How to move a billiards table

Have you ever wondered how one would move a billiards table if one ever wanted to have a billiards table moved? I never wondered about it either. However, with the completion of the library/game room many, many months ago -- Dave figured it was about time that we get ours out of the dining room (no more fancy-eatin' table for us) and where it belonged.

So how does one go about moving a billiards table?

The short answer is that one doesn't if one has any sense.

However - as it may be apparent to our regular readers - we are sometimes lacking in the sense department... (But what we lack there we more than make up for in the adventure department.) Therefore, I'm now qualified to provide the long answer.

First, a hired two-man team with specialized training for this task arrive at your home pretty early in the morning. The proceed to carefully measure the room you have selected for relocating your table to be sure there will be no problems when the thing is in place (because the only thing worse than having your billiards table moved is having your billiards table moved twice). I was pretty impressed with how thorough they are about this... insuring that the table won't be in the way of things like attic access or that the breaking end of the table is NOT near fragile items such as windows or television screens. (Picture flying cue balls launched by overzealous pool shark wannabes.) Once all of that is done -- the crew then begins to completely dismantle the billiards table.

Eek. It took hours to have this thing put together.

Dismantling also requires the removal of the table felt as the slate underneath cannot be moved in one solid piece by any crew of mere mortal men. What this means is that if you're going to have your table moved - you are also going to have to pay to have the table felt replaced. Because we'd be paying for it anyway - we opted to have the felt color changed for its new room too. The classic bottle green was fine for our green dining room... but eh.. not so much as far as the new room.

Sooo once the table is dismantled and the felt is ripped off... the table gets carried up the stairs piece by piece and piled in the new room. The frame is reassembled in approximately the right place and more measurements are taken to insure enough room around the table for play. Once the frame is centered where it should be in the room - everyone takes a deep breath and nods in understanding that this is where it will be forever now. Then the slate is reassembled - aligned - leveled - bonded together - and bolted in place.

Aligning the pieces of slate now that the table is in place.

Checking that the slate surface is level. Billiards tables are picky like mechanical engineers.

Once the slate is in place - the table surface has to be felted anew... And - if by chance you decide to complete change your felt color - the rails (those side bumper things on a billiards table) also have to be dismantled and covered in new felt. This process takes a long, long time. Many hours pass. Our crew warned us that they would just be quietly working for a while -- don't mind them.

Eventually with the felt in place -- the rails are replaced and everything is tightened up. The crew puts the neat little sticker on one end of the felt bed of the table (this sticker is rather precisely placed, by the way - the guys got out their levels and tape measures and squares for this part again). Then the crew picks up, you sign your approval of the move, everyone makes sure that it's all paid for...

And that's how it's done.

Action-shot of the unveiling of the new billiards table felt.

Now that we have something of use in the game room we may be motivated to install some light fixtures and add some more furniture to the space. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes such as "How to clean skylights directly above an immovable billiards table without standing on said billiards table".

(**Many thanks to Spa & Tub Manufacturers of Gautier for another job well done**)