How to Properly Prepare Your Pool Table for a Move

Disassembling the table

1. Unfasten all six side pockets. Lie underneath the table. Carefully pry the staples out of each pocket with a staple puller or flathead screw driver. Be sure to wear protective goggles to shield your eyes from stray staples.
2. Remove all rails. Unscrew the bolts securing the rails with a socket wrench and gently slide each rail out. If the rail is attached in sections, you will need to flip them over and disconnect them. Remember to place all nuts, screw and bolts removed from your table in a plastic bag and label for reassembly later.
3. Remove the felt. If the felt is stapled to your table, use a staple puller to carefully pull them out to remove the felt. If it is glued down, gently pull the felt away from the slate to prevent tearing. Neatly fold the felt to avoid wrinkle, which will ruin your table. You can also avoid this hassle by simply discarding the felt and replacing it in your new home.
4. Unscrew and remove the slate. Using a power drill with the appropriate screw driver bit, remove all screws from the slate. Be sure to stow them away safely with your other bolts and screws from the table. Carefully lift the slate off your table's frame. A standard eight or nine-foot table should have three pieces of slate, each weighing about 150 to 250 pounds--be sure to lift them gently to avoid injury and prevent damage. Any chips or scratches to even just one piece of slate, and you must replace them all.
5. Wrap the slate. Lay each individual piece of slate onto a moving blanket. Fold the blanket around each piece, and wrap securely with tape.
6. Remove the legs. Disassemble your table's frame by unscrewing each piece and removing it from the table's legs.
7. Wrap each piece and load it onto the truck. Wrap each leg, rail, and wooden section of the frame with moving blankets and tape securely. The slate can be stacked on top of one another on the truck and each wrapped piece of the table can be placed on top of the slate.

Reassembling and leveling the table

1. Check your manual to determine the type of table. If you aren't sure how to adjust its level, consult your table's instruction manual. Your pool table may have metal plates, adjustable legs, or wooden legs, and this will affect the method used for leveling. Tables with metal plates are the most common.
2. Test your table's level. Place a carpenter's level on the felt in the center of the table. If the table is level, the bubbles will be positioned directly in the center of the two lines on the glass tube. Check each of the table's four sides to determine where the table will need adjustment.
3. If you have plates: Refer to your instruction manual to add metal plates to your legs. Your table should have come with screws to attach the plates.
4. If your legs are adjustable: Remove the pins or screws securing the legs in place and then adjust them to the desired length by moving them up or down. Do this for each leg that needs to be adjusted, then replace the pins.
5. If your legs are wooden: To adjust wooden legs, you will need wooden shims. Have a friend lift the low end of the table carefully while you slide the slim end of the shim under the table's leg or legs.
6. Retest the level. Use your carpenter's level to recheck the uniformity of your table. If it is still inaccurate, you will have to repeat the process until it is level.

Hire movers