Some moves are pretty standard, but others require moving a specialty item that isn’t so straightforward. Our Austin and Houston movers have experience handling tricky items like pianos and heirlooms, but pool tables also require extra work. Oftentimes people are surprised to find that we don’t simply haul it out like any other table.
Today we’re giving you a step-by-step breakdown of how we move a pool table so that you know what to expect when the movers come on moving day.
Breaking Down and Setting Up a Pool Table
The process outlined below is for a game-style pool table, which is a little more complicated than a furniture style pool table. When you hire a professional moving company they should have all the tools needed for the job:
- Drill
- Ratchet wrenches
- Staple puller or flat-head screwdriver
- Flathead bit
- Phillips head bit
- Moving blankets
- Container for hardware
- Pencil to mark slate pieces
Dismantling a pool table can be extremely difficult and you could potentially ruin the pool table if not done correctly which is why we recommend you leave this to the professionals.
Step 1: Remove the plastic portion of the pockets using a flat head screwdriver. Have a ball return system? Remove that just before taking the pockets off.
Step 2: Take off the railing. This can be done by removing the round bolts on the underside of the table with a socket wrench. Put the bolts in a container and label them. It will take two people to carefully lift the rail system up and remove it.
Step 3: Disassemble the railing. There should be corner castings that can be removed using the drill or a screwdriver. First remove the brackets. Don’t forget to keep all the hardware in a labeled container. Once the brackets are off the corner miters can be removed.
Step 4: Remove the aprons. There is an apron on each side that can be taken off by removing the bolts.
Step 5: Remove the pocket castings. Once the aprons are off you can then use the ratchet wrench to remove the pocket castings. Pack up the castings and hardware in their own box.
Step 6: Remove the felt. Felt is typically affixed with staples. A staple remover is usually the easiest and quickest way of getting this step done. Make sure all the staples are removed before rolling up the felt.
Step 7: Remove the slate top. This is usually the trickiest part of the move. The pool table top is comprised of three pieces of slate. It’s in three pieces because if it weren’t, it would be too heavy to move and would probably break from the weight. First remove the slate screws. Next, use the pencil to mark the slate. The slate pieces need to be put back in the same order that they were removed. Use numbers or letters to identify where each piece is supposed to go and which side is the top. Once that’s done, slide one of the end pieces to the side so you can mark the exact placement of the middle piece of slate. Mark along the edge of the slate on the wood below. Repeat the markings on the other side of the middle portion. Also number or letter the wood frame so that you know where each piece needs to go. When putting the table back together, in order to make the pool table seamless the gaps between the slate pieces need to be filled with beeswax. The movers will bring a kettle and beeswax and will need to use your stove to warm it up.
Step 8: If needed, dismantle the base. This isn’t necessary if you have room on the moving truck for the complete base. But if space is limited, go ahead and break it down all the way.
The whole process of taking the pool table apart and getting it moved typically takes about 4 hours to complete, depending on the distance from the destination.
Sound like something you’d rather have the pros handle? It’s not the first pool table moving rodeo for our moving professionals. If you’ve got a specialty item that needs to be moved, give us a call or fill out the instant moving quote online.
Original source: https://squarecowmovers.com/steps-to-moving-a-pool-table/