FAQ

What is the difference in cloth grades?
There are two basic grades of cloth for a pool table. The pool table 'felt' is not felt at all, but rather a woven fabric. A wool/nylon blend billiard cloth is generally considered best. Nothing has proven to wear better than wool and nylon and still maintain the professional playability. Usually a cloth with about 80% wool and 20% nylon content is desirable. The higher grade cloth has a higher thread density, allows the ball to move about 8% faster and provides greater durability. The color of cloth is cosmetic. The only color concern has to do with color blindness. It may be difficult to differentiate the ball colors against certain colors of cloth if one is colorblind.

What makes slate play surface better than other materials?
Slate is a natural stone, known for its strength and stability. It has become the primary material used for pool table playfields because it reliably provides good playability for many years with no maintenance. It is unaffected by temperature and humidity like many of the other materials used on low quality pool tables, such as wood, particle board, and other synthetics.

How hard is it to move a pool table?
Depending on the manufacture and style of the pool table, moving can be difficult or damage the table, if attempted by the homeowner. To properly move a pool table, it should be disassembled, moved, assembled and re-leveled. When a pool table is installed it is made level to earth and each piece of slate is registered to its mate. If a pool table is moved without realignment, it will lose accurate playability and in some cases it will be damaged. The pool table is designed to support its weight and be stationary. Therefore only an experienced pool table technician should move and realign the table.

What are the differences between 7', 8' and 9' pool tables?
According to the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) specifications, a regulation size table is one where the playing area width is one-half the length, measured cushion to opposite cushion. The 8' table is the most popular. The 7' table is nice where an 8' table will not fit, however there is less challenging play. The 9' table provides more challenge and is thus more fun to play on, however it requires a larger room.

Can I use a piece of a brown paper bag, a dollar bill, or sandpaper to smooth my pool cue shaft?
Yes, you can, but you risk discoloring the shaft with a dollar bill. Using a piece of a brown paper bag works well if you need to smooth your pool cue shaft in a hurry and don't have access to anything else. We caution against using regular sandpaper unless it has very fine grit (600 and up). Sandpaper can remove the original finish or sealant and reduce the diameter of the shaft if sanded too much which can possibly degrade its resistance to moisture, a leading cause of warpage. Using 000 steel wool works fine too, but be careful not to overuse it. We suggest you use the Q-Wiz cue shaft conditioning disc to smooth and polish your cue shaft.

How do I remove dirt, scratches, minor dings, and that nasty green stuff on my pool cue shaft?

We recommend products from the Cue Care family:

• Q-Clean (powder for cleaning shafts)
• Q-Smooth (fine sanding paper system for removing scratches and minor dings)
• Q-Slick (liquid conditioner applied after cleaning your cue shaft)
• Q-Glide (liquid used for improving the glide of your cue shaft while playing)
• Q-Wiz (cue shaft conditioning disc for use in smoothing and polishing your cue shaft)

How should I store my pool cue?
We strongly recommend you store your pool cue in a protective cue case at room temperature (between 64 and 74 degrees with no more than 40% humidity). Do not store your cue in a rack in the basement. Do not leave your cue in your car in the hot sun or cold weather. As a general rule of thumb, if you are not using your cue, store it in a cue case and tuck it away under your bed or in a closet, but not in your car or basement. Temperature and humidity extremes will adversely impact the pool cue. It's a instrument, not outdoor furniture.

What should I look for in a pool table?
A pool table is a piece of furniture on which you play games. As such look for the same things you would look for in fine furniture, then look for those things that impact playability. Fine furniture should be well built, look good, fit the room decor and last generations. Construction, slate, cloth, cushions, and installation impact playability. In some cases the appropriate pool table is one without a fine furniture look, but it should still possess the playability factors.

What size of room do I need for a pool table?
Since most cue sticks are 57" in length, at least five feet of space is needed between the table, walls (or furniture). However there are very few recreational rooms that do not have some sort of obstacle that interferes with play. Nevertheless, the game is still enjoyable. In some instances a shorter cue stick may enable play around an obstacle or wall. These are available upon request. Pool tables are available in several sizes so we probably have one that will fit every need.

Art’s Billiard Supply

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