Cost of Recovering Your Pool Table

Should I Have My Pool Table Cloth Recovered?

Recovering your pool table can transform its appearance and enhance its performance. A worn or torn baize often provides an inconsistent ball roll and a slow game. A poor-quality cloth will spoil the appearance of a table and make it look tired and dated.

We often get asked how frequently the pool table cloth needs changing. This, of course, depends on how much you play the table. In UK pubs and clubs, pool tables are usually recovered annually. These tables are subject to lots of play and abuse. If you look after the baize on your home table, we recommend re-clothing every 3-4 years as a rough guide.

So how much will this cost, and how does it work?

This isn't an easy question to answer. It depends on what table you have and also where you are located. The easiest way to get an accurate quote is to take a couple of photos of your table and email us the details. This way, we can identify the model and come back with our best prices.

When it comes to table recovery, the model, age, and size of your table are key factors that influence the cost. For instance, UK pool tables are generally more affordable to recover than American tables due to their different slate structures.

UK Tables

As a ballpark figure, a UK table bed and cushion recovery can cost between £275 and £375. This includes high-quality clothing, which alone costs approximately £100.

If your table is relatively new, we will swap a new slate and cushion set for your old ones. This saves lots of time and mess and means you get brand-new cushions with a superior bounce to your old ones.

If you have an older table, we must recover it on-site, as the slate and cushion sets we stock wouldn't be compatible.

We also check the level and ensure you have a perfect roll, as well as recover the table.

USA Tables

Recovering an American pool table requires significantly more work. Unlike UK pool tables, American models have sectional slates. This means that all recovery work has to be done onsite and generally takes much longer. Also, these tables are bigger in size and require more cloth, which contributes to the higher cost.

Depending on the table's size, make, and style, a ballpark figure for recovering it could be between £500 and £800. We would also level the table in the price of recovery.

Other Games Tables

Please note that we offer a recovering service only on slate bed pool tables. Wood bed pool tables are not designed to be re-clothed. We can also provide a quote for a full-size snooker table recovery; please get in touch with us for details.

How Is a Pool Table Recovered.

1. UK-style table with a one-piece slate. 

This is the quickest table to recover, but it can still take a couple of hours to complete. The one-piece slate has the cloth glued to the slate at the edges, so after the old cloth has been removed with utmost care to preserve the slate, the slate has to be cleaned to get rid of all the old chalk deposits and then the slate edges have to have all the old hardened glue removed before applying the fresh glue.

2. Fitting the Bed Cloth

Contact adhesive is applied to the slate and cloth edges. Once the glue is almost dry, the cloth is put on the slate, and the contact adhesive on the slate and bed cloth bonds together. The baize is stretched lengthways and sideways to give that very tight finish. The skilful part then begins with the cloth fitting around the pocket openings. Finally, the fabric is brushed and marked for the game with spots or lines, depending on your requirements.

3. Recovering the cushions 

Next comes recovering the cushions – the most challenging part. On UK-style tables, the cloth is stapled onto the six cushion rails, so the old staples have to be painstakingly removed so as not to damage the wood rails. Once the old baize is removed, our expert fitters check the cushion rubber to ensure it fits its purpose. After this, the cushion cloth can be fitted. This is a skilled job as perfectly placing the cloth to the cushion contours takes years of practice and should only be done by trained fitters. Once fitted, the cushions need to be bolted back onto the top frame, and you are ready to play.

4. Replacement Service

We usually replace your slate and cushions directly. We would bring a pre-covered set of slate and cushions and swap for the old ones. This saves disruption and reduces time on site. It also means you get a brand new set of cushions, and we will recycle your old ones. Once we get to the site, it may seem like a simple process, but remember, we have to carry out all of the above in our workshop in advance, so our costs are the same.

Recovering American Pool Tables

Many people need to realise these bigger tables are constructed from sectional slates. Of course, this makes sense when you think about the size and weight of a more extensive slate. They would be too heavy to lift and wouldn't fit through standard doors.

American tables have three pieces of slate that are grouted together and smoothed before levelling.

1. Because we cannot cover this table style beforehand, all the work must be done on-site.

2. Getting at the slate to remove the felt means dismantling the top frame holding the cushions with four rail sections. Once the rails are removed, the old cloth can be removed. 

3. The grouting between the slates can be checked before a new cloth is covered. The same method of recovering a UK slate would take place, except you would not use glue. Each slate has a wooden batten fixed around it to take the staples required to hold the cloth.

4. The old cushion cloth is removed by removing the old staples and then fitting the new cloth.

5. Finally, the four cushion rails are re-fitted before the final level. This entire process can take two-skilled fitters between 4 and 6 hours.

What type of cloth do I need?

What type of cloth should I have fitted?

There are two types of cloth used on pool tables. In the UK, most English-style tables are fitted with wool cloth, and most American tables are fitted with worsted cloth (also known as speed cloth). Numerous colours are available in all cloth styles.

If you want to know the difference, we recommend viewing our post on crucial factors when buying a pool table, which explains it in more detail.

We sell all the leading brands of cloth and can offer the best on the market. We would only ever fit tables with cloths that are fit for purpose and provide an exceptional game. Our range includes tournament pool cloth such as the Simonis 861. Please get in touch if you require more details on what clothes are best for you.