When to replace pool table felt

Pool table felt does not last forever. How long it looks and plays well depends on how much the table is used, whether it sits in sun or damp air, and what kind of cloth was put on it in the first place. You do not need a calendar date. The table will usually show you.

Alpha Billiards does pool table refelting — felt replacement — in the Chicago area. If the cloth is clearly due, call (708) 415-1403 and we will quote the work. If you are not sure, the signs below are a good place to start.

Worn nap, thin spots, and a dirty, shiny surface

On traditional wool-blend cloth, the nap wears down in the lanes where the balls travel and around the cues' bridge hand. The cloth starts to look shiny or threadbare, especially down the center and in front of the pockets. Chalk stains that will not brush out, and a surface that pills or fuzzes, are in the same family.

Worsted, tournament-style cloth wears differently. It does not have much nap to begin with, so you are looking for thinning, tracking, or a surface that has gone rough rather than a bald stripe.

A table that is only dusty may need a proper brush and a vacuum with a soft touch, not new cloth. Once you can see the weave, or the balls seem to pick up fuzz, brushing will not bring it back.

Tears, burns, and stretched or rippled cloth

A cigarette burn, a ripped seam, a hole from a dropped cue, or a tear near a pocket is a clear reason to replace the felt. Small damage in a corner is sometimes tempting to patch. A patch is almost always visible, and it can affect the roll if it sits in the playing area. We would rather be honest about that than put a patch in the middle of a used table and call it done.

Cloth that has loosened, rippled, or pulled away from a rail is also a sign. Sometimes it was not stretched correctly when it was installed. Sometimes it relaxed over time, or the table was in a damp basement. In either case, the balls will not roll as they should, and restretching old, tired cloth is often a short-term fix.

When the roll has gone inconsistent

If a ball drifts, hops at a seam, or dies in a spot on the bed, the cloth may be the cause — or it may be the slate underneath. Worn felt can hide a seam that has opened. It can also make a perfectly good slate play poorly.

If the table was moved and never set up correctly, new felt will not fix a bed that is out of level. That is repair and leveling work. If the cushions have gone dull and the ball thuds off the rail, the rubber may be due as well; see bumper and cushion replacement. A refelt is the right time to deal with those things, because the table is already open.

What a professional refelt involves

In short: the rails come off, the old cloth comes off, the slate is inspected and, if needed, leveled and the seams dressed, the new cloth is stretched and finished, and the rails go back on. You choose the color and the cloth type. The felt colors page explains those choices. The refelt quote page explains what we need to know before we can price the job by phone.

You should not have to buy a kit and learn this on your own table. Stretching cloth evenly, without wrinkles or loose pockets, is the part people underestimate.

When you can wait, and when you should call

You can wait if the cloth is intact, the roll is true, and you simply do not like the color anymore — that is still a valid reason to refelt, just not an urgent one.

You should call if there are tears or burns in the playing area, if the cloth is thin enough to see the weave, if the surface has rippled, or if the table plays differently than it used to and you cannot chalk it up to dirty balls.

Call or text (708) 415-1403. We quote felt replacement by phone. There is no published rate on this site. Work is scheduled by appointment from 955 Lively Blvd, Wood Dale, IL 60191.

Questions

How often should pool table felt be replaced?

There is no single interval. A table that is played most nights will need cloth sooner than one that is covered and used on weekends. Use the condition of the cloth, not a birthday, as the guide.

Can you repair a small tear without replacing all the felt?

Sometimes a tear is outside the playing area and can be managed. In the playing area, a patch is usually a compromise. We will tell you what we see and let you decide.

Does a refelt include leveling?

We inspect the slate when the cloth is off. If the table needs to be leveled or the seams need work, we will say so and include that in the quote. It is not something we skip to save a step.

Will you match my old color?

If you want the same look, bring a photo or a scrap of the old cloth, or tell us the color as close as you can. We will tell you what is available when we quote. Exact mill-to-mill matches are not always possible.

Can you refelt the table in my house?

Yes. Most felt replacement is done at the table's location. We schedule it by appointment.

Get a quote

Call or text (708) 415-1403 when you are ready for a refelt. If you are still choosing a color or a cloth type, read pool table felt colors and cloth types first.