Billiard Table Recovering Instructions

If the cloth on a billiards table has been torn in any way, the entire table needs to be recovered. Patching up even a small tear will ruin all billiards games you may attempt to play, since the game is dependent on a smooth surface on every inch of the table. You must remove the entire fabric from the table and replace it with a new sheet of billiard fabric. When applying the new fabric, you need to know what type of surface is on the table, and you need to stretch the fabric tightly on that surface. Does this Spark an idea?

Removing the Old Fabric

To peel the old cloth off of the table, you first need to disassemble the rails from the edges of the table. The rails are usually bolted on with the bolts visible from the table's underside. Once you remove all the remaining cloth from the table, you will see if the surface is wood or slate; this is an important factor as to how you will apply the new fabric to the table. When choosing the type of fabric to recover the table with, you basically have two choices. Woolen cloths have a more fuzzy feel and are often cheaper, making them more common on billiard tables. Worsted cloths, however, will allow for smoother and faster game play because they are smoother in texture - they also last longer. Whichever type of cloth you get, neither will work very well if you don't fasten it to the table properly.

Applying the New Fabric

The replacement fabric must be tight along the surface, as any bumps or un-smooth areas in the cloth will mess up your billiards games. Stretch the fabric across the table's length and keep it tight as you fasten it to the surface. If the surface is slate (which is usually the case), you can glue the fabric to it. Apply an adhesive spray to the slate, starting the spray at around five inches from the slate's edges. Apply the glue to the underside of the fabric also. After waiting around 30 seconds for the glue to get tacky, press the fabric to the surface as you stretch it. If the surface is wood, you need to staple down the fabric. Start with a staple close to the middle pocket on one side and add staples at two-inch intervals until you are halfway between the center and corner pocket; repeat this for all four corners.

Finishing Touches

Once the new fabric is securely on the surface, there will be pieces of it that overlap the pockets. Cut away the excess fabric with a razor blade, leaving enough so it sticks out a half inch from the edge of the hole, then fold that fabric down and staple it to the inside edge of the pocket. Once the fabric is on the surface and all edges of it have been stapled down, you can install the rails back on the table by bolting them back in place.