Fall and Winter Posting 08′

 We are glad to see so many homeowners following our advice to get a new look in the game rooms. The 90’s are long gone and today’s renters are much more discerning and are looking for better amenities. Foosball popularity has waned for years now and really takes up quite a bit of valuable floor space. If you must have one, try to get a name brand that we can get replacement men and rods for. We have also seen many guests “rearranging” the games and when they drag a table with particle board legs, they can rip apart. Do yourself a favor and get a heavy duty model.
Another dated and unsightly situation is the 2 piece wall racks for your cue sticks. These usually hang at eye level and really showcase your old sticks. When you get tired of painting the wall and repairing the drywall, invest $99 in a floor rack that will also hold your bridgestick, triangles, and shorter cues for kids.
Take a good look at your felt on the pool table. If you get 3 good years of heavy play [yes, they do play pool almost every evening], then it may be time to replace it. A change of colors can really give you a new, fresh look. Try to stay with darker colors and match the chalk color to your felt… $300 for a 7′ and $350 for an 8′ table.
          Beware of internet pool tables. When the price seems too good to be true, it is! The biggest culprit is Pool Tables USA. Their tables are NOT made in the USA…they are “assembled” here. They actually remove the components from the boxes that say “Made in China” and put them in their own boxes. Slate from China is very sketchy. They do not have the machinery to mill slate down to 1/1000th of an inch which is BCA specifications. If you do not have perfectly flat slate, you do not have a very good game to play. Probably the worst part of these imports is that they do not kiln dry the woods before staining and sealing. The moisture is trapped inside  rails and frames. This moisture will eventually swell and escape in the form of gaping cracks that will worsen over time. While immediate cost savings is attractive, unless you are just trying to sell your home and pass problems on to the next owner, you will be much better off making an investment that will be around as long as your home.

Be sure you have somewhere for your guests to set their drinks in the game room that is close to the pool table. The last thing you want is someone setting drinks on the rails. We have some heavy duty wood shelves for an open wall as well as corner shelves that also have notches for the player to lean his cue stick for about $100. Our pub tables [30" round] are $269.

Our year end 2008 popularity poll of game room amenities goes as follows:
 
1)  BILLIARDS
2)  SHUFFLEBOARD
3)  ARCADE VIDEO GAMES
          #1  Gametime Megatouch
          #2  Ms Pac/Galaga 25th Anniversary
          #3  Arcade Legends [2008 w/130 games]
4)  PING PONG
5)  TEXAS HOLD’EM/POKER TABLES
6)  CHEXX HOCKEY
7)  BOARD GAMES
          #1 Chess/Checkers
          #2 Puzzles
          #3 Monopoly
          #4 Scrabble
          #5 Candyland
8)  AIR HOCKEY
9)  FOOSBALL
10) DARTS
 
          We have acquired the last 3 outdoor billiard tables made by AMF who is now out of business. These are fantastic for houses that do not have enough space for an indoor table. They have slate beds with Sunbrella fabric and are constructed of tubular aluminum with reinforced steel legs. They retailed for over $5000 but these last 3 will go for $3400. They can go on a deck, pool side under the house or right out in the yard!
If you are looking to get a jump on 2009 rental season with better amenities online and at 2008 prices or if you want to make the investment for your 2008 tax year, give us a call at 491-2117 or 800-820-2526.
As always, I am personally available to evaluate any of your game rooms for further suggestions.

BILLIARD TABLE FELT MAINTENANCE

BILLIARD TABLE FELT MAINTENANCE

          There are some things you can do to extend the life of the fabric as long as there are no cuts and stains.  First, brush thoroughly, modern cloth is not directional so no need to only brush in one direction.  Give the felt a “wet bath” taking a wet bath towel and gently pushing the towel onto the surface.  This will help pull chalk and small dust off the slate and through the felt.  NEVER USE CHEMICALS OF ANY KIND!!  Even a red wine spill can be removed with soap and water if you have good quality felt and address it immediately.

          Always supply the correct colored chalk that matches the felt but remember the color wheel… blue chalk is OK with green felt.

Check your balls for chips, cracks and yellowing.  This can be the cause of your felt looking so bad.  A new set of balls costs only about $35.00.  Always check your cue sticks for tips that are missing or “mushroomed”.  Renters will continue to play with these cue sticks and this causes the pinholes in the felt.

 I hear this almost daily from owners when we break down and move a table for new carpet installations … “the felt is probably OK… it’s only 5 years old”.  But, when I see these tables, I just cringe.  They look terrible!  The felt is faded, loose with holes and stains.  This really detracts from the home. Many times it’s the clients’ first impression when they walk in the bottom floor.

I have found that the billiard tables in OBX rental homes are used extremely often during the season.  The wear on the felt is almost the same as a commercial billiards parlor.  It appears in most cases that someone is playing pool every night!!! My experience through the years with commercial rooms was to change the felt about every 6 months.  With a 4 month season that would equate to changing felt at least every 2 seasons.

          I would like to strongly suggest to your owners that have not recovered their tables in years to do so. Change the color.  It is $300 well spent and you really must maintain your investment.  Stay with dark shades as they do hide wear.  Many returning guests actually think they have a new table with a color change.  While we are stripping your table down and pulling all the old staples out of your rails, we can check the rubber on the rails and be sure they are attached properly.  When the rail rubber starts to detach form the rail, it becomes “dead” and will noticeably play poorly.

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