How To Repair A Felt Poker Table

By  Katherine Harder

Things Needed

  • Microfiber cloths

  • Vinegar

  • Bowl

  • Cool water

  • Acrylic felt

  • Measuring tape

  • Fabric scissors

  • Philips-head screwdriver

  • Flathead screwdriver

  • Staple gun with staples loaded

  • Walnut

  • Superfine steel wool

  • Paste wax

  • Clear nail polish

  • Shims

  • Small hand saw

...

If your pool table looks run-down, you may have already begun considering replacement or disposal, which may not be necessary. While pool tables with major structural problems probably aren't good candidates for rehabilitation, you can restore a table with a few aesthetic imperfections by installing a new sheet of pool table felt. Repair beer stains, ripped felt, a wobbly leg and gouged wood and you'll feel like you have a brand new table.

Getting Out Beer Stains

Step 1

Combine a cup of water and a tablespoon of vinegar in your bowl.

Step 2

Wet your cloth with the water and vinegar solution.

Step 3

Blot the affected area with the wetted portion of your cloth. Dab at the stain until it's removed.

Step 4

Allow the area to dry. Repeat the process if you still see some of the stain after air drying.

Replacing Ripped or Damaged Felt

Step 1

Measure your pool table's length and width. Add about a foot to these measurements, and then cut your felt to match these larger measurements.

Step 2

Unscrew the table rail screws, which you can find on the table's underside. Take off the pool table's table rails.

Step 3

Pry off the staples with your flat-head screwdriver. Remove the old felt.

Step 4

Replace the old felt with the new felt you just cut out; plan to staple only where the table rails will cover your work. Staple down your new felt in the center edge on one side, and then pull it tightly to the opposite side before stapling there.

Step 5

Continue stapling around the pool table's edges, each time pulling the felt tight and stapling on the opposite side you just stapled.

Step 6

Trim off any extra felt. Replace the table rails.

Repairing Scratches and Gouges in the Wood

Step 1

Remove scratches by rubbing a walnut against them; the oils in the walnut lessen their visibility.

Step 2

Dip your steel wool into a bit of paste wax. Rub superfine wool's waxed section over your gouges gently, working in the direction of your wood's grain.

Step 3

Buff off excess wax with a microfiber cloth.

Step 4

Fill in any gouges which still remain with clear nail polish.

Unwobbling a Wobbly Leg

Step 1

Pull down and up on each corner of your pool table until you've determined which leg is too short.

Step 2

Cut a shim to the appropriate size to fit under your pool table's leg invisibly.

Step 3

Place the shim beneath the too short leg. Add an addition shim if the leg is still too short.

Step 4

Keep your felt in good condition by regularly brushing it and vacuuming it with a hand vacuum. Don't allow people to rest food or drinks on your pool table.

References

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