Pool Table Recoveries and Set-ups
Things to know-
Why should I choose The Pool Table Doctor?
Please read and we’ll explain, also here are some things to look out for when choosing a company for your pool table service.When choosing a company for your pool table recovery or set-up it is very important that a skilled technician do the job. Why?
"All tables vary in assembly"
Some companies have or will use sub-contracted techs with little or no experience. Experience is key when recovering or setting up a pool table. The main reason for this is the amount of time involved in leveling and smoothing the play surface (the most important part). Some techs make the misstake that if a pool table has been set-up for a while and it is just a recovery it doesn’t need to be leveled again. Wrong!
The wrong way-
Some inexperienced techs will rush through the job by simply recovering the table shaking your hand and their gone. Some will think they are going the extra mile by checking the levelness of the center of the table. Not good!
The correct way-
Almost 99% of all home pool tables have three pieces of slate which make the play field, they will settle over time. When recovering a table all three pieces must be checked and re-leveled. It is very rare to encounter a level table and we would rather take the extra bit of effort to do things the correct way by checking them all. Once it is re-leveled the seams or joints are then re-filled and smoothed with bees wax.
Putty vs. Bees wax –
Some will use putty for the seams or
joint smoothing. In our experiance hard compounds will crack under
the felt leaving pebble-like bumps. This happens if the pool table
has been stood on or bumped, it also can happen over time from
settling.
Bees wax is defiantly the choice for slate seams or joints, it
is flexible and pliable. If your table moves which it can do the
bees wax will flex with it. If the bees wax does chunk up under
the felt which is nearly impossible it can be flatten back out
simply by rolling a pool ball over it, this is much better than
calling someone out to remove the felt and re-seam the table joints.
Wedges vs. Shims
One of many things that we do differently than our completion is that we use flat shims (not wedges) when leveling slate, it takes a little longer but is the right way, period. Flat shims allow for your pool table to stay level even after bumping and other vibrations from play because they are sandwiched in-between the slate and the body (cabinet) of the pool table. With wedges they are only holding the slate up at the highest point that it’s hammered in and what happens is when the pool table is bumped or vibrated from play the wedges will wiggle loose and slide outward thus dropping your slate and making a ridge on the play field. Some guys will try to glue them in however that is just a Band-Aid.
Note:
We use Mali felt on recoveries, other types are available such as Simonis, etc.
The Pool Table Doctor guarantees the work performed and will not hesitate to fix a problem if one occurs.
The Pool Table Doctor is proud to serve the following cities:
Florida: Central Florida, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Daytona, Miami
Arizona: Phoenix