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Heirloom Pool Table Showroom Inspection Checklist

A printable checklist of the questions to ask and the parts to inspect, from slate and frame to cushions, cloth, and installation terms, before you commit to a table meant to last for generations.

Download the checklist (.txt)

Reviewed for 2026, updated September 8, 2026.

Almost everything that makes a billiard table an heirloom is hidden under the cloth or behind the apron, which is why two tables that look identical under showroom lighting can differ by a thousand pounds and by decades of useful life. This checklist gathers the points a careful buyer should confirm in person, in the same order as the guide on this site: the standard of construction, the slate bed and its support, the hardwood and joinery, the cushions and cloth, the pockets, the room and delivery path, the installation, and the paperwork that will let the next owner have the table serviced correctly. Each line is something you can see, measure, or get in writing rather than take on trust.

Print it and take it to the showroom, or work through it with a workshop over email if you are commissioning a bespoke piece. Before you go, run your room through the Pool Table Room Size Calculator in our Tools section so you already know the largest size that clears with a full cue, and if the table is headed for an upper floor, the Slate Pool Table Weight and Floor Load Estimator gives you a sensible question to put to your builder. For the reasoning behind each line, our articles on selecting an heirloom pool table and on the slate thickness that truly matters go into the detail.

  • Ask the salesperson or maker to state the slate thickness, the number of slate pieces, and the wood species without checking a brochure
  • Confirm the slate is natural stone, three pieces on any table of 8 ft or larger, with 1 inch as the typical heirloom standard
  • Ask whether the slate faces are ground or diamond-honed and whether the seams are leveled and filled at installation
  • Check that a wooden liner or frame is bonded to the underside of the slate so the cloth staples have something to bite into
  • Look under a floor model for a central longitudinal beam and at least two cross members carrying the slate, not corner support alone
  • Verify the cabinet is solid kiln-dried hardwood rather than particleboard or MDF wrapped in thin veneer
  • Ask where veneer is used, how thick it is, and what core it is bonded to; wide flat panels are the only place it should appear
  • Inspect the joinery for mortise and tenon joints, dovetailed corner blocks, and doweled frames rather than staples and screws
  • Confirm the legs attach through steel plates with machine bolts and that the leveling feet are metal and reachable
  • Check that rail bolts pass through the slate into captured nuts so the rails can be tightened decades from now
  • Ask for the cushion rubber compound and profile in writing; natural gum rubber with a K-66 profile is the pocket billiard standard
  • Choose the cloth family deliberately: worsted for speed and durability, woolen for a softer traditional feel, and note the weight
  • Decide on pocket style, leather drop pockets or ball return, and ask how tight the pockets are cut for the players in your home
  • Look at any carving in raking light to judge whether it is cut into solid stock or applied as molded ornament
  • Ask what the finish is, catalyzed lacquer, conversion varnish, or oil, and whether it can be repaired or renewed later
  • Measure your room and confirm the playfield plus a full 58 inch cue clears every wall, using the Pool Table Room Size Calculator
  • Walk the delivery path from the curb to the room and note every doorway, stair turn, and landing the slate must pass
  • Confirm the floor can carry the table and that an upper floor or older joists have been discussed with a builder or engineer
  • Get the delivered price in writing with cloth, delivery, installation, light, and accessories listed separately
  • Confirm installation is by an approved technician using a machinist level and that the warranty is not voided otherwise
  • Ask for the frame, slate, and cushion warranty terms and who performs service in your area
  • Request the specification sheet, drawings for a commissioned table, and the installer notes to start the table's provenance file
  • Ask whether the maker has a documented history of tables that have been re-clothed, re-cushioned, or moved and reset over many years
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