Pool Table Slate Vs. MMDF

Pool tabletops vary in their price and durability.

After deciding to get a pool table, you will next decide on a slate or man-made medium density fiberboard for your table's playing surface. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

Cost

MMMDF tabletops -- made from compressed pieces of sawdust or wood, comparable to particleboard -- cost considerably less than slate tabletops. Slate, as a natural stone, comes in one large piece or separated into three sections, and can cost three times as much as a table made with MMMDF.

Durability

Much less prone to warping than their MMMDF counterparts, slate tables provide the quality you would expect at the tournament level. Water and humidity resistant, slate tops last much longer than fiberboard, especially in damp or humid environments such as basements and some Southern states.

Portability

Fiberboard weighs considerably less than slate, making it easier to move around the house, down to the basement, into the garage or wherever you want to move it. Once you have a slate table, moving it would present a challenge.

References

• Top of the Cue: MFD vs. Slate Bed Pool Tables
• PoolTablesFast.com: How to Select the Perfect Pool Table