Razor 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Ladies and Gentlemen,I posted a while ago looking for plans for building a poker table, and a lot of good sites were recommended. Well, I've started the build, and I'm just wondering what most people are using as a surface, and what material you are using for the padding under the surface. the plans I'm using suggest mole skin or velveteen for a surface material and 1/4 Inch Closed Cell Volara Foam for the padding underneath. Well, I can't readily obtain the mole skin or the Closed Cell Volara Foam , so I was wondering if anyone has used anything different, and how pleased you were with it. I was able to pick up some velveteen, and I think that will work ok. I've got some alternatives in mind for the padding underneath as well. (I'm thinking about using a material that is normally applied between cusion floor and plywood.)I'm most concerned about the covering on the playing surface. I want something that will allow the cards to slide pretty nice. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.Merry Christmas,Ray. Link to post Share on other sites
commoncents 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 i actually played on a home made table a few weeks ago that had a black denim top. it was nice and i'm sure durable.guy said he got he material cheap Link to post Share on other sites
EJS21 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 I recently built a table, and used suited poker speed cloth for the playing surface. It can be found online, just google for it. It is pricy but turned out really great, and the cards fly across it. As far as the 1/4 inch foam for underneath, you should be able to find it at stores such as, JoAnns, Michaels, or any other craft shops. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck. Link to post Share on other sites
Drwnded 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 I went to the fabric store and just walked around looking for something that might work. Ended up getting a green fabric I think was called 'faux suede' that worked out well. Slicker and smoother than felt. Cards slide nicely and it's held up well so far. Link to post Share on other sites
Figger 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 http://www.pokercats.com/shopping/browse.c...?category_id=19This site has supplies, foam and top felt you can order. Seems pretty reasonable.I have also heard of people using fine velvet. Don't know how well it works or how durable it is.The woman at the fabric store said some guy used the velvet. He actual spread it out and dealed cards across it before he bought it. Link to post Share on other sites
Hugheser 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Take a look at http://www.yourautotrim.com. They are a big supplier to poker table builders. Good prices and great service. They have foam and everything. Also I have to recommend the suited cloth for the playing surface. It's durable and cards slide nice on it. Link to post Share on other sites
ChipLeader7 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 Posting here to bookmark this thread. Plan on building one in the next few months. Link to post Share on other sites
shedrackle 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 I built my poker table a while back. For padding underneath the playing surface I used 1/4" carpet padding. Generally this padding is used for indoor / outdoor carpet. It's cheap and has the same "feel" as the tables at the casinos. For covering I've used two different tops. The first top I tried was wool felt. This top is very durable and will not pelt up like normal felt. Since we have a few home games a week I've had to resurface the table. I've gone with the nylon polyester fabric it slides nice but it's thin...When building the table consider that you'll have to resurface someday.... Link to post Share on other sites
tobytobey 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 I built a poker table about one and a half years ago. I was trying all I could to keep the cost down. Here's what I bought:1 piece of plywood at Lowes - $12A couple yards of vinyl fabric at JoAnne Fabrics - $35ish1/2" thick carpet padding at a supply store - $25ish1 can spray glue (to attach the carpet padding to the plywood) $5ishNow I didn't make an entire table, just a top to go over an existing table I had.I cut the plywood in half (I used some hinges so that I could fold it up for easy storage), and rounded off the ends. If I had to do it again, I think I would shorten the table as it is quite long (8').Next I sprayed on the glue like stuff and put on the carpet padding.Then I layed out the vinyl fabric face down, put the table on top of it and worked my way around the table, pulling the material tight and using a staple gun to attach it.Also, as this was just a table top, i attached pieces of wood to the bottom that were just slightly larger than the table so it didnt slide around.I built the entire table in about 8 hours.I didn't add an rails to it, but I had an idea to use swimming noodles, cut them in half and attach them.If anyone wants me to post some pic's just holler!Good luck and have fun. Link to post Share on other sites
tobytobey 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 One more thing, if you have an unlimited budget, you should check this out.......my dream table and setup.....http://hi-techpokertables.com/index.php?Pa...1&PageName=Home Link to post Share on other sites
alf13 0 Posted December 22, 2005 Share Posted December 22, 2005 These forums have everything you need to know about building a poker table:http://www.scottkeen.com/forum/ Link to post Share on other sites
Figger 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I cut the plywood in half (I used some hinges so that I could fold it up for easy storage)' date=' [/b']and rounded off the ends. If I had to do it again, I think I would shorten the table as it is quite long (8').quote]I have a question, because I was going to do the same thing...So with regard to the hinges, I assume they were on the bottom...how did you raise the top up so the hinges weren't resting on the table? Link to post Share on other sites
digitalmonkey 929 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Hey Razor, talk to goose. He posts a lot in the hockey forum. You can check out pics of a table he just recently built.http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/poker-foru...pic.php?t=42009 Link to post Share on other sites
Figger 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 One more thing, if you have an unlimited budget, you should check this out.......my dream table and setup.....http://hi-techpokertables.com/index.php?Pa...1&PageName=Home This one ain't too shabby either...and would appease the wife...if you have one.http://www.maxfurniture.com/shopexd.asp?id=1224 Link to post Share on other sites
Presto 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I built my poker table a while back. For padding underneath the playing surface I used 1/4" carpet padding. Generally this padding is used for indoor / outdoor carpet. It's cheap and has the same "feel" as the tables at the casinos.It is worth it to get the closed cell foam if you will have people spilling drinks. The closed cell is water resistant and prevents the liquid from seeping through and damaging or warping the wood underneath. And as mentioned before yourautotrim.com is a great site with quick shipping. That is where i got all my foam and fabric Link to post Share on other sites
StuNami 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 Greetings fellow poker table builder person--Congratulations on your next step to becoming a poker jedi knight. So it ain't a light saber but a table can be a beautiful thing.In response to your question about the covering, i had HORRIBLE success with true felt as it napped up the first night. I went to velveteen and it is beautiful.. Also I would suggest looking at some of the less traditional colors like gem purple and a scarlet that the chips and cards really pop on.Now, as far as the cushion goes, you can buy CAR HEADLINER at most fabric stores. YES, this is the same stuff that is hanging down in your face as you drive your 1980 AMC Eagle 4WD car. It has great bounce and is just the right thickness.One other thing you might want to consider - if you have ever accidentally been flipping through your cable channels looking for an episode of WPT or WSOP and landed on the Carol Duval craft show, you might have seen her take a hot steamless iron and "burn" the impression of a rubber stamnp into velvet/velveteen. You can get rubber stamps with card suits or even letters and do this in the middle of your table.Good luck and post pix when you finish your light saber - er uh i mean poker table. Link to post Share on other sites
shedrackle 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Share Posted December 23, 2005 I built my poker table a while back. For padding underneath the playing surface I used 1/4" carpet padding. Generally this padding is used for indoor / outdoor carpet. It's cheap and has the same "feel" as the tables at the casinos.It is worth it to get the closed cell foam if you will have people spilling drinks. The closed cell is water resistant and prevents the liquid from seeping through and damaging or warping the wood underneath. And as mentioned before yourautotrim.com is a great site with quick shipping. That is where i got all my foam and fabricThat's a good point. When I built my table I placed drink holders into the rails. I haven't faced many spills but having foam that is water resistant will increase the life span of the table. I handled the situation differtly. I bought the cheaper 1/4" foam and used a can of waterproofing spray on the foam. I allowed the foam to dry and I was good to go. Link to post Share on other sites
Razor 0 Posted December 23, 2005 Author Share Posted December 23, 2005 One other thing you might want to consider - if you have ever accidentally been flipping through your cable channels looking for an episode of WPT or WSOP and landed on the Carol Duval craft show, you might have seen her take a hot steamless iron and "burn" the impression of a rubber stamnp into velvet/velveteen. You can get rubber stamps with card suits or even letters and do this in the middle of your table.Good luck and post pix when you finish your light saber - er uh i mean poker table.This sounds pretty cool .. I've never seen this, and I wanted to put some kind of logo on the playing surface ... cards, or suits would be pretty nice I think. I'm gonna go search around and see if i can find some more on this ... if anyone reads this thread and has a link, please post it.Thanks for all the great Ideas folks ... I'm almost done of the table, hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll be able to post some pics.Cheers,ray Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now