Q: Will My Floor Take The Weight of a full size snooker table?

[snooker beast]

hi im looking to buy a full size snooker table however i am not sure if the foor take the weight of it, how do i find out? as long as i can practice i m happy even to buy a smaller table, what other sizes are the best to practice break building?

the foor is timber and i dont think its that thick, since isp technician came and drilled a hole for the cable, underneat the the room theres like half a meter space. i mean the room and the ground has space, dont know what u call it but its like underground

i can put any size of table in this room however not sure if the weight is suitable, i have another smaller room but i think i can only put those small pool tables

never had snooker table before, please take ur time and guide me
tnx and i will definately remember yours helps

[Bell308]

Hi Snooker Beast, Sounds like you have a traditional suspended timber floor, with a ventilation void below. this type of floor construction isn't great for supporting the loads associated with slate bed tables, as thay suffer from movement and deflections on a seasonal basis.
I've looked at this type of problem for a client before and we ended up installing additional floor joists (actually steels in his case) in line with the tables legs to avoid the movement issues.
best advice is ask a local structural engineer for help with this one as you might find your floor actually is ok before committing to the table etc.

[Bell308]

PS forgot to say the weight of the slate will give you some idea if its a full sized table the slate alone would weigh in at circa 740kg
based on slate having a unit weight of 2691 kilograms per cubic meter and a base size of 6"5 x 12"5 x1.5" thick - some are 1.75" thick and circa 820kg in weight.
your complete table could weigh in at circa 1.5 tonnes all in...

[philip in china]

Definitely get an expert opinion and bereeeeeeepared to brace the floor accordingly.

There are 2 problems. One is the pressure of having 1,200 Kg or thereabouts on 8 legs. Obviously that gives much higher localised pressure than say having 15 80 Kg people standing within the area of a snooker table. The problem with this is that is you go for a smaller table, say a 10' one, it will be on a smaller number of legs, so the pressure is similar per leg. This can be lessened by putting steel spreader plates under the legs.

The other problem is just the absolute load of the weight of the table. This is where the mass of the table, over time, can damage the whole floor. It could happen with any very heavy load, such as a water bed or a big safe. The only way to beat this is to reinforce the floor and that is a job for someone who knows what he is doing.

If you can manage a full size table, do so. I had a 10' table when I really was in China and always regretted not having gone for the full sized unit. Also if you are buying second hand a a 12' is cheaper by a margin as so few people can accomodate them, so supply vastly outstrips demand.

I am not a moderator, but would suggest that you either repost this in the "Tables" section of the site where you might get a better response.

[philip in china]

Sorry my keyboard is playing up. That should have said "be prepared".