Are Pool Tables Too Heavy for the Second Floor?

Having a pool table in your home is a dream come true for most pool enthusiasts. But what if the only place you have for it is in the upstairs of your home? Will the second floor support it?

How Much Weight Will the Second Floor of Your House Hold?

Certainly there are other considerations to make when putting a pool table upstairs, such as navigating the steps! But with most pool tables for in home use weighing between 300-1000 pounds, there’s little need to worry if your second floor will support it.

Was My House Built to Code?

Throughout the rest of this article we’ll discuss how we know this to be true, and give you some tips on how to get your pool table upstairs!

Considerations for Noise and Vibration

First, let’s talk about your home and how much weight the second floor can hold. Simply put, the second floor of a house will typically support at least 30 pounds per square foot of space. That number can go up as high as 50 pounds per square foot, depending on the structure.

Noise Transmission

These numbers will vary depending upon the regulations set by your local government. Typically, however, they’ll require a 30-pound per square foot rating for bedrooms, 40 pounds for general spaces, and a 50-pound per square foot rating for office spaces.

Vibration Concerns

Most residential floors support 30-40 pounds per square foot, so a 1,000-lb slate table spread across 35+ square feet stays well within limits. This means that if you have a 10×10 room with a 30 pound per square foot weight limit, the total amount of weight that should be placed in the room is 3000 pounds. We get this number by taking the total square footage of the room and multiplying it by the pound per square foot weight limit of your second floor.

Mitigation Strategies

In this scenario, as long as your pool table doesn’t exceed 3000 pounds, you’re good to go. Of course, these figures are generally conservative but shouldn’t be exceeded by too much without consulting an expert.

Clear the Space and Route

Pool tables generally fall into two categories: slate and mdf. Slate pool tables generally weigh around 650-1000 pounds while MDF pool tables weigh in around 100-300 pounds.

That’s much better than getting stuck halfway!

Because a slate bed is much heavier than one made from MDF, the components used to construct the table itself have to be much stronger to support the extra weight. MDF on the other hand, is a wood based product and is significantly lighter.

Move the Parts Upstairs

Both styles of pool tables, however, fall well under the weight limits of most second story floors.

Inspect Everything

As long as your home was built to code and the table doesn’t exceed that maximum load, yes, your floor will support a pool table.

When to Call in the Experts

If you want to find out the precise weight capacity for the second floor of your household, you’ll need to use the calculation shown above. Of course, to find the pound per square foot limits for your home you’ll probably need to see the original blueprints. Alternatively, you could search for the regulations set by your local government.

Accessibility and Future Resale Value

There’s really no reason why you shouldn’t put a pool table on the second floor as long as your floor supports it and you can get it there safely. However, there are a few other questions you should consider prior to moving your table upstairs.

Remember: the maximum load of a household’s upper floor depends on local regulations. You may have done the math and figured out that your floor should be able to support the added weight of a pool table.

But was your home built to comply with those regulations in the first place? Some older homes may not comply with current codes, and might not be able to handle as much added weight as newer houses.

The pool table shouldn’t be the only thing that you factor into your calculations. Even if it fits within your floor’s load limit, what about any other furniture you may also have around it? When calculating how much weight your floor will hold, always take into account things like couches, TVs, fridges, along with other bulky items.

Worth checking out: If you’re shopping for a solid home table, take a look at the Barrington Billiards 7.5ft Table on Amazon.

Related Articles

For more on this topic, check out pool table reviews, best pool tables for small spaces, standard pool table sizes, how heavy slate pool tables are, and how long pool tables last.