How to Dismantle a Pool Table

A pool table is not something that can be moved easily. Because of its size and heavy weight, you should always disassemble a furniture style pool table before you move it, even if you only plan to move it to another room. If possible, hire a professional to do this for you. If it is something you want to do, or need to do by yourself, you can best do it by following steps below:

Step 1 – Remove the Staples under the Table

With a staple remover or a flat head screw driver, lie on your back under the table and remove all the staples that hold the pockets in place. Wear protective eye wear, as the staples can easily fall into your eyes.

Step 2 – Remove Bolts

Once you have removed all staples, use a wrench to remove the bolts from the underside of the rails. Usually, there are three bolts for each rail.

Step 3 – Remove the Rails

Once the bolts have been removed, the rails should be loose. At that point, you can pull them off. There are typically 3 methods of doing this:

1. Pull individual rails apart from the others.
2. If there are two horseshoe shaped rails connected on each side of the side pocket, pull these apart.
3. If all the rails are connected together, you will need someone to help you flip them simultaneously. These pieces are heavy; use caution so you don’t break the side pockets when flipping the rails.

Step 4 – Disconnect All Pockets

Once you have removed the rails, disconnect the pockets.

Step 5 – Remove the Felt

Determine ahead of time whether the felt is stapled or glued to the table's frame. If the felt is stapled, you will need a staple remover or needle nose pliers to remove the staples. Remove all the staples. If the felt is glued in place, carefully pull it up from the surface it's glued to. Be careful to pull it in a backward motion. If you pull it forward or upward, there is a tendency for the felt to stretch and create bulges when it's re-glued. Be especially cautious when you remove the felt near the pockets.

Step 6 – Fold the Felt

Once the felt is removed, fold it neatly. Avoid depressing folded edges, which could create lines in the felt when it's reattached to the pool table.

Step 7 – Remove the Slate

To remove the slate from the table’s frame, use a drill with a screwdriver bit. There is usually one screw at each corner of the slate. Sometimes the screws are located at the center beam. Sometimes the screw heads are covered with beeswax to create an even surface above the screw. This often makes the screws difficult to spot. You will need to dig the wax out of the hole above the screw head, giving you direct access to the screw buried under the wax. Use a flat head screwdriver to dig out any remaining plaster and remove the screw.

Step 8 – Remove the Legs

Remove the legs from the pool table. Now that it's been dismantled, you're ready to move it.