Pool Dining Tables - Best Selling Tables.

The Rise of Pool Dining Tables

Pool dining tables are fast becoming the best-selling style in the UK.

One of the main issues when purchasing a pool table in Britain is the need for more space. As we are a heavily populated small Island, space is at a premium. This means that our houses often need more room space for dining and pool tables. This is where the dual-purpose pool dining tables come in.

Pool dining tables are ideal for gathering friends for a meal and shooting a few pool frames afterwards. In the past, only a select few were fortunate enough to have a pool or games room, but this has changed thanks to these stylish tables.

In tough financial times, socialising can be very costly. Going to the pub, out for a meal, or even with the family is getting increasingly expensive. In our experience, staying in is definitely the new going out. This is why so many people are turning to the pool dining table.

Do Pool Dining Tables Play Well? 

Due to the decline of the UK pub market over recent years, we have seen a massive increase in pool table styles and designs from the manufacturers. This has meant that the range of pool dining tables has dramatically improved. You are now guaranteed to get a great pool table and a stylish piece of furniture.

These models are predominantly manufactured by coin-operated pool table producers. They supply pubs and clubs throughout the country with robust tables. Most pool dining tables are made with the same materials found on a UK pub pool table.

Our range of pool dining tables all have a top-class slate bed playing surface, tournament-quality cloth, high-response cushion rubber, and a robust and stylish cabinet design. You are essentially getting the same game as you would play in the bars but with a stylish design.

The main difference between these tables and regular pool tables is the legs' height and the cabinet's depth.

In order to sit around the diners, you require a thin cabinet body. While they all still have internal ball return systems, they are shallow enough to allow a tall person to sit comfortably around the table.

This means that pool dining table legs must be taller than a standard pub-style leg to ensure they play at a professional league-size height.

Besides the table's look, they play like a bar-style pool table.

We have also found that clothes on pool diners tend to outlast clothes on a standard pool table. This is because most people will place the dining top on the table when not being used. This stops potential damage to the cloth, such as sunlight fading, dust and dirt, spillages and accidents. The added protection of the dining top provides many years of high-quality cloth.

So we have established that the pool side of these tables is excellent. They play great and are built to the hard-wearing standards of a commercial table.

How do they perform as a dining table?

They work very well as dining tables. Depending on size and model, they comfortably seat 6-10 people.

They are generally an inch or two higher than a regular table. However, this does not make eating around the table awkward. In fact, without this extra bit of height, it would be a little uncomfortable for a tall person to sit around the table.

When these tables are set up for eating, it is challenging to tell that they are pool tables. You would not know the difference other than the slightly deeper cabinet and the ball return cut-outhole at one end. They basically look like a piece of furniture.

Some tables, such as the Gatley Classic and Traditional tables, now have a ball drawer that the balls return into when potted. When the table is unused, you close the drawer and hide the ball return hole cut out.

The dining top typically comes in two pieces. It is also available as a one-piece top, but this is very rarely asked for. The weight of the dining top means that it needs to be in two pieces to manage. This is so that it can easily be lifted on and off the table when in use. Also, the two-piece top can either be stored under the table or in a cupboard when being used for pool.

The top does not sit on the wood off the pool table top frame. The six pool pocket liners sit slightly proud of the top frame. This serves two purposes. Firstly, when lifted or placed, it protects the top frame wood from scratches or scuffs. Secondly, the pocket liners (usually rubber) act as a sucker and grip the dining top into place.

This means that when the dining table top is on the table, it is very rigid. The combined weight of the top and the pocket liner grip locks it down so it does not slide around.

The two-section dining tops are always cut from the same piece of wood. This ensures that the wood grain on the dining top always matches. Many manufacturers dowel the tops to lock them together, although some of the tops butt together. Either way, they perform just as well once in place on the table.

European Diners Vs UK Diners

UK produced pool Dining Tables

Many years ago, the pool diner was a luxury product only affordable to the few. Over the years, however, UK table suppliers have opened this market to the masses by producing good quality, affordable tables.

They are built using the same robust laminated wood on pub pool tables. The styles have been dragged into the 21st century, so you can now get modern designs and traditional models.

In all honesty, most of these tables are built with the game of pool in mind first. However, that doesn't mean they need to work as well as dining tables.

UK pool dining tables come from suppliers who make pub pool tables. Unlike many imported European dining tables, which are traditionally manufactured by furniture makers, these tables tend to be built using solid wood instead of laminated wood.

The main advantages of the UK tables are as follows:

These tables are far more affordable than European diners. This is because they are locally produced and built from the same laminated wood as the UK pub table instead of solid wood.

You are also guaranteed the exact same playing dimensions as the UK pub pool table. This is because both models use the same slate playing surfaces.

Having sold hundreds of UK diners, we are always delighted with the feedback we get from our customers. We usually get a pleasantly surprised response with the look and build of these tables.

European-made Pool Dining Tables.

The pool dining table is not a new idea in mainland Europe, and many high-quality furniture makers diversified into the billiards market years ago.

Unlike in the UK, where pub pool table manufacturers began to develop the pool diner for the home market, our European counterparts have traditionally started out life as fine furniture makers for the home. This is reflected in the creative and luxurious styles and woods used in production.

Table manufacturers such as Billards Plaissance have been designing and selling a high-quality selection of pool dining tables for many years. 

The European pool diner style is most definitely produced as fine furniture first. They are nearly always made from real wood, and the look and design of the table are always the manufacturer's priority.
 
Over the last 15 years, European pool dining tables have definitely improved the pool aspect of the dual tables. Most are built in the style of the mass-market American pool tables, which have larger balls and pockets. However, we are finding that more and more tables can now be produced to UK pool specifications.
 
More and more European table makers are supplying the UK market. The growing demand for pool diners in Britain over the last 10 years has seen an influx of the world's finest pool dining tables.
 
The choice has never been better.

Pool Dining Chairs.

Buying chairs for your pool diner is a very personal decision. Everybody has different tastes, styles, and requirements. For this reason, very few pool dining tables offer the option of buying matching chairs.
 
All the UK-made diners are produced solely by pool table manufacturers, who do not offer chairs as an option. Some of the imported dining tables come from pool table/furniture manufacturers, which means they do have a range of chairs on offer.
 
Billards Plaissance offers a chair set for each table model they produce.
 
If the table does not include the option of purchasing a matching chair, we recommend purchasing one through a local chair/furniture store. 

We Have Something For Everyone.

Here at Pool Tables Online, we have a dining table for everyone.

We can supply tables for all budgets. You can spend from £900 up to £7,000. We have traditional dining tables, modern dining tables, UK pool dining tables, and European and American diners. We have tables for the keen pool player, for family entertainment or for someone just looking for a beautiful piece of furniture.

Whatever your requirement, we have the solution.