DIY Pool Table Repair

While repairs to your pool table can be done professionally, it is possible to perform such repairs yourself if you have experience working with furniture. Any replacement parts can be ordered from a number of different vendors. A torn cloth or damaged slate surface needs to be completely replaced. If you need to replace one leg or side rail, you should replace them all unless you don't mind having one part looking different from the other. Does this Spark an idea?

Replacing Cloth

Remove all the billiard cloth from the table surface. Unbolt the rails from underneath the table, pull out any staples that may be holding the cloth on and carefully peel it away -- it can also be glued on. When applying the new cloth, stretch it across the surface one corner at a time and make sure it is as tight as possible. To glue it down, apply a spray adhesive to the slate surface and the underside of the cloth before stretching. Staple the cloth down at each of the four corners of the table. Place the staples from the center pocket to the halfway point between the center and corner pocket; do this at every end, with the staples two inches apart. Some tables might use a wooden surface instead of a slate one. If this is the case, gluing the cloth is not recommended.

Individual Parts

Any individual pieces of the table must be disassembled from the table and replaced. If you want to construct your own replacement rails, they are made of wooden boards with vulcanized rubber attached to them. Measure the distance from the slate surface edge to the edge of the table to get the measurements you need, then cut your wooden boards to fit within the pockets, glue strips of rubber to the side of your wooden boards, glue billiard cloth to the rubber and bolt the rails to the table from underneath. To remove a damaged slate surface, remove the rails and cloth and remove the screws holding the slate in each corner. Screw, nail or glue the new slate board to the surface -- make sure it is centered -- then apply new billiard cloth as described above and reattach the rails. The pockets often are made of leather or nylon netting that is nailed or glued to the holes. The legs are screwed onto the table from up top.