How to Move a Pool Table: Advice from a Professional Mover
Pool tables have brought a lot of fun into the lives of many people for quite some time. It is a sport that many have mastered and have come to enjoy participating in. If you own a pool table or are looking to get a pool table, you know that it is essential to properly take care of it; part of that includes moving the pool table. You may need some help or tips to properly move the pool table and we have that information for you!
Why Moving a Pool Table By Yourself Can Be A Bad Idea?
While it is no secret that it is possible to move a pool table by yourself it is frowned upon and frankly not the best idea at all. There are so many steps, processes and things you need to know just to dissemble the pool table, special tools you will need, and then you have to consider the weight of the pool table itself. It is said that pool tables can weigh as much as a piano; can you begin to imagine moving a piano by yourself? From getting all of the proper tools, you will need, finding out how you need to take your pool table apart, and then working to get the pool table moved itself by yourself, you will save time, money, energy, frustration levels, and possibly the life of your pool table by not trying to move it by yourself.
Many have ruined their pool tables by trying to move it by themselves. You may take it apart incorrectly, you may drop it trying to move it, there is even the possibility of putting it back together incorrectly. The best thing you can do is hire a professional to move your pool table for you. They know the steps it will take and what needs to happen to make the move successful and to keep your pool table intact.
Steps to Move a Pool Table
There are proper steps that need to be taken into account when a pool table is being moved. We will go through those steps so you can see just how it should go. There is one thing to know right off, there are pertinent tools that will be needed when a pool table is being taken down and put back together again. The tools you want to make sure you have for this task are:
- Drill
- Staple puller
- Ratchet wrenches
- Flat head screwdriver
- Phillips head bit
- Flat head bit
- Moving blankets
- Pencil (this will be used to mark the slate pieces)
- Container (necessary for the hardware and tools you will have)
Now that you know what tools will be needed to get the job done, we will go over the steps that are essential to making sure your pool table is moved correctly. You will want to note, dismantling a pool table has the possibility of being very difficult and you can ruin the pool table when you are doing this (another reason why you shouldn't do this on your own).
Step 1: Remove the plastic part of the pockets. You will do this part using the flat head screwdriver.
Step 2: Take the railing off. There are bolts that need to be removed in order to take the railings off. These bolts can be found on the underside of the pool table and generally need a socket wrench to be removed. Make sure to put the bolts in the container in a bag that is labelled. Once the bolts have been taken off you will need at least two people to lift the railing system away from the table.
Step 3: Disassemble the railing. You should find corner castings that are removable by using the drill and the screwdriver. The first thing you want to do is remove the brackets. Remember, keep the hardware in a container with labels on everything. After you have removed the brackets off the corner, you can remove the miters.
Step 4: Take off the aprons. Each side of the pool table will have aprons; there are bolts holding the aprons in place. Remove the bolts and you can take the aprons off.
Step 5: Remove the pocket castings. After you have taken the aprons off you want to use the ratchet wrench so you can remove the pocket castings. After they have been removed, pack them up and the hardware they were with and put them in their own box.
Step 6: Remove the felt. The felt on the pool table is usually kept in place by staples. Usually the easiest way to remove the felt is to take a staple remover and get the staples out. Once you have all of the staples removed, you can roll up the felt.
Step 7: Remove the slate top. You may find this the trickiest part of the move. The top of your pool table is encompassed by three pieces of slate. The reason it's in three pieces is because if it wasn't it would be way too heavy to move; with that, it would probably be too heavy to move at all and would more than likely break from the weight itself. The first thing you want to do is remove the slate screws. After that is done, you need to use the pencil to mark the slate; this must be done so you can put the slate pieces back in the exact same order that you removed them in. You can use numbers or letters (whichever you prefer) so you can identify exactly where each piece is supposed to go and which side should be placed up. After you have done that, slide one of the end pieces to the side so you can then mark the middle piece and its exact placement. It is best to mark along the edge of the slate on the wood that is below; do this to both sides of the middle portion. It is important to also use numbers or letters on the wood frame so you know where each piece should go.
Step 8: Dismantle the base if you need to. This may not be necessary, especially if you have the room that is needed and can hold the base. If you don't have the room you need to break down the base.
The entire process of taking the pool table apart and getting it moved can take up to four hours, and in some cases a bit longer. There are a lot of steps and a lot of pieces that will need to be taken care of. If this sounds like a lot, that's because it is! Which is why it is the best idea to hire professionals to take care of moving your pool table.
Why You Should Hire a Professional to Move Your Pool Table
If you ask anyone that is knowledgeable on the subject they will tell you to hire a professional to move your pool table; it's best left to the professionals. A professional will take the time that is needed to inspect the frame for any breaks or damage that may already be on the pool table. There may be issues in the joints and cracks in the wood that you probably wouldn't notice. Generally, professionals will include new felt into the price quoted so you won't have to reuse the same felt. Most times, once the felt has been removed it isn't quite the same and new felt is encouraged.
Professionals are the most qualified to level the slate, which once it is taken apart needs to be done. They are the most qualified because they do it often. You don't want to experience moving your pool table yourself and never having it be the same again. You don't want to be in the middle of a game having things go extremely wrong in the process. Hire the professionals at Allied Van Lines to help you properly move your pool table; it's the best option for you!