What do I look for when shopping for a pool table?

There are a few important things you need to look for in a pool table. The Slate, Rails, Cusions, and Construction.

First of all with the slate... if you find a pool table in a store around $1,000 they are not typically slate tables. It’s usually what they call slatetron, which is particle board with flakes of slate on top. Now if you are looking at a nicer table in a store under $3,000 it’s normally ½ inch or ¾ inch slate. Pool tables priced above $3,000 are normally premium 1 inch slate. The thicker the slate the more durable and the more accurate your game play will be. Most of the pool tables from Retail Furniture Online have a ½ inch wood support. This is nice because it helps level the table and you can staple the felt to the side vs. gluing it to the bottom of the the slate. If you’ve every seen an old table with wrinkly felt, chances are the the felt was glued to the slate and over time it deteriorated and the bond between the slate and the felt came undone.

Our tables use 3 pieces of slate, each weighing about 200 lbs, so that’s 600 lbs of slate on the table! You don’t want that kind of weight on a particle board or wood laminate table. So when it comes to the cabinetry and the support system of the pool table, the thickness of the cabinet is very important. A one inch cabinet is the standard thickness of tables considered to be of top quality. The support system should have two beams running from side to side and at least one beam running the entire length of the table down the middle. When deciding which table to purchase it is a good idea to lie down and look at the underside of the pool table you are considering. Our pool tables have an inch & 1/2 thick solid oak cabinetry. If you go to any pool table store and look underneath the table, if it’s under $2,500, usually its all particle board.


At NccFurniture our Rails are going to be K66 high speed gum rubber tournament grade rails and they are all solid wood. Many of the rails I have seen are wood on the edge and then they are particle board everywhere else. Ours are completely solid oak all over. This is great for the Leather pockets because they're not just screwed or stapled on, they are actually bolted, so if you have kids swinging on them you don’t have to worry about anything. Also our rails have the mother of pearl with stone inlay on them (Standard). If you go with an Olhausen or Brunswick table, this is a $400 upgrade. This upgrade only costs them about $25 bucks, but they charge you $400 for it. It’s just another way they drive the price up. With our tables it’s standard so you’re only paying manufacturing cost, not some high marked up price.

Other things things to consider are the cusions, legs, pockets and the pool table warranty.

If you would like more information on our products or services you can visit us at www.retailfurnitureonline.com