JeffINSTALLERS DON’T WANT TO MOVE 1 PIECE SLATE POOL TABLES
It’s difficult to move a 1 piece slate pool table but in many cases we can move them. Call us and find out.
877-619-8790
I woke up this morning and the first thing I saw was an e mail in my inbox with a guy begging pleeeeaaaaaase can you move my 1 piece slate table from my basement to another basement in Chicago? “I’ve been trying to do this for months and can’t find anyone to do it.”
Sometimes referred to as a single slab slate or a one piece slab, the actual terminology is slate. It’s just a piece of rock.
After reading this article come back here and see a pretty good post on the differences between a 1 and 3 piece slate pool table. (well OK only if you’re interested)
I get these every day and I wonder how much income I lose because I can’t find anyone to move 1pc. slate pool tables.
Most pool tables are built with 1 or 3 pieces of slate. ( heavy)
I wrote already in a post about 3 things you must know about buying a pool table and what to take into consideration but this post today isn’t like that. I’m not going to write about buying a pool table, I’m going to put my thoughts in about moving 1 piece slate pool tables.
Moving 1 piece slates are easy!
That statement will get A LOT of guys more excited than girl with a sexy voice on the other end of the phone. My wife and I always have this discussion after I lose a job because my people just won’t touch the table. Just the other day she reminded me how we loved when the coin op tables needed to be moved, especially when on ground level. My dad taught me everything anyone would ever need to know about moving a coin operated pool table safely, I’m sure there are better ways but it was sooooo simple!
Caution don’t try the following. That’s all I’ll say.
Seriously he would just build his own 4 wheeled dolly using good casters, not the crap you find in stores. All one had to do on the ground floor moves was go in, remove the leg levelers off of the table on the side opposite the coin mechanism, flip it onto the dolly, take the legs off and there you were.
My wife and I would have two 8ft. tables loaded from a bar in about 15. minutes, we always tried to set records, it was really fun! We did have a handy trailer with a ramp so two people easily just pushed the table into the trailer and strapped it to the side. We got so good at it we figured out how to move 3 of them at a time in the same trailer. Simple stuff!
Yeah Jeff you think you’re so smart? How about stairs?
Stairs are for sissies! Yeah I said it. Give me an obstacle and I’ll go over, under, around or through it! Well I don’t take walls out to move a pool table, that’s about the only exception.
Tell me how much sense this makes, even with a 3 pc. slate pool table. I ask 5 installers how much they charge to take a table up or down stairs and I get these 5 answers:
1. We charge $50.00 per set of stairs or per flight
2. I get $5.00 per step
3. I just figure stairs are part of the move and I don’t charge extra
4. I charge $100.00 per set of stairs and if they have two sets at the same house I charge $150.00 for the next set
5. I charge $25.00 if there are stairs
It can make you crazy!
Well that’s on 3 pc. slate tables. I”ll get back to the big ones, the 1 piece slate.
Honestly when I had to move a 1 pc. slate table up or down stairs and I knew the table would fit through both houses we would just take the slate out and depending on the stairs we’d just get 3 people, 2 on the bottom and one on the top and we’d take the table down on blankets, slate too, one step at a time. Most stair cases were large enough where the corner of the cabinet and the slate would rest on the step. Well that’s good if you have concrete or ugly wood stairs.
The next method, our city had a place where people who needed work would go and hang out in the morning. All we had to do was pull up, grab four of them, negotiate their pay on the way to the job and arrive. I would take the table apart, supervise the carrying and loading of the pieces, go to the next house and reverse the process out of the truck. Rinse and repeat!
With 4 guys it took so much less time and the guys were back on the corner in about 3 hours.
Table moved
Guys paid
Customer happy
Everyone safe
So the barriers as far as I am concerned of moving a 1 one piece slate or coin operated pool table are:
1. Labor
2. Transportation
Look if you are trucking around in a Datsun or small pick up truck you definitely aren’t equipped to move a Valley table, stop telling people it’s too dangerous when the real reason is that the guy can’t move it because of his transportation investment.
If I could move only one piece slate tables that’s what I’d do, at least from a business standpoint. I can move double the tables compared to 3 pc. slates in a day and make three times the money!
And that makes three times more happy clients per day!
If you are in need to moving a one piece slate pool table there are a few cities where people can do it. I can’t guarantee it but Check out the following:
What do people do when the 1 piece slate can’t make it into the next house? We have a family heirloom 1-piece slate table and the basement stairs are too tight for the slate to make the turn. Do people ever keep the table and have an alternative surface made?
Hi Melissa, this is a common problem with 1 piece slate tables unfortunately. In some cases the slate can be tipped up on end if the ceiling is high enough to accommodate the slate but this generally is not the case. In my opinion there really isn’t anything that replace a slate play field surface so you are somewhat stuck here with your table.
If you really want to keep the table the only option that you probably have if you don’t want to take walls out of the house and replace them is to have a professional come and look at your table. This might be a crazy recommendation but depending on the supports under the slate in the table, you may be able to have the slate cut where a support is and then have a professional install the table for you. We generally don’t get into slate cutting but it has been done before.
Hope this helps,
Jeff Black
American Billiard Installers Association