Relocating to a new home? Or just moving down a couple of floors? If you’re planning to bring your precious pool table to the new place, this article is for you!
A pool table is not just one of the bulkiest objects you can have but also demands an extensive and laborious dismantling procedure when relocating. Pool tables may be as heavy as a year-old elephant. Due to their size, pool tables are extremely challenging to carry; thus, getting as much support as possible while moving a pool table is best.
Although we strongly advise getting expert movers to manage all parts of pool table dismantling and transportation, we understand that it may not be practical for all. If employing professional movers (trained in moving large things) exceeds your wallet or timeframe, you can also get a helping hand from your pals!
In this article, we’ll explore different ways in which you can get the pool table to move in with you.
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Moving a Pool Table to a New Place
Let’s learn how to move a pool table to your new place without hiring pros.
1. Find the Appropriate Moving Supplies and Materials
Remember that you must dismantle the table before carrying it. It will be much simpler to move through the house after this stage. We advise using the following equipment and supplies to move and disassemble your table:
- Packing materials (blankets, bubble wrap, packing tape, tarps for weatherproofing, etc.);
- Screwdrivers;
- Socket spanners;
- A staple remover or needle nose pliers;
- Rechargeable drill;
- Carpenter’s level.
Now that you know all you need to move a pool table, follow the steps below.
2. Rent a Moving Truck
Sadly, hauling a pool table is beyond the limits of your SUV or car. The lengths of most pool tables are between 7 to 9 legs. Hence, if your pool table fits these standard sizes, you’ll likely need to get a cargo vehicle or box van from a reputable rental car facility.
3. Ask as Many Helpers as Possible to Help You With Moving
Once the necessary materials have been collected, it is time to gather some good helping hands to help with the relocation. It is best to get at least 4-5 people on board to help dismantle and move.
On the day of the move, ensure everybody has dressed appropriately, including wearing some solid footwear. However, it is best to use a specialized moving firm if the relocation is challenging and involves maneuvering through tight entrances or climbing staircases.
4. Take Measurements of Doorways, Staircases, and Hallways
Determine how much room you have to transport the game table through the house without harming anything before you start to disassemble the equipment. You may use tape to take exact measurements if your table needs to pass through any doors, hallways, or stairs.
It is crucial whether you’re transferring the table inside the house or outside to a different room.
Before starting the shifting procedure, it is essential to open the doorways and thoroughly cover the surfaces and flooring. Before transporting a large, heavy object around your property, it is best to cushion any rough points with child mats or dense cloths.
5. Disassemble Your Pool Table
After arranging the tools and the helping hands, it is time to start. The six ball compartments on the table must first be detached by removing the nails and holding them securely. Rather than using a staple extractor, you will want a screwdriver to detach bolted compartments into the table.
Then, use a socket wrench to work on the side panels of the pool table. Slowly pull out each side rail after the screws have been unhooked. Be sure to mark each item and keep every nut individually.
Always follow the owner’s manual before disassembling a pool table to avoid accidentally harming it and to make the process of reassembling it simpler.
6. Remove All the Essential Parts and Table Legs
It’s time to take off the felt covering the tabletop. Using a nail extractor, gently separate every nail to remove fastened felt. Make every effort to avoid tearing or harming the pool table throughout the removal procedure. Be careful while pushing it backward, and be mindful not to damage it. Next, wrap the felt over if you intend to reuse it to avoid creases.
After the felt has been securely taken out and stored, you can remove the slates. These slates are substantial. As a benchmarking tool, a single-piece slate typically weighs about 450 lbs. Therefore, to lift the slates from your pool table without hurting your spine, you will need as much help as you can acquire. The slates will probably be nailed in, so you should prepare to have a drill machine handy to detach them correctly. Next, gently pull the slates up after the bolts are all out.
After removing the compartments and slates, you may proceed to the table’s main frame and legs. Removing the legs of the body shouldn’t be difficult since all the fragile components have now been taken out and set aside. Most probably, your go-to drill machine will save the day once more, and with the right stuff, the legs will be out in no time. Next, you must separate the table’s core frame from each of its legs. You should flip the central core on its back or flipside.
7. Wrap and Label the Parts
After dismantling, cover each component firmly to avoid damage when carrying it. You should wrap each compartment, railing, and leg with plastic wrap and padding. You can use moving sheets to protect the slate. The padding and blankets may then be placed with scotch tape or wrapping.
Put appropriate tags for them after everything has been packed and prepared to be moved, so you will recognize which portion belongs where. It will make putting the pool table back together in your new house less troublesome.
8. Protect the Parts and Load Them Into the Moving Truck
To maintain the integrity of your upcoming matches, the stone that makes up the flat base on which you shoot balls must stay intact. Typically, slate is either delivered in one big chunk or three parts. The slate should be removed from the table legs and placed inside your delivery truck.
The slate pieces can be stacked on top of one another without worry, but make sure they are individually securely secured and are not squished into anything that could harm them.
To ensure its safety, you must cover your slate with a sheet, towel, or any other cover.
Any pieces that are still there should be handled at this stage and not need any more dismantling. When you have finished putting these components onto your delivery truck, drag your board to the new place.
9. Reassemble the Pool Table at the New Place
Next, reassemble your table from the bottom up. When putting a pool table together, you need to be extremely careful. It might become misaligned due to incorrect setup, which would impact your sport. Reassemble your table, beginning with the base and legs.
Because of its sheer weight, the slate is probably the trickiest and most fragile part to move around. Your pool table might be destroyed by any harm caused to the slate. Considering you simply need to slip it into position, individual sections of slate will be simpler to set up. Transfer every component to the table, laying each part over it with room in between for pool tables with three-piece slate portions.
You must clear the place where you will put the pool table and the route to that place. You must take precise measurements to ensure that your table will easily fit anywhere you relocate it. You can ruin a decent pool table by being knocked over by a piece of carpet while moving the slate.
How to Move a Pool Table to Another Room or Floor?
If you’re planning on moving a pool table without taking it apart, you will require the following moving tools:
1. Dollies
You can use dollies for moving the pool table if dismantling the table is too much for you. Four dollies are required for each foot. Additionally, we strongly advise traveling with a group of three helping hands to keep the dollies balanced.
If the entrances and corridors are big enough, you may move the pool table to a different area or a short distance once it is fastened on all four dollies.
2. Pool Table Lifts
A pool table lifter is an alternative to a dolly for moving a bulky pool table without dismantling it. These rollers are made specially to assist in moving pool tables without disassembly. Put them under the table’s center, then raise the surface off the floor by pulling the lever. It is easy to move the table from one place to another thanks to the rollers at the tool’s bottom.
3. Furniture Sliders
You can easily move the bulky table from one room to the next by attaching furniture sliders. However, remember that you cannot use these sliders to move the table to another floor.
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Position Your Equipment
Divide your dollies so they are ready to be slipped beneath the legs of your pool table at every end. Ensure the space surrounding the pool table is free of anything that could get stuck in the dollies’ tires and interfere with their ability to glide into position.
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Step-By-Step Guide to Move Your Table to Another Room
• Place Your Pool Table Onto the Equipment
Start placing the table on the Dollie by lifting one end. Although you should be able to perform it on your own, a partner can significantly reduce your strain because these tables are weighty.
• Roll It to a New Place
You can now travel the route you intend to use to move the pool table. Compare the length of your slate against the dimensions of the doorways you will need to walk through. Remove rugs and objects that may restrict movement or get stuck in your dollies’ tires.
• Retrieve the Dollies or Equipment
Your helper should immediately clear the dollies as you raise them from the table. After that, gently drop it onto the floor. If you’re working solo, you need to be able to quickly knock the dollies clear before lowering your table gradually and carefully to avoid injury.
Troubleshooting Tips
• Check for Twists or Frame Tension
The structure arrangement may have shifted during your transfer, particularly in older pool tables where it could be challenging to disassemble. It can make installing the slate challenging. To ensure the panel is still appropriately formed, take help from a level. Using a carpenter’s ruler, you can also verify the table’s side angles.
• Take Warps in Stride
Vintage tables or tables that have been in the same place for years may have warped or adjusted to the house’s architectural features where they were initially placed. It may indicate that you require a different component from the others that make up your pool table to level it and prevent any swaying you could experience when moving the table.
• Re-Level the Table
Buildings typically have a minor slope; therefore, pool tables often include movable legs to help them avoid problematic slopes. You may level the table after taking care of the framework arrangement and any significant irregularities.
• Fix the Slate
Ideally, one should know how to move a pool table without breaking the slate. However, if damage occurs, it can be fixed. Chipping or splits in the slate of your pool table can be repairable at home, but significant damage will likely involve an expert fix. Plaster of Paris may be used to mend minor chipping and gaps, while automobile body fillers can be used to repair bigger holes.
• Level Slate in a Warped Frame
If the whole foundation of your table has distorted to the extent that the slate rests in its setting at a slant, there isn’t much you can do to fix it. On the contrary, you may alter the slate. After assembling the slate and repairing any problems, you may use fasteners, or small pieces of hardwood, to balance the slate.
• Know How to Handle Antique Rails
The rails on certain vintage pool tables are attached to the slate’s narrow end using fasteners. A T-bolt will make it much simpler to detach and reattach the rails of an old pool table.
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Why Moving a Pool Table Yourself Is a Bad Idea?
Generally, moving a pool table by yourself is a recipe for disaster. A million things can go wrong, including:
• Damage to the Table
The main danger is that you’ll break it when moving. An installed pool table may help to get caught in an entryway or on a few staircases. Things usually go wrong when attempting to dismantle it.
• Injury
Pool tables are hulks, literally. Injury may come from attempting to move it with a minimal workforce. Injury is a danger you must take into account despite having enough helping hands.
• Damage to the Structure
A slate table’s structure may become ruined if you attempt to move it. The legs are required to sustain the slate because of its extreme weight. Therefore, the frame bears all the strain when you pull the table off the floor, which might cause structural distortion.
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How to Move a Pool Table if You Can’t Do It on Your Own
It’s better to let experts move an enormous pool table. It can be quite complex to dismantle the table, move it and then rebuild it again at a new location without causing any harm to the table or yourself.
Pool table movers will check the structure for splits and breakage in the connectors that you might not see. These experts will know how to move a pool table for new carpet areas, which means the chances of your pool table being dragged over your brand-new carpet would be minimal. Moreover, you won’t be required to use the old felt again because pro movers frequently include new felt in the purchase.
Benefits of Hiring Professional Movers
• Reduce the Stress of Moving
Moving less stressful can be managed by hiring expert movers. Packing supplies are provided by professional movers, which means that packing up your hulk, with all of its components, is their business.
Sometimes building managements require a Certificate of Insurance to be able to move in and out of their buildings. If your management does, make sure to inform the moving company of your choice as early as possible.
• Equipped With All the Moving Tools
Without the proper tools, hauling pool tables can be deadly. Professional movers will arrive prepared with belts, dollies, and furniture sliders to transport even the largest pool tables. Additionally, most movers use pickup trucks with air-ride features to guarantee your things are properly secured during the moving process.
• Fast Process
You can be assured that your relocation will be quick and straightforward if you work with expert movers. Moving companies can relocate considerably more quickly than you can since they can handle heavy furniture and gaming tables. They know how to move heavy pool tables up a flight of stairs or through narrow hallways. They will complete it not just much more quickly and without any harm.
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Moving pool tables is a hassle. You are simply putting yourself in danger, and the table can be damaged by even the slightest mistake. Even if you are leasing a moving van and transporting yourself, you should consider hiring professionals at least for loading the giant safely.
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