Pool table installation, recovering and repair in Romania
We install, recover, repair and relocate pool, snooker and carom tables for clubs, hotels and venues. From the first slate laid to the cloth replaced years later, the same crew, with every job documented in photographs.
We maintain 12 competition-grade tables in daily play at our own venue in Bucharest, and our technicians installed and recovered tables on three continents before bringing that standard home.
bar@sportsbarmercury.ro · tel. +40 745 621 236
RO: Montaj mese de biliardPool table installation, step by step
A new installation is judged by the first roll: if the ball runs true and the table holds level after hundreds of hours of play, the slate was set correctly.
- Step 1 · We assess the room.
Floor flatness, load capacity, and the route the slate will take into the building. A floor that gives will hold the table crooked no matter how often it is re-levelled.
- Step 2 · We set the slate.
Frame first, then the three calibrated slate pieces, joined at zero tolerance. This is where the table is won or lost: badly set slate cannot be corrected with cloth.
- Step 3 · We bond and fill the seams.
With a filler that works with thermal expansion, so the surface stays flat through the seasons.
- Step 4 · We level.
Precision spirit level, on every axis, to club tolerance. Never by eye.
- Step 5 · We fit the cushions.
Rubber pressed and aligned along the full perimeter. This is where predictable cushion response comes from.
- Step 6 · We stretch the cloth.
Tensioned evenly, fixed under the rails, no creases at the pockets. The first tensioning is what keeps the table in shape for years.
- Step 7 · Fittings.
Pockets, test balls, and the lighting above the table when it is part of the job.
- Step 8 · Play test.
We play it before we hand it over. The table is signed off only after it passes.
The process is the same for pool, snooker and carom; the dimensions, cloth specification and tolerances differ. Installation takes 4 to 6 hours for a pool table, 6 to 8 for snooker. You leave with site photographs and documentation you can show further.
Cloth recovering and refelting
Recovering, refelting, recloth: whatever you call it, it is the surface the whole game depends on. A worn cloth shows up as skidding balls, inconsistent spin, and lines you can no longer read. We bring the table back to serious playing condition, whoever installed it.
Worsted or woolen. Commercial rooms usually run worsted cloth: smooth, fast, true, the tournament standard. Woolen cloth is slower and more forgiving, common on pub-style tables. We stock both grades and recommend by how your room actually plays, not by what is on the shelf.
A standard recovering takes 3 to 5 hours per table, plus 12 to 24 hours before first play while the cushion adhesive cures. In commercial use a cloth lasts roughly 1 to 3 years depending on weekly hours; tournament tables need it sooner. And not every problem is the cloth: sometimes it is the slate, sometimes the rubber. That is why we start with the inspection, so you do not pay for new cloth when the fault was elsewhere.
Repair, leveling and service
A good table fails in the details: a ball that drifts on a table that looks level, a pocket that rejects, a cushion that started throwing spin. We diagnose and fix all of it, on any make of table.
- Cushion geometry and tension adjustment.
- Cushion rubber replacement, all standard profiles.
- Pocket reconditioning: leather, mechanism, reception angle.
- On-site re-leveling with an electronic level and foot adjustment, no full teardown.
- Full reconditioning of older tables, slate to fittings.
- Preventive maintenance contracts: scheduled visits, written report after each one, priority on emergencies.
We also take on tables whose original supplier has left the market or stopped answering. No history required: we assess the table as it stands and bring it to standard.
Table moving and relocation
A successful move shows at the first roll in the new room: the table plays exactly as before.
A pool table never travels in one piece. The slate is natural stone; it fractures under vibration or uneven flexion, so it comes out in sections, padded, and travels upright. A table lifted whole and set down again can be out by 1 to 2 mm over 2 metres, enough to pull every slow ball off line.
We disassemble in order with a parts inventory, protect the slate for transport, reassemble, re-level to under 0.5 mm per metre, and finish with a 15 to 20 ball play test before handover. A complete move runs 4 to 8 hours depending on the table, the distance and the access at both ends.
Room size guide
The right question before any installation is not which table you like, but which table fits. The working rule: a cue length of clear space on every playing side, minimum 150 cm, so a player can address the ball without hitting the wall.
| Format | Playing surface (approx.) | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Pool 7 ft | ~200 × 100 cm | Bars, compact rooms |
| Pool 8 ft | ~224 × 112 cm | Mixed venues, balanced commercial use |
| Pool 9 ft | ~254 × 127 cm | Competition standard, clubs |
| Snooker 12 ft | ~357 × 178 cm | Dedicated rooms, the largest footprint |
Minimum room: playing surface plus 150 cm on each side. For a 9 ft table that means a room of roughly 5.5 × 4.3 m. Beyond the footprint we check two things at assessment: what the floor carries (slate is heavy) and how the slate gets in (doorways of 85 cm minimum; slate does not bend).
Not sure what fits your room? Send us the dimensions and a few photos and we will tell you what works, before you buy the table.
Pricing
Every job is quoted individually, because the honest price depends on what we see, not on a flat list:
A 9 ft table takes more material and more hours than a 7 ft; snooker more than pool.
The cloth and cushion rubber you choose set the materials cost.
Slate that needs leveling or repair only shows at inspection.
Upper floors without a lift, narrow corridors, travel outside Bucharest.
The fastest route to a real number is a photograph: send the table and the room over WhatsApp or the form, and we can usually give a first estimate without a site visit. The final quote is written and fixed. You know the price before we start.
Who does the work
The most honest reference is our own floor: 12 competition-grade tables in daily play, maintained by the same crew that will work on yours. Hundreds of playing hours cross those tables every month, so we see daily how equipment behaves at the limit.
Before Bucharest, our technicians installed and recovered tables in Portugal, the United States, the Philippines, Russia and across Europe, over roughly three decades of site work. The full record, country by country, is on the international experience page.
Our primary service area is Romania. We evaluate international projects case by case, depending on scope and travel.
Workmanship guarantee, in writing. Every quote states the guarantee term and conditions before work starts. Level can be re-adjusted after the equipment settles, at no drama. Normal commercial wear stays with use.
Frequently asked questions
Request a quote
Tell us which job you need and describe the situation briefly. Photographs of the table and the room usually get you a first estimate without a site visit. We reply within one working day; for international inquiries, email is the fastest channel.
Ready to install or recover?
Send us a photo of the table and the room. We reply within one working day.
Also need bowling? See bowling lane installation.