How to Move a Pool Table Without Ruining Your Simonis Felt: A Repair Tech’s Checklist

I’m a pool table repair and installation tech. I’ve handled moves and re-felting orders for six years now. In that time, I’ve personally made—and documented—five significant mistakes, totaling roughly $4,700 in wasted budget. The worst one? Ruining a brand-new Simonis 860 Tournament Blue cloth during a simple garage transfer.

So I put together this checklist and kept it in our van. If you’re about to move a pool table—whether you’re doing it yourself or supervising a hired crew—it’ll save you money and regret.

Who This Checklist Is For

This is for standard 7-foot and 8-foot home tables with one-piece or factory-sealed slates. If you’re moving a 9-foot tournament table, a three-piece slate, or anything that has to climb a narrow spiral stair, this list still helps you understand the risk. But honestly? Call a professional. More on that below.

Step 1: Empty the Table and Inspect the Felt

First things first: remove every ball, cue, chalk, and rack. Check the pockets too—coins and chalk fall in there all the time and roll out during the move, scratching the playing surface or the pocket liners.

Then inspect the felt. If the cloth is already lifting at the edges, the move could pull it completely off. If the felt is brand-new—like Simonis Tournament Blue—don’t move the table within the first few days after installation. The cloth needs time to settle into its final tension.

Step 2: Measure the Whole Path, Not Just the Door

This is the step most people skip. We once carried a 60-inch table through a front door with almost no room to spare. Then we came to a staircase landing with a right-angle turn, and the table wouldn’t rotate. We spent two hours trying to muscle it without scraping the felt against the wall. Looking back, I should have measured the landing and ceiling height first. At the time, I thought the door width was enough. It wasn’t.

Measure every point along the path: doorways, hallways, stair landings, ceiling height, and any corner where the table has to swing. Add six inches of clearance on each side for padding and tilting. If the numbers don’t work, adjust the plan before you lift anything.

Step 3: Take Photos and Label All the Hardware

Before disassembling anything, take photos from every angle. Bag the bolts and screws in labeled plastic bags. There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through reassembly and realizing the rail bolts from the left side don’t match the holes on the right.

If the felt is in good shape and you plan to reuse it, leave the cloth on the slate. Don’t fold it back or roll it. Folding can leave a permanent crease in Simonis 860 pool table felt. Instead, remove the rails and pockets, and move the slate with the cloth still attached.

Step 4: Take the Rails Off Before the Legs

Standard tables come apart in this order:

1. Remove the pockets from the rails.
2. Unbolt the rails from the slate.
3. Lift the rails straight up and set them aside.
4. Only then unbolt the legs from the frame.

I know it’s tempting to pull the legs first so the table sits lower, but that leaves the heavy slate unbalanced. A table that shifts during disassembly can crash down faster than you can react. That’s how slates crack and felt tears.

Step 5: Wrap the Slate Like It’s a Giant Smartphone

Once the slate is separated, protect the cloth and the rails. Here’s what I use:

• Moving blankets, with the cloth side facing the padded layer
• Plastic sheeting over the blankets for moisture protection
• Cardboard or furniture pads on the slate edges

Do not place the slate face-down on concrete, a garage floor, or a bare truck bed. In January 2025, a careless move cost our shop $890 for replacement cloth plus a week of waiting. A tiny pebble left a pressure mark in the center of a fresh Simonis 860 Tournament Blue table. Straight to the trash. Not ideal.

Step 6: Tilt, Carry, and Load with a Spotter

To move the table, you’ll usually need to tilt it. Keep the tilt below 45° to reduce stress on both the slate and the cloth. Use at least two people per side, and one spotter watching the bottom edge so nothing snags.

When loading the slate into a truck, stand it on its edge with the cloth side against a padded wall. Use straps, but don’t run them directly across the felt. Put a blanket or foam pad between the strap and the cloth. If the slate shifts during transport, you’ll find out the moment you unload it. Not in a good way.

What Not to Do: Mistakes That Cost More Than the Move

Don’t Use the Table as a Tabletop Game Surface

A customer of ours ran a weekly trading card night on their pool table. Gundam card games, dice, the whole setup. It looked harmless at first, but months of cards and dice pressed into the cloth left permanent dents. Brushing and vacuuming didn’t help. The only fix was a complete re-felt.

Don’t Use the Pool Table for Weightlifting

Yes, this happens. I once found a customer racking a barbell on the pool table while he practiced his barbell squat form. The loaded bar pressed down on the cloth and crushed the cushion rails underneath. The rails were never the same, and the felt had a permanent crease across the playing surface.

Calculate the Total Cost, Not Just the Quote

Here’s the easiest mistake to make: choosing a mover or moving company based on the cheapest quote. Let’s say a cheap move costs $250 and a careful pro charges $400. The $250 option might work fine. But if that mover damages the cloth, you’re looking at $800–$1,000 for a new Simonis 860 install. The low quote stops being a bargain.

If You’re Hiring Movers: Five Questions to Ask

You don’t have to do this yourself. But you do need to ask the right questions before handing over your table:

1. Do you move pool tables with slate? Some furniture movers don’t.
2. Will the cloth be covered or wrapped? If the answer is plastic only, that’s a red flag.
3. Do you remove the rails and slate, or do you move the table whole? Whole moves are usually only for small, non-slate tables.
4. What happens if the slate gets cracked?
5. Do you have insurance that covers the table?

When to Call a Pro (and Stop DIYing)

This checklist works for standard tables in straightforward moves. It’s not a magic formula. If you have a three-piece slate, or the path includes tight stairs with a landing, or the table has ornate rails you’re not sure how to remove, hire a professional. I know it feels like giving up control. But the total cost of replacing a damaged table is far higher than the fee for a careful move.

Bottom line? Moving a pool table is doable when you protect the felt, measure the path, and respect the weight. Do those three things, and your table will arrive intact—and your wallet will still look good.