I would like to explain without naming anyone why I turned this job down
a local person contacted me to see if i would re-cloth an outside table , I quoted for a speed cloth as this is the best cloth for outdoor use .
But on studying the photos I could see the wood work or shall we say Fibre board is swelling very badly , this means water has got into the construction of the fibre board and is welling it , all though my client insists this table has not got wet as it has a roof over it , but the surrounding damp and condensation is enough to effect the table like this .
very often these plastic trims go hard and break up on removal they lose all pliability and are best warmed with a hair dryer to remove to make them soft .
very often when you get a pool table that has been outside , the bolts rust into the cushion threads making it impossible to get the cushions off in severe cases .
I have had this in the past where once you start the job you are obligated to finish it and that could mean hours of extra work trying to get the cushions off and also having to replace the damaged plastic trims if you break them on removal .
this may mean ordering some ( IF THEY STILL MAKE THEM ) and revisiting using more time up that was not allowed for .
Modern tables do not have the trims anymore , and use a Allen key fixing bolt accessed underneath the top surround .
It is through past experience of re-clothing these tables which are not supposed to be outside even under cover .
that you can come across one that will give you grief if you attempt to re-cloth it .
so this one I’m afraid I have turned down , and you can see from the state of the top surround swelling my reasons for this .
it is very rare for me to turn a job down , especially if it is just down the road form me , but I have made the decision not to to save me any grief .
They may be Lucky and get someone to re-cloth it , but this table will not last long outside it will deteriorate very quickly over the Winter months .
If you need to have a table outdoors this one in my opinion is the best one to get , made from decking timber , it would still require being under cover , but damp will not effect it as much as a fibre board body table .
Over 47 years of fitting and re-clothing tables I have seen enough outdoor tables , in my time to know and inform of this problem of condensation damp and rain if no roof over .
When anyone asks me what table I recommend for outdoor , I often say NONE , but the above decking one seems to be one that will offer more protection body and top wood wise , but they will still suffer from bolt rusting through damp ingress .
Most people often retire their outdoor table for the winter put it in the garage or insulate it and put a good waterproof heavy duty weather proof tarpaulin over it .
You will always get condensation outside covered over roof table , in a UK Warm or cold climate though , even if you do take those measures .
I have passed on another local East midlands fitters name for this client to contact ,but stressed they must show them the same photos for their opinion . a 2nd opinion so to speak .
