Choosing the right billiard table for you is a matter of finding a good quality table that offers the style and design that you’re looking for. When it comes to design, you have the option of choosing a style for the legs and frame as well as the material used in its creation while most modern billiard tables are also available with a massive selection of different coloured felts or cloths. You should also consider the size of table and, initially, whether you want a slate, wooden, or synthetic bed under the playing surface of the table itself.

One of the first aspects to choosing a billiard table is to determine the size that you want. Pool tables typically come in 7, 8, or 9 foot measurements. The standard regulation size of a competition table is 9 foot but this can prove marginally too large for the typical billiards or games room in the home. At the other end of the scale, a 7 foot table will feel a lot smaller. The 8 foot table is widely considered the best choice for adding to a home games room.

Before you do decide on the size of pool table, you should carefully measure the room where it will go and double check those measurements. As well as considering the size of the table itself also remember that there should be room for you and others to play your shots comfortably. Lighting needs to be appropriate as well. Lighting should be placed directly above the table in as central a position as possible. This prevents shadows from being cast across the playing surface and ensures that you can enjoy the game properly. In some cases, the only option may be to fit lighting into the ceiling. Alternatively, pool table lights can be hung from the ceiling over the table to gain the same effect.

Felt colour is traditionally green with blue felt added at a later date. More recently, an entire range of colours has been given as an alternative to the blue or green. Now, many different colours of felt can be chosen so that the pool table can match the interior of your games room or billiard room. Hardwood offers one of the best looking finishes for any pool table. Oak, cherry, and walnut can be shaped into traditional, elegant designs and finished with multiple coats of lacquer to give it the appearance of a piece of furniture rather than a pool table.

The material used for the bed under the playing surface can either be made from slate, wood, or a synthetic material; usually Slatron. Slate is the most popular choice, especially with the billiard purist, because it provides an improved playing surface that simply cannot be replicated when using wood or synthetic materials. It is heavier and slightly more expensive but it will last considerably longer, is very difficult to damage, and provides a truly perfect playing surface, as long as the table itself is placed on a level surface in your billiard room.