Find the Perfect Pool Table for Your Home
How to choose the right game for your home.
Whether you love pool or if you have a game room and are looking for more recreation options, a pool table is a fun game to include! Our pool table buying guide will give you all the information you need regarding the materials, size, and features to help you know exactly how to choose a pool table.
Types of Pool Tables
There are three types of pool tables, each with its own features and benefits.
Classic/Standard: The age-old classic pool table is the one we all know and love. It is hard to go wrong with this well-known style. The beautiful felt top paired with a wood base and a sturdy design makes for a fantastic addition to any game room, den, or recreational area in your home.
Multi-Purpose: If your family is one that enjoys playing a variety of games, a multi-purpose pool table might be your best bet. These types of pool tables are modular and have the capacity to transform from one type of game setting to another with ease. For example, you get a pool table that becomes an air hockey or table tennis surface, or one that can be altered to become a regular dining table with the use of interchangeable surfaces to cover the playing area beneath.
Compact: Do you enjoy playing pool but have limited floor space? A compact pool table will allow you to enjoy your favorite game without taking up too much room. Although they are smaller, these models still come with everything you need for an enjoyable game with family and friends.
Pool Table Materials
There are two main parts of a pool table: the playing surface and frame surface. Both parts have multiple material options that affect the aesthetic and durability of the pool table, as well as that affect gameplay. There are different pool table materials for the playing surface (which are then typically covered by a felt or cloth topper), and you can typically choose between a wood, metal, or plastic frame material.
Play Surface Material
Slate: If you want a pool table that gives you a professional billiard feel, slate is the surface material to choose. Slate is one of the most common pool table materials to have for the play surface of a pool table, since slate’s smoothness provides for an accurate game. This material also keeps the pool table level for even gameplay.
Manufactured Wood: Also known as MDF pool tables, these types of pool tables are great for those who do not feel the need to have a professional table but still want a high-quality game. MDF pool tables offer a more budget-friendly option since it’s not as heavy and isn’t as high-quality as slate pool tables are. This surface material choice can make the game a little bit slower, since MDF tables make the pool balls drag.
Cloth/Felt Material
Unless your pool table is made for outdoor usage and is mainly constructed of plastic materials, the top of your pool tables will probably be covered with cloth or felt. Most pool tables have a playing surface that is built of a combination of wool and nylon or wool and polyester materials, but if you want a surface that is more professional, a wool surface is the best option. he second most common type of felt covering for pool tables is made from worsted cloth, which has the same appearance as a woven suit.
Solid Wood: Solid wood frames of pool tables offer the most intricate design on the legs and the traditional look of a professional billiards table. This material, along with a slate play surface, can make your table heavier and more expensive because of the natural materials. Solid woods make the table more durable and help keep it steady as you play.
Solid & Manufactured Wood: Combine the best of both worlds in a pool table with a blend of solid and manufactured wood materials. These two materials working together can provide your pool table with the durability needed for long-lasting gameplay while also producing a beautiful table that complements your room. These types of pool tables tend to be cheaper options as well since the material is not completely natural.
Manufactured Wood: A manufactured wood pool table is the best budget-friendly option if you want a nice-looking pool table without the big price tag. On top of being an aesthetically pleasing table, manufactured wood pool tables still offer plenty of stability to keep your game in place as you play.
Metal: While there aren’t pool tables with frames made completely out of metal, there are some pool tables that use this material for extra support with their manufactured materials. Pool tables that include metal in the brackets or frames provide the table with extra durability that protects it from possible hard hits of the balls or any external forces hitting the table.
Plastic: Plastic pool tables are the least traditional – and most budget-friendly – option and are meant to provide you with a game that isn’t regulation but still fun. You can set up a plastic pool table in a backyard for a fun game with friends or pop one in a kid’s room. These types of pool tables are great for those who want to enjoy a game of pool without the traditional materials that make pool tables more expensive.
Pool Table Sizes
Size is an important factor how to choose a pool table, so you can get the most out of your gameplay and be able to move around the table in the room as needed. When you are selecting the right pool table for your home, it’s important to also think of the pool cue length, since you want enough room to pull the cue back without damaging a wall. Regardless of the size space you’re working with in your house or outside, there are various pool table sizes available to fit your home and your needs with all of the factors in mind.
Tip!
Measure the length and width of the room you plan to place your pool table in before purchasing. A basic rule of thumb to follow for space is to allow at least 6” of extra room from the edges of your pool table to nearby walls, tables, or other pieces of furniture. Also keep in mind regulation-size cue stick sizes, which are between 57"–58" in length.
Small
If you don’t have space for a regulation-size pool table in your home, a small room pool table can suit your space. Small room pool tables measure 7’ long or below to give you a smaller playing surface area that can fit your selected area. To help conserve room, choose a mini pool table or one that folds up so you can store it out of sight when it’s not in use.
Standard pool table sizes measure up to 8’ long, which will work for medium-size rooms. A regulation size pool table has a length that is twice as long as the width. So if your pool table is 8-feet long, the width would be 4-feet wide.
Rooms that have a great deal of space can fit a large pool table that measures 9’ long or more. These pool table sizes provide a lot of space to play a regulation game with friends with plenty of room for everyone around the table.
Outdoor: Made with anti-rust and weather-resistant materials, outdoor pool tables make a great addition to your backyard sphere for your family and friends to play with. Most outdoor pool tables measure between 7’ and 8’ long, so you still have enough room for the game without compromising too much space.
Pool Dining Table:Dine and play in one spot with a pool dining table. This feature includes a hard flat-top cover for you to use as a table that’s easy to remove when you want to showcase the pool table. Some pool dining tables have a flat-top surface that doubles as a ping-pong court for two game options in one!
Portable: Whether you need a pool table that collapses to store out of the way when it’s not in use or you want to bring your favorite game with you on vacations, a portable pool table will do the trick. These pool tables are big enough to play with while being lightweight and collapsible, which makes them easy to transport.
Bumper Pool Table: A bumper pool table is different from a regulation-size pool table in that it’s smaller and has several bumpers placed on the playing surface. There are eight bumpers shaped in a diamond in the center of the table with two bumpers at each end of the table at the sides of the pockets. Bumper pool tables only have two pockets on the whole table – one on each end.
Multiple Games Included: A pool table that converts into multiple games is a very convenient way to conserve space and have multiple games available in one place. These pool tables come with interchangeable playing surfaces so you can play ping-pong or air hockey when you want a switch-up.
Drop Pocket: Drop pockets on a pool table are a nice way to catch the balls you hit into the pockets and a place to keep them for the duration of the game. These pockets hang down a few inches from the table so you can hold up to three or four balls in each pocket. You can also store your balls in the pockets when you’re not playing.
Auto-Ball Return: A pool table with an auto-ball return makes retrieving the pool balls easier once they’re hit into the pockets. The balls that are hit in the pockets go through a built-in system instead of sitting stagnant in a drop pocket. All of the balls travel to the same place in the pool table, where you can store the balls once you’re done playing.
Pool Table Installation Tips
Assembling most pool tables takes some work and doesn’t come easy. If you choose a pool table that has a slate surface top, we highly recommend your table be professionally installed to ensure the slate is level.
When putting a pool table together, there are many parts to consider – such as the playing surface, legs, and frame – and connecting it all together. Checking the assembly level of each pool table is a great practice to know beforehand how easy or difficult it will be to put your pool table together, or if you should get it professionally installed.
You will need some basic tools such as a screwdriver, leveler, and wrench to put most pool tables together. Larger pool tables are easier to put together with the help of others, so don’t hesitate to ask a close friend or family member for help when installing your game!
Now that you know how to choose a pool table, it’s time to shop!
Tip!
Complete your pool table with all the required accessories like a wall mount for your cue stick, a pool table cover, and more!
