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Can Pool Table Felt Be Dyed? (Important Things To Know)

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Have you ever wanted your pool table felt to be a different color? Maybe you have thought about dyeing your pool table felt but don’t know how to, or are worried about ruining the felt. Well, in this article, we will go over everything you need to know about dyeing your pool table felt the right way. 

So can you dye your pool table felt?

Although you might think that you’re stuck with the original color of your pool table felt, you can actually dye it a different color. If you do it correctly, you will have a beautiful new color of felt without having to pay for a brand new piece. 

You can also watch this video below about dying your pool table felt if you prefer.

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What is important to consider about pool table felt? 

There are a few things you must keep in mind when it comes to pool table felt.


First, the felt color is a major deciding factor  when choosing the felt. While green is the favored color of the felt, it is not the only color that you can use. Felt is also often seen in a steel color, blue, red and other colors to please individual aesthetic styles.

You should consider choosing a felt color that best goes with your home decor or with the style of your emblem if you are a member of a family of serious pool players.

Speed is another factor to consider when buying the pool table felt. Speed of the object balls must not be hindered or result in a miscue because of the type of felt cloth that you use. It has to give smooth passage to the balls that roll around on its surface. 

You must also consider durability when choosing your pool table felt. You do not want the felt to be too smooth or too thin. If the pool table felt is too thin, you run the risk of easily creating tears or runs in the felt. Conversely, if the pool table felt is too thick, the object balls will not be able to roll smoothly and it will create playing disruptions. 

So, the exact size and science behind choosing your pool table felt is indisputable and is also very much needed.

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Can pool table felt be dyed? 

Although pool table felt typically comes in a green color, you can still dye the felt to a different color if you choose. There are different forms and techniques that can be used to dye your pool table felt in order to give it a unique look that matches your style.

You must be sure to consider the color, durability, speed and even the cleaning of the dyed pool table felt as an investment. If you decide to move forward with the decision to dye your pool table felt, here is how you do it. 

You must first take the old felt off of the table. Next, you will gently scrub the felt with warm water and a mild detergent so as to take off any surface dirt or any stray particles and to thoroughly clean the felt.

Then, you will want to rinse the piece of felt very well. You will want to dye the felt with a synthetic dye.

You will want your dye water to be very hot to ensure the best pigmentation possible. While the felt is still wet and damp, you can apply the dye very sparingly onto the felt with a sponge.

You can always darken the color but you can’t easily make it lighter so you do not want to over-dye it.  You will then need to let the felt piece dry very thoroughly.

Finally, you will need to wipe down your newly dyed felt with a clean damp cloth to remove any excess surface dye.

What are some things to be aware of when dyeing my pool table felt? 

There is a chance of felt shrinkage when you dye it because the new dye might attach to the fibers, much like starch. In order to correct this problem, you can take a piece of felt bigger than your actual pool table and then fit the felt cloth on the top of the table. You can then dye this piece of bigger felt using the instructions above.

Once you dye the felt, you can then lay it over the slate and cut around the corners of the slate to ensure it is properly fitted to your pool table. 

Since the pool table felt is made of nylon and wool there is also a chance, albeit low, of water being retained and damage occurring from this to the pool table as a whole. To avoid this, be sure that your dyed felt has plenty of time to dry before putting it back on the pool table.

If you discover that water has been retained and has warped your table, there are ways to fix your warped pool table as well.

If you decide that dying your pool table is not worth the effort, there are professionals available to help you dye your pool table felt to your exact specifications and desires or you can simply replace the felt with new that is the color you prefer.

What part of the pool table is felt used on? 

Playing pool is one of the cue games famously known all over the world. Pool or some other kind of its variety, has been in existence for about two centuries now. Originally, it was played outdoors, although it is now considered an indoor game.

The game requires a wooden table on which to play the game on. The top of the table is normally made up of one or three pieces of slate. Pool cues are used to hit the cue ball towards the other balls on the table while trying to knock those balls in one of the six pockets.

The pool table felt is important for the overall look of the table, and to ensure smoothness when playing the game. All of the balls travel over the felt to the ball pockets and if there are any tears, or holes, it will cause a major disruption in the game.

Pool table felt can be commonly found in a green color that mimics the grass outside as it was originally played outdoors. 

Pool table felt is normally a piece of green cloth, made usually of a blend of nylon and wool and is stretched over the slate slab to give the least resistance to the rolling balls on the table. It is not as soft as satin or silk as that would make the ball slip and slide on the top of the table rather than staying its course.

Felt is used for the ergonomics benefits but there are a variety of colors that it comes in and even colors that you can dye the felt as well.

Conclusion

Although you might think that you’re stuck with the original color of your pool table felt, you can actually dye it a different color. If you do it correctly, you will have a beautiful new color of felt without having to pay for a brand new piece.

Pool table felt typically comes in a green color in order to appear as the green grass since it was historically played outside. Since not everyone will like this green color, there are options for you to re-dye your pool table felt.

It is a generally simple process, although there are some risks involved.

While you will most likely be able to easily dye your pool table felt, you should take these risks into consideration before deciding on this project.