Outdoor Pool Table.

[WelshPhantom]

Ive wanted my own full sized pool table for a while but unfortunately I don't have the room in my house.
This has caught my eye=
http://www.homeleisuredirect.com/poo...ool_table.html
and im just wondering if anyone here owns or has had any experience with outdoor tables.
Any help or advice is appreciated.
Thanks Matthew.

[Geoff Large]

they have not been out on the market long so cannot really give any judgement on them , being marine ply it is the best to have for outside use although why they cannot make one out of welded UPVC is a little of a puzzling as that is the best material to use as it is the same as windows and fascia which is out in the winter with no effect on it , but I strongly recommend some sort of pergola with a roof over to keep any downpour or snow off the able , the table will sweat even with good waterproof cover over it , another trick in the hardest cold months is to wrap it up well in a good tarpaulin and stack some bales of hay ( from a local Farmer ) around and on top of it to keep the cold off it .

I would say for 8 months of the year you will have no problem , but a little help insulating it in winter will keep it in much better shape , they must have the man made fibre speed cloth fitted to them though as wool based cloth will just absorb the damp like a sponge.

That is a good price delivered free at £825 , so maybe they are not selling well , they are made by DPT pool tables but on their site they are £850 plus delivery
If you buy one get a full to the floor cover which is tough , something like a lorry tarpaulin over the top of a good make pool cover .
Geoff
www.gclbilliards.com

[WelshPhantom]

Thanks for the advice Geoff,really appreciate it.

[WelshPhantom]

The outdoor table I want is indeed fitted with a speed cloth.
Is there anyway I could have a napped cloth on it or would it be ruined no matter what care or precautions I take?

[Geoff Large]

Private messaged you ...Tube heaters inside the table but only a gentle heat , but get an electrician to do this for you , and hang the heaters suspended away from wood and plastic rails . earth cut out is essential . that is the only way you will stop the napped wool cloth swelling up with the damp air .

Geoff

[ADR147]

I can't imagine this surviving our winter!

[WelshPhantom]

Thanks a lot Geoff.

[Geoff Large]

No table is really geared up for outside use unless they use damp resistant materials such as UPVC cabinet and top rails and stainless steel screws and hardware , there are plenty of outdoor tables in Spain but they just do not see our weather over there .

as I say a good covered area such as a pergola with roof on or car port will keep the downpours and snow off it , it is just the damp then that you have to sort out .

Cabinet de-lamination is the main downfall of having a table outside in the UK , the top surround is usually the first thing to swell up , a few years ago people started making them out of Decking , but even these swell up and rot .
I can remember putting one in a back garden of a pub in Worcestershire and the river severn was just yards away , you guessed it Flooding , the table ended up under water , but when the water went down the table was still playable after it had dried out apart from sludge inside which we cleaned out , but just two years of more use and the table was scrap apart from the slate .

ask to see if all the screws they use for these outdoor tables are stainless steel , also any hardware like hinges and clasp clamps or corner pocket plates , if they are just chromed steel they will pit and rust .

[ADR147]

I have seen them in Greece working well but then it is easy if you have 11.5 months of sunshine a year, i am sure it would nt survive a scottish winter, a teak table can't!

[WelshPhantom]

Emailed Homeleisuredirect yesterday and had this response earlier=

Hi Matthew.


Thanks for your email.


I have spoken to the manufacturer this afternoon who has confirmed as to the composition of the metal parts of the table -


The internal clamps, and screws are either Zinc or Zinc plated.


The corner pieces are die cast Aluminium which is then Chrome plated.


Please let me know if you have any further queries.


Kind Regards,

Dave - Sales Team

[DeanH]

Personally I would be less worried about the metal than the construction of the carcass.
As Geoff said, the veneers on the M/HDF boards will probably lift very quickly once it has gotten damp.
And then the fibreboards themselves will start swelling and breakdown.
These tables are advertised as "outside" do they have a guarantee to cover this? How long is the guarantee?
Do the supplier/manufacturer have any instructions/recommendations for outside protection, covers and what about the heaters, etc, do they mention them?
You may invalidate a warrenty/guarantee if you retro-fit such equipment.
sorry about this, I have just reread my message and it sounds all negative
not meant that way, just dont want you to have what happened to a friend who tried this and the table did not survive the first winter

[philip in china]

I agree with Dean. A table which includes wood and a woolen cloth combined with UK weather is almost inevitably going to spell trouble. Even if it is possible to stop the thing coming apart simply due to swelling or whatever is it likely to be possible to keep it anything approaching flat or level? I doubt it.

I wish you every success and would be delighted to be proved wrong- but I wouldn't bet on it.