How to Refinish a Billiards Table

If the fabric on your billiards table has a tear anywhere, you can't just patch it up. You won't be able to play a clean game if the surface is uneven from patches in the fabric. You will need to completely refinish the table by replacing the entire fabric. There are two main types of felt fabrics used on a billiards table; woolens have a fuzzy feel and are the most common, whereas worsted cloths are smoother and often last longer. How you fasten it to the surface depends on what that surface is made of (wood or slate). Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Disconnect the rails from the pool table by removing the bolts holding them in place from the table's underside. Check to see what size wrench socket you need for the bolts. Peel the old cloth off of the table and see if the table has a wood or slate backing; this is important in determining how the new cloth is applied.

2

If your table has wood backing, you will have to staple the cloth to the surface. Stretch the fabric lengthwise across the table and keep it as tight as possible. Visually divide the table into four quarters and staple down the cloth one quarter at a time. Make the first staple close to the center pocket and add staples two inches apart until you are halfway to the corner pocket.

3

If the surface is slate, you will have to glue the fabric to the table. Apply the adhesive spray to the surface, starting about five inches from the edge, and then to the underside of the felt. Wait 30 seconds so that the glue is tacky, and then press the felt to the table one quarter at a time, making sure the fabric is stretched tight.

4

Use a razor blade to cut holes in the new fabric where it covers up the bolt holes for the rails. It's best to cut the fabric from underneath the table. Trim the fabric where it overlaps the pockets, cutting the fabric so it is a half inch away from the edge of the pocket holes. Fold the remaining fabric down into the pocket and staple or glue it to the inner edges.

5

Fasten the rails back onto the billiards table, using the same bolts that fastened them before. Make sure you place the rails back in the same place on the table that they were before.