Best Poker Table Fabrics

[jtnt1096]

Ok, I am in the process of building a poker table and wondered if anyone has any fabric experience.

I built a table a few months ago using Velveteen, but want to try something different this time. Speed Cloth and the Suited Cloth are a little out of my price range, so I am curious on what else is good to use.

I went to my local fabric store and found some stuff called Surlaine (?). It was 100% polyester. Anyone have any experience with that?

Also, what types of material should be in the fabric I would be looking for? Polyester, Spandex, Wool, Cotton, Rayon?

One other question. I used auto headliner on my last table. Is Volara much better? If it is, I may go with that instead, but the headliner has held up well.

Thanks for the help.

[warewulf]

What don't you like about Velveteen?

[sgw]

I have some experience with fabrics. I run a home game that is hosted at various houses thus I made a table cloth for playing. I went to a few fabric stores and found that Polysuede is the best type of fabric (we use dark green). It has a soft, smooth surface for playing that is also very durable (it is used for outerwear such as coats and jackets. It is also washable. I would avoid felts or anything with a lot of pil to the fabric, which will show the wear very quickly.

Hope this helps and good luck with your project.
Cheers
Real MaCoy

[Eric H]

Speed cloth is not all that expensive. You can get it for $4.50/ft (60" wide) at casinosupply.com.

http://www.casinosupply.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=OCH

I have used it on one of three tables I have built and it is an excellent playing surface. The other two I used pool table felt which was about twice as much.

[TabascoJRC]

I picked up some fake micro suede from the fabric store for about $10 a yard
I like the feel. I don't have a table, I just throw it on top of our dining room table and put one of those rug pads under it. keeps it from sliding, and i already had the rug pad.
-Jeremy

[Dustin J.]

This may sound a little strange, but I went to a local JoAnn fabric store and got blue Marine Vinyl for my table. It feels quite soft, it can be stretched to fit tightly over the padding, and best of all if anyone spills drinks/food on it, you can wipe it right up. They also have a wide variety of colors and it is cheap (About 10-12$ total to cover my 84 x 42 table).

[Dustin J.]

Oh, and the cards slide VERY nicely over it.

[jalsing]

I thought I was the only one using the rug pad! Do you use the rubbery one with the holes made for rugs on wood/tile or the fuzzy one made for rugs on carpet?

[Caruso329]

I used some cheap ($4/yd) material from Wal-mart for mine. I believe it was 100% polyester, but it felt almost like a velour. Cards slide very nicely and the dark blue looks great on the table. No real use out of the table yet so I can't say anything about durability.

I also went to an auto supply shop to buy the foam for underneath the felt. It was headliner foam and I think it works and feels great too.

[sctennisman]

I recently built a table and use the Casino Speed Cloth located at www.casinosupply.com (http://www.casinosupply.com) It was $4.50 per foot and was shipped very promptly. It is a great surface for cards. .they slide very well on it. All my friends were impressed. Good luck!

[Lumpy]

Try moleskin from Jo-ann Fabrics. It comes in a ton of colors. Can usually be purchased for about $6/yd. Plays and holds up great.

[brer]

I agree that faux suede (polysuede?) is an absolutely great surface for a poker table. Its what I have and I can hardly ask for a better surface.

[Schizo]

If you want a legit poker table there are only a couple of ways to go. They are speed fabric or billiard felt. Kardwell supplis both. Speed fabric allows you to slide the cards and holds up better. Billiard fabric is classier. Casinocom.com used to supply the best stuff and would even silkscreen designs into the felt. They had problems though and I think they went out of biz.

I've seen a bunch of people name Joan fabric as the best place to get poker felt. I haven't seen anything from Joan fabric that I didn't think was junk. It's alright and gets the job done. But if you want a standard or classic poker table, unless if your buying vinyl for bumpers, Joan is not the place to go.

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
If you want a legit poker table there are only a couple of ways to go. They are speed fabric or billiard felt. Kardwell supplis both. Speed fabric allows you to slide the cards and holds up better. Billiard fabric is classier. Casinocom.com used to supply the best stuff and would even silkscreen designs into the felt. They had problems though and I think they went out of biz.

I've seen a bunch of people name Joan fabric as the best place to get poker felt. I haven't seen anything from Joan fabric that I didn't think was junk. It's alright and gets the job done. But if you want a standard or classic poker table, unless if your buying vinyl for bumpers, Joan is not the place to go.

[/ QUOTE ]

ding! Good post, for a noob. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[kodonnell]

My felt top was getting a bit ratty so I headed out to Joanns and picket up som Fidelio Velvet based on a recommendation on Scott Keens site. This stuff is $20/yd and comes 48" wide. Since my table insert is 48", this was gonna be tough. I was able to stretch it about an inch giving me just enough to staple the fabric to the bottom. The cards slide well over the fabric and it feels very nice (I just want to lie down on the table and take a nappy). I even painted my logo (my avatar) onto the table using paint pens and it turned out good. My biggest concern is durability. While painting my logo, my elbow crushed a small spot of the velvet and left a permanent mark. Also, the fabric is not very heavy. I dont think it is gonna last long. I will post a follow up.

[sgw]

obviously if you want to spend the cash the professional table fabric is the way. for the money, poly suede rocks (approx $1-3 per yard...usually 48" accross), and you can get it from most good fabric stores.