take off the felt
Unscrew the slate
Remove the table legs
During the pool table move
Move the slate carefully! Ensure the piece/pieces of slate are protected and adequately wrapped to ensure no damage occurs!
If there are several pieces, a chip in just one of the slates may mean replacing all of them, so be extremely careful with these. It can help to mark that each piece of slate is very heavy and best moved by more than one person.
Also, make sure each piece will stay put during transit.
Remember to take all the items to their new home, not only the slate, table legs, frame and felt, but also the cues, balls and chalk!
Re-assembly
Putting together the pool table doesn’t have to be super complicated, as long as each piece has been appropriately labelled. Reverse the above steps, being especially careful with the slate to ensure no damage occurs. Small chips and cracks may be remedied, but hopefully, it won’t have to come to this situation if careful when moving.
Just remember that the slate will need to be levelled according to the floor in the property, as this may be quite different from its previous home. A spirit level is definitely handy to ensure all parts of the table itself and the slate are all level. It's also useful throughout the reassembly process so little adjustments can be made along the way. The table legs may be adjustable to take into account any unevenness in the new environment.