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Pool Table Recovering Nationwide for 50 Years!

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Pool Table Cloth Recovers

Slate Pool Table Recovers

Professional recovering of slates and cushions is a skill practised by many but mastered by a small number of cue sports professional fitters.  All our fitters are time served and have vast experience recovering most pool table makes and styles.

Tables can be up to 40+ years old!  Providing we can source and supply the cushion rubber, we can guarantee that the playing characteristics can be replicated to when the table was new.

We have given an overall indication on how to recover pool tables in the following series of pictures. Many of the trade skills are gained over many years and are jealously guarded, we have however given a good overview of the process we will gladly give more in-depth help if you wish to buy the materials from us and do the job yourself.  We must advise that, like most well-honed skills, our professional fitters make the job look relatively easy - this is far from the actual reality.


Our recent client, a professional photographer, had a 7ft x 4ft ex coin-operated traditional slate bed pool table with a worn green nylon speed cloth that required a recover urgently.

The cushions were in very good condition and we undertook the professional recover on site of his slate and cushions.

From our cloth swatches he chose Elite Pro Sage Green to complement his decor but also retain top league standard cloth for matches against friends. He gladly offered to take some stunning photos of the recover process.  The pictures will clearly illustrate how the recover should only be done by time served professionals who can recover any slate bed table in situ to the highest standard.

Recover Pool Table Cloths

The first priority is to carefully strip and clean the slate ready for the new cloth.

Starting at one end and working methodically, the cloth needs to be taken off and a note made of where there are any particles like dry glue on the top surface of the slate and the side of the slate. We also recommend checking under the slate prior to commencing cleaning as there should be no glue, cloth etc. under the slate as this will have an adverse effect on the levelling process later.

Once happy with the reverse side of the slate, a sharp knife edge tool should remove any dried glue and cloth on all edges of the slate, brush the slate clean and then hoover to ensure removal of all debris. The side of the slate must be cleaned ready to accept the new glue - any excess will make it harder for the cloth to adhere to.

Pool Table Cloth Recover Process 5

Once the slate is cleaned it will be the ideal base for the work on the cloth to commence.

The cloth for the slate bed should be placed reverse side upwards for the application of the glue.

Glue should be placed on the total perimeter edge of the slate and must include the pockets. It is imperative that glue is not placed under the slate as cloth does not go under the slate - a common mistake by inexperienced operatives.

Contact adhesive that does not dry immediately, it is ideal to give time for the slate and cloth to be glued and then enough time to glue them both together.

Pool Table Cloth Recover Process 6

Cloth needs to be coated with trade quality non instant glue.

Pool Table Cloth Recover Process 7

As well as the top surface being coated with glue on the perimeter, glue must also be applied to the depth of the slate all round, including the pocket cut outs.

Pool Table Cloth Recover Process 8

Working methodically and quickly, cloth must be fixed to the top edge and the pulled down the full length of the slate. The cloth must not overhang or be tucked under the slate.

Pool Table Cloth Recover Process 9

This image illustrates the cloth being pulled to the far end of the table. Our professional fitters will make the cloth as taut as possible as any slackness would be evident later .

Pool Table Cloth Recover Process 10

After pulling the cloth length-wise it can now be stretched width-wise. Once this process has been completed there must get cuts made into all pockets prior to preparing final cloth positioning.

When the slate has been recovered and the side cloth trimmed so it doesn't overhang the slate, we always brush the cloth to ensure any excess cloth particles remaining from the manufacturing process are removed.

Our client on this recover wished to play snooker and pool - we therefore used a Trade template and marked the D and all the spots needed for both cue sports.

Most pool players currently request only a straight line on the table as most pool leagues use this format instead of the D. All table markings are made exactly to leaque specifications. We recondition and recover pool tables in amateur and professional pool leagues. Markings can be made in either pen or by utilising stick on spots.