When re-felting a pool table can you use felt right from the fabric store?

Question

I want to re-felt my pool table but i don't want to spend an arm and leg so i seen felt at the fabric store for like 2-3 bucks a yard but is it the same that they put on your table.

Answer 1

No.  The felt from the store will keep stretching.  You need a wool felt.

Answer 2

No, you can't. Cloth on a pool table is not actually felt, that is a misnomer. Pool table cloth is woven wool blended material of much, much higher quality than fabric store felt. There are some discount brands out there if you want to go the cheap route, but you definitely can't buy them at a fabric store.

Answer 3

There is often a lot of mystery in things like what lives under the surface of a billiard table and there is also often wonder if there is more hype than difference between Billiard cloth or any other cloth or felt. Well, there is nothing scary about recovering your own table. Anyone with a modicum of technical thinking, hand/eye co-ordination and a staple gun can stretch cloth evenly on their own table. However, there is a big difference between Billiard cloth and any other substitute you can try and that is no marketing ploy to pay big for just the named specialty item.

Many people do not realize the cloth on a table affects each and every shot every bit as much as your own mastery of a stroke. How the cloth responds with the roll and spin of a ball can actually redirect your shot. And the biggest difference is durability and consistency of play, not only from table to table but from one side of the table to another. And this affects how well you are enabled to learn the finer points of the game.

If you play pool in different venues you have already seen slow rolling balls veer off the line of your shot for no apparent reason and blame the “table.” You now know there is a big difference between tables. But did you ever stop to think that you are playing on a leveled piece of rock so the only real difference is the age and quality of the cloth. Never mind using regular felt or cloth, there is a huge difference in Cheap Billiard cloth and Quality Billiard cloth. I have played in places where the owner puts the cheapest billiard cloth possible on the tables and from the first day it plays poorly. There are a few billiard cloths in the middle of the quality/price range that are quite acceptable in play but these owners think they are saving big money over a number of tables and find themselves recovering tables far more often than their competitor.

Consider the view of watching a car speed past you at highway speed and compare that to the velocity of a pool ball speeding past you on a table and realize many shots could be measured in highway-miles per hour. Now consider the momentary friction heat generated under a spinning ball at that velocity to understand why an extremely tight weave of worsted (tightly twisted thread) wool is required for cloth to provide the right surface and last more than a few months without deteriorating into nap that pills, sheds and forms gullies on your table to provide adverse affects to your accuracy and speed of shot. Billiard cloth is more expensive material because more time and technology goes into its production and with its heavier density there is truly more material invested into every square yard.

In my mind, there is a great deal of reason why that Simonis Billiard Cloth has been the choice on tournament tables all around the world, for many generations. Quality of response and consistent play are the key reasons. All the Ivan Simonis Company makes is billiard cloth and they do it best for the entire world. Only Simonis Billiard cloth gives you a surface so smooth and flat you never need to overpower a shot to get the distance. Simonis is the official cloth of the U.S. Professional Billiard Tour, Euro Tour, European Pocket Billiard Federation and the World Pool Billiard Association.

Simonis Quality Billiard cloth is a special blend of fiber and weave that is different from felt or any other covering you can try because:

-- Nap-free, will not pill or fluff

-- Humidity resistant in both blend of fiber and weave

-- 100% Worsted Wool that is a combed high thread count assure long lasting wear

-- Ball speed stays constant when humidity conditions vary

-- Recommend by tournaments for all pocket pool or snooker games, especially nine ball

-- Available in multiple colours

By all means get some instruction and do the recover job yourself to save money but don't cheap out on your cloth because practicing on cheap cloth will hold your skill level back. And besides, on a home table that gets far less than commercial use, a quality cloth can last you a decade so good quality cloth will amount to about six cents a day in total. What the heck are you saving?

Answer 4

Don't put felt on your pool table. I know a guy that did that and it was terrible. Not only was it the slowest rolling table ever but the color of the felt came off on the balls , what a mess. Use a pool table cloth. I recommend Simonis 860. It's the best cloth I've ever played on. You can usually get it at a billiard supply store or over the internet. If you want to replace the cloth yourself then go to refelting.com , they have illustrated instructions. If you don't think you can handle it then hire a pro and watch and learn for the next time. Good luck to ya.

Answer 5

No, all about me are right.  You can however do it yourself if you know what you are doing.  You just need to find your local vendor, or pool supply store and get cloth from them.  Championship Ultra, and  Simonis cloth are the best name brands, and there are a few different kinds they make to suit your likings.  Good luck, and keep rackn em up!

Answer 6

No that is not the right type of felt at all.  Get a pro to do it....it will cost you about $200 but will last for years and years and will not tear or rip.

Answer 7

no get a pro to do it the felt u get from a store ur self might slow down the ball or just mess up the table