There are all kinds of pool tables, from affordable home tables to more luxury models and even coin-operated tables for a place of business. And although it is important to buy the best table you can afford, even the most high-quality table won’t perform the way you want it to if the table isn’t installed properly. Although you may think it’s just a matter of dropping the table where you want it, it’s important to protect your investment by having your table installed professionally.

Professional pool table installation is absolutely essential if you want to protect your investment.  Because let’s face it: even tables at the lower end of the price range are still pretty pricy! To fully illustrate why professional table installations is important, let’s look at the possible problems that can result from improper installation:

1. Uneven Table

If you don’t have your table professionally installed, it can end up sitting on an uneven plane. It’s not difficult to see how that could pose a problem when it comes time to play. An uneven table, even one that’s only slightly off, will cause the pool balls to roll and adversely affect the accuracy of your shots.

2. Badly Adjusted Rail Cushions

If you don’t have your table installed by a professional, you can end up with rail cushions (the padding along the sides of the table) being loose or improperly placed. That can result in problems during game play such as inaccurate and wild bounces off the cushions, which will be very aggravating to most players.

3. Loose Fabric

The fabric (felt) that covers the surface of your table needs to be pulled taught and stretched absolutely evenly across the entre expanse of the table. When the fabric isn’t tight, the path of the ball can be dramatically affected. A professional table installation will ensure that your table’s fabric is installed in exactly the way it should be.

4. Table Placement

The actual placement of the table itself is something that should be left to the professionals, too. This will ensure that the table is not only properly centred (which ensures it will be pleasing to the eye) but it will also ensure that you can hang a billiard light directly over the centre of the table, which is absolutely essential. Also, proper table installation will ensure that there is ample space around the table. This is important because you will want to ensure that players can comfortably fit with their cues around the table, including having enough room to take the shot without hitting the walls.

When you invest in something like a pool table, there is a natural inclination to want to make the endeavour as affordable as possible. For many people, that involves trying to do the installation part themselves. When it comes to a pool table, that is a big mistake that can result in frustration and losing interest in playing, which means your investment was a waste of money. Protect your investment by having your pool table installed by an expert.