Pool Table in my garage....good or bad idea???

8-ball Rat

8-ball Rat

I'll eat you alive.....
Silver Member
Hiya folks,

I posted this in the "Mechanics" threads...but figured I'd put it up on here, too.....just to get some more opinions.

I've recently gutted my garage, and have figured out that I've got enough space for a 9-foot table. The space is clean (for a garage, anyway), and wide open.....just BEGGING to be used!!

I'm torn, though, about whether or not I would be wasting money by putting a table in there. My primary concern is warpage and such on the table itself. The garage is insulated (on 3 walls), but no HVAC lines running to it. I've been told it would be a good idea to tap into the HVAC and feed a pipe into the space...which I might do.

All things being equal, though.....is a pool table relatively safe in a garage, elements-wise?? Any of ya'll have one in yours?? Any advice??

Hit me up with some responses, if you would. I'd love to have a table, but don't want to throw my money away if the table can't withstand the 4-season weather here in D.C. (albeit the space is "enclosed"). I'm also not looking to drop 20-grand on a full-on room renovation, either.

Thanks, ya'll.

Mark
 
Mark,

When i lived in Florida I had a table in the garage in 2 different houses,, never a problem, in fact in the last house the a/c heat unit air handler was suspended from the ceiling so it only required cutting in a feed and return grate into the duct work to make it comfortable year round.. should have no issues except possible slow cloth due to humidity which can be easily hndled with a de-humidifier

Joe
 
8-ball Rat said:
All things being equal, though.....is a pool table relatively safe in a garage, elements-wise?? Any of ya'll have one in yours?? Any advice??
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Here's my advice (using a quote from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie):
"Do it! Do it now!!!"

Seriously ;) , even with a minimum amount of warpage, it's still gonna play better than the tables I play on in my home bar :eek: !!!

Maniac
 
A dehumidifier, a window a/c unit if needed, a padded carpet remnant, a small frig for the beer, a few stools and a nice 9' table ... thats gotta be better than drawing a hopscotch board on the floor. :)
 
i put a GC3 in a garage in 89(got a great deal from a out-of -business poolroom, i framed a wall with r-30 where the door was to keep the heat/cold out, this was in n.ca in the valey it gets to 100 in the summer and 30 in the winter for round numbers, no humidity issues there, i put a a/c in there for a couple hundred and portable heaters in the winter, i used it for just over 2 years til i moved to vegas, i boughtthe table for $1200 spent around 300 to have it covered and set up, the whole thing cost me around 2,000-I was just renting the house and yes it was worth it, the pool room was a 20 minute drive and it was nice for practice drills, warming up before I would go to the pool room, if i'm to tired to drive to the pool room i'm to tired to play at home-there is alot to be said for that, i didnt play more but it was handy, i dont remember what i did on the floor, it wasnt much, table played great awalys had room for all shots close to the rail etc,
 
I would imagine that the benefits would outweigh the risks.........

I CAN tap into the HVAC if it's just too unbearable in the middle of summer/winter season....but the remainder of the time, D.C. is pretty decent, climate wise. A dehumidifier is a good call.

I have to drive AT LEAST an hour to get to a decent poolroom around here....and most times, I'm not too thrilled about the drive. More often than not...by the time I get to a room, I've lost some of that motivation to play. I'd also like to be a bit closer to home, and be able to pick up a cue....or put one down....when the mood strikes.

I don't see having a table causing me to never venture out again...but I could play alot more, and for longer stretches of time, if I had my own table in the house.

I'm looking at spending a TOTAL of 2000-4000 on the room, to include the table itself. Sounds to me like I'll be able to square that away pretty easily.

Thanks ya'll.

Mark
 
DO IT!!!!!

I have had my Diamond 9 footer in the barn for a year now (Md).

No airconditioning, no dehumidifier, no heating, and no insulation.

It is still perfectly level and plays great.

PS I am saving my money for insulation, dry walls, & air conditioning. Going to move my pellet stove from the house down there.
 
Slate top table should be fine. I put my table in my father in laws garage and its held up nicely. I wouldn't hesitate.
 
Years ago many PHs and bars only had ceiling fans. I bet in the Philippines none of the PHs have AC, or dehumidifiers.

Go go it.
 
After reading some of yall's posts, I am considering putting a snooker table on a barn when I even have one. What do you folks think of that one? Any pros or cons? (This is just coming into my mind)
 
Only con I can see

SlickRick_PCS said:
After reading some of yall's posts, I am considering putting a snooker table on a barn when I even have one. What do you folks think of that one? Any pros or cons? (This is just coming into my mind)
Click to expand...

It would probably be better if you put it in the barn. Other than that - Go for it! :D

BVal
 
SlickRick_PCS said:
After reading some of yall's posts, I am considering putting a snooker table on a barn when I even have one. What do you folks think of that one? Any pros or cons? (This is just coming into my mind)
Click to expand...
A good solid floor is real important. Don't put it on dirt or anything like that.
 
Up here in Washington I have a pool table and a snooker table in my garage. Small space heater in winter and small air conditioner in summer keeps it tolerable. My advice is to go for it. You'll love it. I had about a 45 minute drive to get to a decent pool hall. Now I only go to pool halls when I'm out of town or playing tournament/league. I'd hate to see the bill if I was paying by the hour over the past 3+ years I've had a table. I keep the heater set to 56F in the winter and it takes about half an hour to an hour to get nice and toasty. The air conditioner takes about an hour to cool the 24'x24' space.
 
Don't worry too much about the table. My GC1 has survived 2 serious winters in my garage up in the Catskills, with temps down to -15. Rubber is fine ... no signs of warpage, either.

You could go with propane to heat it. I got a ventless 30K btu job for maybe $250. Looking to replace it with a similar vented small furnace, which I've seen on Web selling for maybe $600. That would be better for air quality, as well as giving me the option to keep the room at low heat when I'm away.

So all you need to do is insulate one wall, and the floor and ceiling? I went with R13 on the floor, R21 in the walls and, I think it was R30 for the ceiling (9.5 inches). Doing that wasn't so hard, it's the finishing out that's tripping me up, considering I can play whenever I want now!

Good luck.
 
i live in a garage/apartment that i built right next to my dear old dad back in summer of 98. he is 89 now, and later this year after the crops are harvested am thinking about expanding this garage/apt out by 12 feet.

back in late 2002/early 2003 i turned part of my garage into a pool room for my new GCIV. never a problem. the Central A/C unit sits in the back, i have two vents (one on the unit itself, the other i cut a hole in the ductwork to get more air) and i dont have a problem. i do use a dehumidier at times, however.

if this place is expanded 12 feet, i am going to have the builder strengthen the floor(s) by doubling up on the floor joists. thinking about just having the GCIV moved back upstairs then to keep from having to make so many trips up and down the steps to play.

DCP
 
Travis Bickle said:
Don't worry too much about the table. My GC1 has survived 2 serious winters in my garage up in the Catskills, with temps down to -15. Rubber is fine ... no signs of warpage, either.

You could go with propane to heat it. I got a ventless 30K btu job for maybe $250. Looking to replace it with a similar vented small furnace, which I've seen on Web selling for maybe $600. That would be better for air quality, as well as giving me the option to keep the room at low heat when I'm away.

So all you need to do is insulate one wall, and the floor and ceiling? I went with R13 on the floor, R21 in the walls and, I think it was R30 for the ceiling (9.5 inches). Doing that wasn't so hard, it's the finishing out that's tripping me up, considering I can play whenever I want now!

Good luck.
Click to expand...
Hiya.

The only part of the garage that ISN'T insultated is the opening for the garage door. All other walls have sheet insulation...and 2/3 of the room is already drywalled. I'd get 4 more sheets of drywall to finish the far side of the space, and that's all for the interior wall structure. The ceiling is insulated as well. The floor is "standard" concrete...with a few dips here and there...but all in all, about a 2" slope from back to front. I think I can level it out without TOO MUCH difficulty....but it'll take some trial and error, for sure.

I do like the idea of tapping into the HVAC....and will do some research on that this weekend. Some ductwork routing into the garage might work out pretty well....since our A/C unit sits in a storage closet in the garage itself.

GOOD TIMES!!!!!

Thanks again for all the inputs, fellas.

Mark
 
I wouldn't hesitate to knock a hole in the wall and drop a 12,000 BTU AC unit in if you don't want to tap into your existing HVAC. Plus it'd save you a little since you won't have it running all day.

When I say "I wouldn't hesitate" I mean carefully.

This is what we did in my father in laws garage. Its worked at well and we cool in about an hour.
 
SlickRick_PCS said:
After reading some of yall's posts, I am considering putting a snooker table on a barn when I even have one. What do you folks think of that one?
Click to expand...

Just don't feed the chickens on it ;) !!! :D :D :D

Maniac
 
Do it! I had a table in my garage in Phoenix -- no a/c and no heat either (who needs heat in AZ and humidity is nil). It was on a cement floor and got mighty hot in the summer - had no problems with the table. Good shooting!
 
Sounds like you're well on your way.

As for the sloping concrete floor ... you might check out the cost of self-leveling concrete. I didn't do this and gave myself all sorts of headaches building a floor on stilts to compensate. Not to mention the headaches my f$&*ing floor gave the guy who installed and leveled the table. And after he spent 4 hours at the job, the floor settled some anyway, lol.

I'd second the idea that it's no big deal to put a hole in the wall for AC. I'm a total amateur and managed to punch 3 holes for windows. As for the 4th wall, you could do what I did, build one in front of the garage entry ... then you never know you're in a garage. Also not so big a deal, maybe a 2-day job solo, in my case, for a wall 23-foot-long-by-9-foot tall.

And on the AC, the duct solution might be simplest ... luckily I don't need AC up in the mountains.
 
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