How To Properly Pack A Pool Table For A Move
Pool tables are an extremely large piece of furniture that can be the centerpiece of the room that they are installed in. However, when you are moving to a new home, the unwieldy size of a pool table, coupled with the fragility of the felt, mean that they can be easily damaged while in transit. Thankfully, there are a couple of steps that you can take to ensure that your pool table stays in good condition while being moved and is ready to go as soon as you unpack it.
What You'll Need
Before you get started, make an effort to gather all the tools that you'll be using to speed the packing process up as much as possible. You'll need a pair of needle nosed pliers, a flathead screwdriver, a socket wrench, a drill moving blankets or bubble wrap, and packing tape. All of these things can be found at most hardware and storage supply stores. You may also want to have people to help you with the disassembly process, due to the sheer weight of pool tables.
Packing a Pool Table
First things first, you should remove the pockets from your pool table. These pockets will be held in place either with staples, which can be removed using needle nosed pliers or with screws, which can be removed using a flathead screwdriver. You can store the pockets and the screws that hold them in place in a separate plastic bag to be moved on its own.
Then, you'll want to remove the rails from the table. These are held in place with nuts and bolts, so you'll want to make use of a socket wrench to remove each rail individually. Keep the nuts and bolts in a plastic bag, and wrap each rail in a moving blanket that is secured using packing tape.
Once the rails are removed, you'll have to remove the felt. The felt will be held in place with either glue or staples. Staples can be removed using the pliers again, whereas glue will require you to gently pull the felt off of the surface of the table. Fold the slate and put it with the other removed pieces to be moved.
The slate underneath the felt will now be completely exposed. You can remove it by using a drill to remove the screws holding it in place, once again keeping the screws safely stored for reassembly later. Then, along with several other people, carefully lift the slate onto a stack of moving blankets and wrap it thoroughly, securing the blankets with packing tape.
Finally, flip the pool table over and use the screwdriver to unscrew the legs from the table. You can then take all the wooden components of the table and wrap them in moving blankets. Now, all you have to do is move the individually wrapped components into the truck (or have professional movers do it for you, to reduce the risk of damage) to get on with the move.
Contact a company like Walsh Moving & Storage for more information and assistance.