Selecting Your Pool Table Finish and Cloth Color

Oak Click Here
Maple Click Here
Mahogany Click Here
Cloth Colors Click Here (to return click back button)

The first step in selecting a finish for your pool table is to select the wood species, oak, maple, cherry or mahogany. Consider the ambiance you wish to create and how the pool table will fit in with your other furniture. If you have already chosen a style (model) of table, consider which species of wood looks best on that pool table. Be aware that oak, maple, cherry or mahogany depending on the manufacturer pricing structure may cost a bit more.

Choose oak if you want a warm, informal look, and like to see lots of wood grain. Oak is also a good selection if you are concerned about nicks and scratches. The grainy texture of oak hides many imperfections, especially in a light color.

Choose maple in one of the darker colors if you want a more formal, elegant look, with a smooth, glass like finish. Maple is versatile enough to offer informality as well. Light maple colors such as "natural" and "provincial" give a "country" look. Maple shows a variety of interesting grain patterns, but the the grain is tight and smooth. Occasionally you will get a piece with pronounced "tiger stripes". The smooth finish will reveal scratches easily, however, especially in dark colors.

Cherry has been a favorite of fine furniture makers since colonial times. The dark natural color of the wood imparts imparts a deep rich tone to any finish, and interesting grain patterns add character.

Choose mahogany if you want deep rich colors and a satin like texture. Mahogany has a grainy texture, less pronounced than oak, and not as smooth as maple, which give it a soft, satin like appearance.

Rosewood, zebrawood or walnut rails are not only a very practical option because of their durability and resistance to nicks and scratches, but also provide an interesting and beautiful contrast to the rest of the table. Rosewood and walnut tend to coordinate best with maple or mahogany, zebrawood with oak. Zebrawood rails on a dark oak table with navy or black cloth, for example, provides dramatic contrast.

Please understand that wood is a natural substance, with many variations. All parts of your table will not be exactly the same shade, or have the same grain patterns. Expect variations, which are part of the charm of wood. Each table is unique, no two exactly alike. We sometimes facetiously tell customers who complain about variations in the wood that if they want all parts of the table to match exactly, they would be well advised to go to plastic -- i.e Formica -- where man made techniques can ensure uniformity.

Equally important in establishing the ambience of your room is the selection of cloth color. Billiard cloth (felt) comes in a wide variety of colors from several different manufacturers. Although there are slight variations among manufacturers, most offer a similar range of colors. The names differ but the colors themselves are very similar. The traditional billiard cloth color "standard green" is still very popular, and largely what is found in billiard parlors, but home owners are increasingly selecting other colors to coordinate with the decor of their homes and to blend or contrast with the finish of their table.

Now for the colors! Click the buttons below to see photographic renditions of our finishes and the colors offered by one of the leading cloth manufacturers, the Henry W. T. Mali Company.

Maple Click Here
Oak Click Here
Mahogany Click Here
Cloth Colors Click Here (to return click back button)

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Please be patient while these files download. We have used larger than usual file sizes in order to provide the most accurate possible rendition of the colors.

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