Games Tables at Home

HOBBIES · UNITED KINGDOM

Games Tables at Home

Space needed, table types and quality, floors and looking after them

Pool, table tennis and air hockey tables are bought on the table and lived with according to the room around them.

Space is the real constraint

A table needs clearance for the cue or the player, not just its own footprint. For pool, allow the length of a cue plus a little on every side — roughly 1.5 metres of clear space around a table.

Table tennis needs considerably more behind each end than people expect. Mark the full area on the floor with tape and stand in it before ordering.

Quality differences

For pool, slate beds play properly and weigh a great deal; MDF beds warp with humidity and are what most home tables use. Cloth quality changes the roll noticeably.

For table tennis, top thickness determines bounce — around 19mm for indoor recreational use and more for serious play. Outdoor tables use weatherproof tops that play differently.

Folding and multi-game tables

Folding tables suit rooms with another purpose, and the mechanism is what fails. Multi-game tables do several things adequately, which suits families and frustrates anyone who plays one game seriously.

Floors and neighbours

Check the floor can take the weight, particularly upstairs, and that the route in fits — slate tables come in sections for a reason. Noise carries through a house, which matters in a flat.

Looking after them

Brush pool cloth in one direction, keep drinks off, and cover the table when not in use. Keep tables out of direct sunlight and away from damp, which warps tops.

Darts and smaller options

A dartboard needs a throwing distance and a surround to protect the wall, and takes far less space than a table. Table football and shuffleboard suit narrow rooms.

Measure the throwing line before fixing a board, since the regulation distance is longer than most people assume.

Children

Check the table height suits them, and keep cues, balls and darts stored out of reach.

Buying second-hand

Games tables are heavy, awkward and frequently sold cheaply by people moving house. Check a slate bed is undamaged, that the frame is square and that the cloth is not torn, and budget for recovering it.

Arrange collection realistically — a slate table needs several people and comes apart in sections.

Lighting and the room

A table needs light directly over it rather than from one side, which casts shadows across the play area. A low pendant on a dimmer solves it, hung high enough to clear a raised cue.

Hard floors and bare walls make a games room extremely noisy.

Buying

Check whether the accessories included are usable, since supplied cues and bats are frequently poor.

WHERE TO BUY

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