Full size table in garage - advice please!

[Dogman]

I've read through previous threads about putting a 12 by 6 table in outhouses/garages but I'd like further advice please
First up,I have enough room to put the table in the garages -22ft by 16ft.
I've read that oil filled radiators under the table will prevent moisture problems (there's no heat in the garage), what about a dehumidifier as well?
The floor is not level - on the 16ft width it drops about 3/4" from one end to the other - I assume the legs of the table allow for adjusment to level it - will they cope with the slant?
I'm not looking for a state of the art or expensive table, something just to have a half-decent game on. Ebay seems to have a few tables, plus delivery and setting up for around the £1000 mark. I'd prefer cheaper than that if I could.
My plan is to put a stud wall in to seal off the garage doors, leaving just a door for access.
The floor is concrete - what sort of flooring would you go for?
All comments appreciated, helpful ones preferably

[Geoff Large]

I've read through previous threads about putting a 12 by 6 table in outhouses/garages but I'd like further advice please
First up,I have enough room to put the table in the garages -22ft by 16ft.
I've read that oil filled radiators under the table will prevent moisture problems (there's no heat in the garage), what about a dehumidifier as well?
The floor is not level - on the 16ft width it drops about 3/4" from one end to the other - I assume the legs of the table allow for adjusment to level it - will they cope with the slant?
I'm not looking for a state of the art or expensive table, something just to have a half-decent game on. Ebay seems to have a few tables, plus delivery and setting up for around the £1000 mark. I'd prefer cheaper than that if I could.
My plan is to put a stud wall in to seal off the garage doors, leaving just a door for access.
The floor is concrete - what sort of flooring would you go for?
All comments appreciated, helpful ones preferably

Dehumidifier will help keep damp from when the Garage is unheated .

The floor in most garages will fall towards the door , this is built in to drain off rain from cars put away wet and of course water radiator leaks .
Legs are not adjustable , they are shimmed at the base with what is known as Toe pieces of leg packers , these are differant thicknes shims to lift the leg up to be level with the highest leg where all fitters should take their level point from .
there was a table built by enbild in the 90s that had a nut and bolt leveling device and also the Clare jubilee tables have this built into their design too , the enbild one would wobble so not recomended , the jubilee one is very futuristic in design haveing three elipticle frame suports in place of 8 legs .
also the jubilee has formica cushions and will never require polishing as it is very durable , plus they also have good wide pocket plates that will take a ball at speed .
3/4 of an inch is not much differance from one end of the table to the other , I have seen upto 4 inch differance and this is totaly unplayable for serious a game . so you would be ok with just 3/4 inch fall , plus this would be over the lenth of the garage not the lenth of the table so nothing to worry about .

My recomended table would be a Karnhem and hillman square or turned leg ( you do not play on the leg its only there for looks ) failing that then a riley aristocrat without the steel blocks .
Both these tables are easely available on ebay from £200 upwards it is just pot luck if you get one at the lower price scale.
The cost of picking one up having it profesionaly dismantled and errected is another matter expect around £550 to £1000 for this work alone depending on circumstance of table , i.e. upstarirs dowstairs and milage covered plus man power . I have seen a firm charge £1400 inc vat for such work from north lincolnshire to near Cromer in norfolk because of the amount of traveling and the fact it was a upstairs extraction and downstairs instalation .

one way of reducing such costs is to supply youre own man power to help lift or carry the slates , a fitter will have equipment such as a slate slide for downstairs , straps for lifting upstairs , and piano trolly to wheel slates on flat surface

Also allow for recover and rerubber nets leathers & balls etc if the table requires it . Try and get an iron with it at point of sale as they are very expensive items .

Providing the floor is damp proofed , then Carpet tiles is my prefered floor covering , Easy to put down and move around to even out the wear , and also to protect the balls should they come off the table .
if floor is not damp proofed then vynal cushion floor .
you could also use low cost wood effect laminate flooring from say wicks .
but as I said carpet tiles is my prefered choice .

[Dogman]

Thanks for the quick response Geoff. Apologies as I was unclear re the garage slope which is approx 3 or 4 inches in total over the 16ft width.
So if the legs do not adjust then my only options would be to either level the floor prior to the table going in, or have two legs sitting on something sturdy to raise them to the correct level?

[Dogman]

I take it that if i had a proper installation by experts then they would do the shimming, if that's the correct term, and leave the table level? That is assuming the slope is not too great for this technique.

[RGCirencester]

Even if you get it level the problem is you will be standing 4 inches higher when playing from on end of the table to playing on the other.

[Dogman]

Thanks RG, but no, it won't be that much as I'm talking a 3 or 4 inch drop over 16feet or so. With the table width of 6 feet the difference will be around a third of that, so 1 to 1.5 inches, from one side to the other. So with my limited table knowledge my question is, can the table be adjusted to compensate for this by shimming? and can this be done to most tables? Thanks.

[Geoff Large]

Thanks for the quick response Geoff. Apologies as I was unclear re the garage slope which is approx 3 or 4 inches in total over the 16ft width.
So if the legs do not adjust then my only options would be to either level the floor prior to the table going in, or have two legs sitting on something sturdy to raise them to the correct level?

4 inch is too much , it would be like waist high one side and lower chest rib high the other , we have one like this in our 8 table club localy , and no one will play on it unless the other tables are in use .
Better to re-level the floor before you use it as a billiard room .
screed with concrete then put a self level mix on top .
cost for this will be around £200 to £300 DIY , depending on material costs .
but if you can put up with a table that is level but the floor runs away 4 inch lower on one side then by all means do it , but it would be a waste of money if you decide to level the floor after and more expense , as the table will require dismantleing and after the floor releveling , the table will have to be re-erected .

special blocks will have to be made for the legs having to be lifted up too which is unsightly , and looks odd and a bodge if you know what I mean .
don't expect a billiard fitter to level youre floor .

Any way , Get the room right before you buy a table , I have lost count how many just buy a table and then have to settle for something like a unlevel floor and having blocks like bricks put under the legs , I did one for af armer who had a table set up in a cattle shed , the floor ran untrue about 6 inch on one side , I put the bricks under one side to bring up to level , he said he was going to screed around the table .
I called back to do a level for his son 10 years later and the bricks where still there

one table you should stay well clear of is the riley starline , this is a table that is leveled on internal tresstles and has a fibreglass skirt that runs around the tressles to hide them , there is a door each end that you take off and leveling bolts that raise and lower each side of the tresstle in a scissor movement , very unstable table and it moves if you lean on it .
also Billiard fitters hate them as they are all smallscrews to get out 100s of them , and also trims to pull off .

Shims are nothing special , they can be fibre board or hard wood or even plywood , thinner shims are nothing more than beer matts , but do not use more than a couple of beer matts under any leg , the harder the shim the better . I have even used fomica shims .
round shims for turned legs , square shims for square legs .
A Billiard fitter will have a good straight edge and an engineers level for accurate leveling of the frame before the slates are put on , then he will fine tune the level of the slates by jacking up the frame and fine shimming the legs .

[Dogman]

Thanks again Geoff. Right, I've remeasured the garage, and I now find the slope is not as great as I had originally thought. One side of the table will need raising by no more than three quarters of an inch, or 2cm, which is the figure you thought I meant in the first place (because I was not clear.)
I can live with this, and I assume from you previous posts that this wouldn't be a problem for a decent table specialist fitter to overcome.
So it's all systems go - now I just need to clear the junk out, and then on with the building work. Oh, and find a table too. Thanks again.

[Dogman]

Thanks Geoff, I've measured up more accurately now and the slope is less than I thought, one side of the table will need shimming by less than three quarters of an inch, which I can live with. I assume this wouldn't present a problem to an experienced table installer?

[Geoff Large]

Thanks Geoff, I've measured up more accurately now and the slope is less than I thought, one side of the table will need shimming by less than three quarters of an inch, which I can live with. I assume this wouldn't present a problem to an experienced table installer?

no problem , there are many tables with floors running out by this amount and hardly noticable to the player .
Just get the job done by an experienced time served fitter , watch out for people who pack between slate and frame , this should not be done .
all shimming should be done under each leg , but there may be a minor imperfection in slates due to maybe the last fitter rubbing slate joints down , an experienced fitter will know how to get round this .

[drhodes]

will 22 x 16 be enough for a full size table without struggling with cueing as im looking to build an out house for a table to go in.

[hotpot]

will 22 x 16 be enough for a full size table without struggling with cueing as im looking to build an out house for a table to go in.

Just about mate , minimun space required is 21 foot 5 " x 15 foot 5"

[snawaz]

I've read through previous threads about putting a 12 by 6 table in outhouses/garages but I'd like further advice please
First up,I have enough room to put the table in the garages -22ft by 16ft.
I've read that oil filled radiators under the table will prevent moisture problems (there's no heat in the garage), what about a dehumidifier as well?
The floor is not level - on the 16ft width it drops about 3/4" from one end to the other - I assume the legs of the table allow for adjusment to level it - will they cope with the slant?
I'm not looking for a state of the art or expensive table, something just to have a half-decent game on. Ebay seems to have a few tables, plus delivery and setting up for around the £1000 mark. I'd prefer cheaper than that if I could.
My plan is to put a stud wall in to seal off the garage doors, leaving just a door for access.
The floor is concrete - what sort of flooring would you go for?
All comments appreciated, helpful ones preferably

Hi Dogman,

If your serious about your snooker and you can afford it, then damp proof your floor, get is levelled, carpet it, insulate your garage.

Do this before you get your table. It's not an easy fix after you have set up tour table. You will not regret it.

See link to my snooker room http://www.thesnookerforum.com/board...ad.php?t=22777