Resurfacing a Table

[Trann]

I'm in the midst of resurfacing my first table: removed the old felt, pulled all the kinked and non-flush staples (figured I can save the annoyance of pulling the flush ones).

The foam I'm using is YAT's 1/4" high density with backing.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yourautotrim-store_2177_2798004.jpg
Ref. 1/4" Thick Foam Padding - High Density (FIRM) (http://www.yourautotrim.com/1thfopahidef.html)

I've not used a foam with backing before.

Does the backing go against the felt (open cells against the wood)?

Is it still advisable to 3M Super 77 spray the foam to the playing felt? For what it's worth, it's suited speed cloth.

[Quads]

I've always but the backing to the felt.
There are different schools of thought on gluing the felt to the foam, or very lightly hazing the foam then laying the felt (my preferred method) but I think at the end of the day, it's builder preference. Particularly with suited felt, I like doing simply because it gives you a little 'tack' to work with to keep the alignment of the suited cloth when you staple things down.

[Slev]

I've never glued my felt down. As long as you pull it tight when stapling you should never have an issue. I always use the volara foam and I like having the ability to change the felt without having to replace the foam. Using the closed cell foam is much better...gives you a better ability to clean up spills completely without stains getting into the foam, thereby resurfacing in the future.

My opinion/preference and I haven't had any issues or complaints.

[Trann]

Yup, I thought I had volara on hand but it was high density. No biggie, just foam.

As for spills, suited speed cloth is pretty good in and of itself. Or so I've heard.

[Guma]

As for spills, suited speed cloth is pretty good in and of itself. Or so I've heard.

Made from kryptonite, right?

[Trann]

Spot on.

[SniperD5]

I'm not a fan of speed cloth, but it will hold up to spills and general wear & tear quite well.

[Trann]

I've not tried SSC myself yet so I figured I'd give it a go; I do have non-SSC on hand if it fails miserably.

Our local 'crackhead' re-felted his main table and the slide is definitely quite nice for those dealing from the end.

Just picked up a new can of 77 this morning but with the basement finished, I either have to lay out 10'x10' of overspray protection or do it in the garage. Dammit. It was nice building tables in the house.

[A Huge Nerd]

I used the same padding on my table. I used 3M-77 to glue the backing side to the wood. I did not use anything to adhere the suited speed cloth to the foam, but I wish I would have.

[Slev]

I did not use anything to adhere the suited speed cloth to the foam, but I wish I would have.

why do you wish you should have?

[A Huge Nerd]

why do you wish you should have?

It's not bad, but I would prefer to have the fabric stay put on the surface foam. Sometimes, when you run your hand over the whole surface of the cloth, it will pull up ever so slightly. Almost looks like a bubble under the cloth. It only takes a quick swipe of the hand to get rid of it. NBD

[Trann]

I can see that: the fabric has a freedom to move over the foam unless it's pulled very taut.

I may tack it with 77 because I don't think SSC has much stretch like the other fabrics.

[SniperD5]

I'd rather pull it taut and not glue than the other way around. By gluing it, you're subjecting it to any changes that occur in the foam. If you forget a case or something heavy on there, and it leaves a dent, it'll always be visible. If it's just stretched tight, you'll be able to feel the dent, but won't see it.

[Trann]

Sniper's advice made the best sense to be as I want to get the most out of each table and refelting is the way that will happen.

I found that getting the alignment of the pattern wasn't a huge issue since I started at one side of the table and tacked it down straight from the start; the other side was just a matter of getting the tension right.

The gutted table: the pilling of the velveteen was what drove me to this. I also pulled over half the staples to rid myself of not only fabric remnants but imperfect staples as well.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/PokerTrann/Tables/101_0848.jpg

Stapling the speed cloth over such a pliable foam (my original table used hardwood flooring underlay: very thin, yet dense) made for an interesting balance of starting out tightly stapled, finding overly-taut sections, pulling and re-stapling, and getting the surface snug but without creases.

The underside trimmed back.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/PokerTrann/Tables/101_0852.jpg

The topside: snug, aligned, and no fabric shift when running your hand over it.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/PokerTrann/Tables/101_0854.jpg

The insert replaced.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/PokerTrann/Tables/101_0864.jpg

And a super-close up.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/PokerTrann/Tables/101_0868.jpg

With the new foam beneath the speed cloth, I can see why so much effort was put into designing a level playing surface. 8)

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

[Quads]

Nice work Trann.

[lnlver]

I didn't glue the speedcloth to the base on my table.

To get the cloth tight, I first stapled down one length. Then, I took two long pieces of wood which were about the same length as the straight section, positioned them inside and outside the free end of the cloth. I took three heavy C-clamps and clamped the wood pieces along the free end, making sure there were no ruffles in the cloth. One clamp was positioned at each end and the last one was in the middle of the two wood pieces.

I set the base on its side and used the weight of the clamps to pull the cloth tight. After this, I was able to staple the other straight section. Once this was done, I could staple the arc sections easily by hand.

The wood pieces grab the cloth and the clamps weigh the whole contraption down.

I hope I explained this satisfactorily.

[Quads]

I like that method too. That's the biggest issue in [suited] speed cloth is getting the suits aligned and keeping them as such.

[Trann]

So who's the go-to for SSC these days? Two previous sponsors have been idle for over a year now...

[Quads]

I'm pretty sure YAT still stocks it, but they are not an active sponsor.
I don't have a go to other than them.

There's always Lynn.

[SniperD5]

So who's the go-to for SSC these days? Two previous sponsors have been idle for over a year now...

Dude, don't go with the SSC. I know the cards slide well, but I absolutely hate the feeling of it. Stick with the ultra soft velveteen from YAT.


There's always Lynn.

BWWWWAHAHAHAHAHA, that shit made me ROR!

[bmk91]

There's always Lynn.

Is his stuff still Kryptonite proof?

[Trann]

Dude, don't go with the SSC. I know the cards slide well, but I absolutely hate the feeling of it. Stick with the ultra soft velveteen from YAT.
I've run with Ultra Soft since the beginning. I agree that it's nice stuff but I'm going to give SSC a shot: the first table I resurfaced is getting raves so I've ordered more for the other. I'll sell you my Ultra Soft since you need to re-felt soon anyway.

FYI: YAT still honors a discount code named for the other place (sans dot-com).

There's always Lynn.

I hear he invented the stuff?

Poker Supplies Limited PSLTD (http://pcpotato.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31:psltd&catid=18:testing&itemid=13)

http://www.pcpotato.com/xfer/lynn_the_cocksucker.mp3

[Wedge Rock]

tugboat(dot com)?

[Scuba_Dave]

http://www.pcpotato.com/xfer/lynn_the_cocksucker.mp3


http://www.pcpotato.com/404cx.png
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[Quads]

http://www.pcpotato.com/404cx.png
Error 404. File Not Found.

It was the audio of the video posted in the prior link.

[Trann]

Dude, don't go with the SSC. I know the cards slide well, but I absolutely hate the feeling of it.

And I was all ready for a game this weekend, my second table freshly recovered, until your email went out...

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/PokerTrann/Tables/101_1189.jpg

Stick with the ultra soft velveteen from YAT.
You can have my USV; I'm bringing it tonight.