Buying guide
Buying a used pool table: the UK viewing checklist
A used pool table can be excellent value, but the cheap table in the advert may need a fitter, transport, cloth and missing accessories. Inspect the playing parts first, then price the move.
Ask these questions before you travel
Ask for a photograph of the maker’s plate or label, the exact cabinet dimensions and whether the bed is slate, MDF or another wood-based board. “Full size” and “pub size” are not measurements. Compare the answer with our pool-table size chart.
For slate, ask whether it is one piece or several pieces, who dismantled it last time and whether any screws, brackets or slate dowels are missing. Ask where the table has lived: swelling, a musty smell or rust in an unheated garage can point to moisture damage.
- Why is it being sold, and how long has the seller owned it?
- Is it assembled and playable for the viewing?
- What exactly is included: balls, cues, triangle, cover, light and spare parts?
- Who must dismantle and remove it, and by what date?
- Has the cloth, cushions or bed been repaired or replaced?
Identify the bed and construction
Slate is stone: it is very heavy, rings rather than sounds hollow when gently tapped from underneath, and may have visible joins on a multi-piece bed. MDF and similar boards are much lighter and can show a wood-fibre edge. Do not rely on the cloth colour or the seller’s guess.
Slate is usually the better long-term bed when it is supported by a sound frame and professionally levelled. MDF is easier to move but can sag or swell after damp exposure. Read slate versus MDF before deciding which compromise suits the room.
Run a five-minute play test
- Roll slowly: send one clean ball gently up and down the table, then across it. A repeated turn in the same place may mean the table is out of level or the bed has moved.
- Test every cushion: roll the ball into several points on each cushion at the same speed. Listen and look for a dull, short or inconsistent rebound.
- Use every pocket: check pocket liners, nets or ball-return channels for splits, jams and missing fixings.
- Lean, do not lift: apply light pressure at each corner. The cabinet should not rack, rock or creak. Never try to lift a slate table.
- Look underneath: use a torch to inspect the frame, leg fixings, moisture marks, improvised packers and missing bolts.
Read the cloth honestly
Faded colour is mainly cosmetic. Tears, burns, loose cloth, heavy pilling and stretched areas affect play. Look along the surface in low light, especially around the spots, pocket mouths and the seller’s favourite breaking end.
Cloth can be replaced, but the quote should cover the bed and cushions and may expose other work. Ask a fitter for a price before treating re-covering as a small job.
Take to the viewing
Used-table viewing card
Tick these off at the table. A clean cloth can hide a weak frame; a good advert cannot prove a true roll.
Work out the real cost
Do not compare the seller’s price with a delivered new table. Compare the complete installed cost: purchase, professional dismantling, transport, assembly, levelling, known repairs and missing accessories.
Use written quotes where you can. The worksheet is deliberately blank enough to use for any table and does not estimate local prices.
Plan the move before paying
Measure the table’s largest packed piece, not just the assembled cabinet, then check every gate, door, turn, stair and landing with the delivery route checker. A one-piece slate that reaches the seller’s room may not reach yours.
A cue-sports table fitter should dismantle, protect, carry, rebuild and level a slate table. Ask what the quote includes and who carries the risk if access is worse than described. For an upstairs room, ask a structural engineer to assess the floor where appropriate.
Walk away when the risk is not priced
- The seller will not let you see the table assembled or roll a ball across it.
- The maker, model, bed material or largest-piece dimensions cannot be established.
- The MDF bed is swollen or sagging, or the frame is split, loose or visibly distorted.
- Slate is cracked, fixings are missing or a previous dismantling was improvised.
- Access needs unsafe lifting or the table must be moved before a fitter can quote.
- A rushed deposit is demanded before you can inspect the table or plan collection.
Common mistakes
- Paying from photographs without seeing a slow ball roll.
- Assuming “free to collect” means cheap once moving and installation are included.
- Hiring an ordinary furniture courier for loose slate sections.
- Measuring the room but not the route from the seller’s table to your floor.
- Budgeting for new cloth but ignoring dead cushions or a weak frame.
Questions
Is a used slate pool table worth buying?
It can be, when the slate and frame are sound and the complete fitted cost makes sense. Get dismantling, transport, installation and repair quotes before comparing it with another table.
Can I move a slate pool table myself?
Do not plan to. Slate is extremely heavy and a table must be dismantled, protected, rebuilt and levelled correctly. Use a cue-sports table fitter.
How can I tell whether a pool table has a slate bed?
Check the maker and model, look underneath for stone and any section joins, and ask for the original specification. Weight alone is not a safe test and the cloth should not be removed at a viewing.
What if the table is already dismantled?
The condition and completeness are harder to prove. Ask a fitter to inspect the pieces, fixings and slate before you pay, and price the extra uncertainty into the decision.
How this guide is written: from published specifications and standards. We do not claim hands-on testing or give product scores. Editorial standards · Affiliate disclosure.