Pool Tables

There are a wide variety of pool tables available on the market today, with differences in quality, durability, and price. It's easy to find a pool table that fits your taste and budget, whether you're putting together a game room for your home or buying commercial billiard tables for your bar or business.

Choose a table that suits your lifestyle

The first thing to do when looking for the right pool table is to consider the type of construction. This is a very good gauge of the cost of the table. In order of increasing quality, tables are made of laminate, wood veneer, wood-on-wood, solid hardwood, or metal-on-wood.

For recreational pool, a wood-on-wood or solid hardwood table will give you many years of entertainment. If you have children and don't want to make a big investment, particle board (laminate) tables are fine for billiards. For businesses such as bars, a metal-on-wood pool table is the best pick, as its durable construction will survive thousands of billiard games.

Pick the right pool playing surface

Another factor to consider when choosing your billiard table is the material that the playing surface is made out of. This is what lies beneath the soft billiard cloth or felt that you normally play pool on.

Traditionally, pool table surfaces are made out of slate, which is a type of rock that can be polished very smoothly and is quite durable. 3/4 inch slate is the most common and is ideal for recreational pool, while 1 inch slate is used by billiard professionals.

There are also cheaper alternatives to slate tables, including permaslate (aka Slatron), plastic honeycomb, and particle board. Beware of these alternatives, because although they are cheaper, these types of tables tend to have more warping and durability problems than slate tables.

Pay attention to other parts of the table

In addition to the table and the playing surface, you may want to check the quality of the legs, rails, and cushions.

High quality billiard table legs should be made out of solid hardwood and shouldn't be hollow. They also should extend all the way to the slate, not just to the frame of the table.

Rails form the edge of your table and should be made out of solid hardwood. The cushions are what billiard balls bounce off of when they hit the edge of the table; the best cushions have a K-66 profile and Grade A rubber (ask your pool table retailer for this information).

Determine the right size pool table for your home or business

A billiard table is measured by its length, which is usually between six and nine feet. In general, a seven foot table is okay for leisurely fun and children, although an eight foot table is the standard size for recreational pool in homes. Nine foot tables are used by professionals and at billiard tournaments.

On average, you will need about five to six feet around the table in order to have a comfortable pool playing space. The following chart should help you determine how much space you will need to play billiards.

Buy the table that's right for you

When it comes to buying a pool table, you truly get what you pay for. High quality tables built out of solid hardwood and slate will ensure lasting fun and durability for years.

Cheaper tables made out of particle board and alternative slate materials are fine for family billiards, although they are not recommended for playing serious games of pool.

In the end, you should choose a pool table based on the cost, how serious you are about playing billiards, and the how much room you have available for your table.