A pool table can make a really cool addition to your home. You can invite your friends and family over anytime to play a game. And you won’t have to pay for expensive drinks at the bar either. But pool tables are heavy things. You might have looked at yours and thought how can I move a pool table?
Moving a pool table is no easy feat. But this article is here to give you some helpful hints and tips.
The biggest pool tables can weigh over 1,000 pounds. And when this is combined with its size, it can make it really difficult to shift. Even if you have strong friends.
table of Contents
Get Someone Else To Do It
If you are moving homes. You may have considered using a moving company to transport your goods from your old house to your new house.
Good quality professional moving companies know how to handle almost all goods. And they won’t be put of with the thought of moving a pool table.
We recommended using a professional company to move your pool table. But if this isn’t in your budget, timeline or mindset. Then you can move a pool on your own with the help of some friends.
Planning Is Key
Whatever your reason is for moving your pool table, planning ahead is key. If you are moving homes, don’t leave it until the last minute!
You panic and begin to struggle moving your pool table. It will only make things worse and you will get more and more frustrated.
If you are booking professional help to move your pool table. Make sure you are booking well in advance to ensure that you can choose between the best companies.
Before embarking on your project. You will need to measure how wide the route you are planning to take your pool table is.
There would be nothing worse than lugging your extremely heavy pool table across your home to realise that it doesn’t fit out of the front door. Be sure to take into account the door widths.
Depending on which way the door opens. You may have to take some doors off the hinges to get a pool table through.
If you are doing it yourself, you will need to gather your supplies. Most importantly, do not forget to find plenty of thick blankets or towels to protect the pool table. And your other possessions, from being damaged.
If you need to dismantle your pool table, you will need drills, screwdrivers and a wrench. A good tip is to bring labelled bags so you don’t lose track of what parts go where.
Call Your Friends
Even the strongest people in the world are likely to find moving a pool table on their own impossible. Get as many friends, especially strong ones, to help you – 4 or 5 should do the job.
Tempt them in with one last game of pool before the pool table is moved. And the first game of pool in its new location.
Rent a Truck
Unless you or your friends own a truck you will need to rent one. Hiring a truck with a tail-lift can make things much easier. As you will not have to manually lift things into the bed of the truck.
Make sure that you hire a truck that can handle the size and weight of your pool table. Rental trucks which include some fastenings can be a real advantage, as this will help keep your contents and pool table stable.
Disassemble The Pool Table
If you have to disassemble the pool table, don’t worry, if you do this carefully it can all go back together.
And make moving it so much easier. For more detail on how to disassemble a pool table, we have a helpful article detailing the steps you need to take.
When moving a pool table which has been disassembled. You need to protect some parts of it very carefully.
Now a bump here or there on the legs of the pool table, isn’t great, but it is likely that you will still have a fully functioning pool table.
On the other hand. You will need to be very careful with the felt of the pool table, as you need a smooth surface to play on.
Additionally, underneath the felt is a slate board, which are often very heavy and fragile, which you will need to look after very, very carefully.
Transport the Pool Table
Hopefully by now you have got the pool table to your truck to be able to transport it to its new location. Make sure that it is carefully wrapped, especially those fragile parts, such as the slate board.
Drive carefully to your location, don’t accelerate too fast and don’t turn to sharply either. When you are transporting heavy and fragile good, it is definitely a case of slow and steady wins the race.
Reassemble the Pool Table
You will be glad to hear that this is the final stage of your pool moving journey. Firstly, you should reattach the legs to the main structure – again this is likely to be heavy, so be careful and use friends.
Once these are in place and strong and sturdy, carefully place the slate board onto the structure and reapply the felt.
Make sure it is smooth as possible. Then you can relax, have a beer and play a game of pool with friends and family, on your pool table. Enjoy it, it has been quite a journey.
Moving It From One Side of the Room to Another?
If you are only moving your pool table a couple of feet, say from one side of the room to the other. You may be lucky and have a pool table with wheels on it.
In this case it should be relatively straight forward to move your pool table. Just be sure that you don’t catch anything on your way, as it could really damage your walls if you bumped into them.
If your pool table doesn’t have wheels. You may be able to move it from one side of the room to another with the help of a couple of friends.
Be sure to lift the pool table carefully. And make sure that everyone is working together, as lifting and pulling the pool table can damage it.
As stated above, it is recommended that you hire professionals to move your pool table. If you are moving homes. It shouldn’t be too much hassle for the moving company to add a pool table into the mix.
Here is some more info on how to move a pool table.