Slate Bed Pool Table

For those who have never played pool the question most ask is "Is a slate bed pool table that much better than one with a wooden bed?" You can ask any avid pool player from the player in the bar to the top professional and they will all tell you the same thing, the difference between the two is like night and day. Slate bed pool tables offer a far smoother and reliable playing surface than any wooden table ever could. This is very important when it comes to the accuracy of every shot you take and can be the difference between winning and losing. Accurate and Smooth To understand what is meant by a slate bed pool table, you need to understand what is meant by the bed. The bed is the flat playing surface that sits underneath the felt that the balls ride on. If the surface is not perfectly flat and smooth the balls will not roll true.

Why Buy a Slate Bed Pool Table?

If there are any imperfections on the surface of the bed your shot will not go where you are aiming this is especially noticeable on the slow shots, but can affect the fast shots depending on how bad the deviation is regardless of how level the table may be.

There are alternatives to using slate or wood for a bed such as Slatron, which is a synthetic version of slate. However it is not recommended as a replacement for slate bed pool tables as it is prone to dips, warping and general disfigurement over time.

While you may end up saving money in the short term, your game will suffer in the long term. To keep your game as consistent as possible on a slate bed American pool table you should never use anything less than a pure, natural slate bed.

The biggest issues with a non slate bed pool table is that it is prone to being affected by humidity and age, which can cause it to buckle and warp cause your shot to deviate from a true line especially on slow shots where you are counting on the ball to stay on line all the way into the pocket. The Slatron and wooden surfaces are very easily affected by humidity and can even be affected by extremes in temperature. Many of the least expensive tables tend to warp very quickly and spoil the fun of having a pool table in the first place.

However you should take into account the weight of a slate bed pool table when considering buying one. Slate by nature is a very heavy material and a top quality slate bed is around 1 inch thick making the bed very heavy. To accommodate this, the frame of your pool table needs to be strong enough to support the weight of the bed and of people leaning on it for shots.

Most frames are made from hardwoods such as oak or beech, not only does this make them very strong, but it adds to the overall stability of the table.

While the slate bed is an important factor in your pool table it is not the only thing that can affect the overall playability of your table. When you install it or have it installed it must be perfectly level, any deviation from this will have a dramatic affect on how well the balls roll. For the best playing pool table stick with one that has a solid slate bed and have it professionally installed so that you can enjoy years of fun playing pool with your friends and family.