A Rug for a Games Room or Pool Table

A rug under a pool table should reach at least 3 ft beyond the table on every side, so players stand on it while they shoot. It must be low and firm, because a heavy slate table needs a level base, and dark enough to forgive chalk, which for most home tables means a 10x14 ft or 12x15 ft rug.

Should a pool table go on a rug?

A pool table can go on a rug if the rug is large enough for players to stand on and firm enough to keep the table level. If either condition fails, the table is better on a bare floor with a rug in the seating area instead.

A games room is a growing idea in Indian homes: a basement in a Delhi farmhouse, a terrace room in a Bengaluru villa, or a spare room in a large apartment given to pool, carrom, cards and a television. The floor is usually tile or stone, which is cold, loud and unforgiving when a ball drops.

A rug changes all of that, but only if it is sized to the game. A rug the size of the table itself is the most common mistake, because the player ends up with one foot on the rug and one on the floor at every shot.

Table tennis is the exception to everything in this guide. Players move fast and sideways, and a rug under a table tennis table slides and catches feet, so keep that game on a bare or sports floor and put the rug in the seating corner.

What size rug fits under a pool or snooker table?

A rug under a pool or snooker table should be the table's outer size plus at least 3 ft on every side. That covers where a player stands and leans, though the full cue stroke needs more clear room beyond.

Table	Approximate outer size	Rug size	Room needed with a 58 inch cue
7 ft pool table	About 4x7 ft	10x14 ft	About 12x16 ft
8 ft pool table	About 4.5x8 ft	12x15 ft	About 13x17 ft
9 ft pool table	About 5x9.5 ft	Made to measure, about 11x16 ft	About 14x18 ft
Full size snooker, 12 ft	About 6x12 ft	Made to measure, or none	About 16x22 ft
Carrom board on the floor	About 3x3 ft	6x9 ft	Room for four players seated

Table and room sizes vary by maker, so measure your own table rail to rail. For a pool table rug, choose one size larger over one size smaller, because a rug that ends where the player stands is worse than no rug.

The larger sizes are where made to measure helps. Rugberry makes any design to measure, so a rug can be drawn to your table and room rather than the nearest stock size. Our guide to made to measure rugs explains how to measure.

Which pile height works under a heavy table?

A low, firm pile of about 7 to 14 mm works under a heavy table, which in the Rugberry range means the handloom Cabra and Grain weaves. A slate bed pool table can weigh several hundred kilograms, and on a deep pile its legs sink unevenly and the playing surface goes out of level.

Lay the rug first, then have the table set up and levelled on top of it. Moving or adding a rug under a table that is already levelled almost always means calling the fitter back.

A rug also quiets the room. A dropped ball on vitrified tile is loud enough to carry through a house, and a dense wool rug under the table turns that crack into a soft knock, which matters in a basement under the living room or a room next to a bedroom.

The Cabra Wool & Jute Rug in Rust is a handloom weave at 7 to 8 mm, about as firm as a rug gets. Its regular price is ₹1,19,000 for 10x14 ft and ₹1,53,000 for 12x15 ft, ex GST at the time of writing.

Wide cups under each table leg spread the load, and the legs will still leave marks over time. Treat the rug under a pool table as staying in place, and do not drag the table across it.

What about carrom, chess and board games on the floor?

For carrom and board games played on the floor, a 6x9 ft rug in a low, firm pile gives four players room to sit around the board. Carrom in particular is a floor game in most Indian homes, and the board needs a flat, stable surface.

Low and firm for the table. Warm and dense for the people sitting round it.

Carrom powder is the one real hazard. It drifts off the board and settles into the pile, so lay a cotton sheet under the board during play, shake it outside afterwards and vacuum the rug on a low setting.

Chess, cards and board games usually happen on a coffee table, with players on the sofa and floor cushions. The Ombré Dusk Rug, hand tufted in New Zealand wool at 14 to 16 mm in a slow gradient from light to deep, gives that corner of a games room a calm floor. Its regular price is ₹44,000 for 5x8 ft and ₹87,000 for 8x10 ft, ex GST at the time of writing.

For a family that plays on the floor every evening, a dense pile is kinder to knees than a thin flatweave. Keep a few firm floor cushions at hand so players are not leaning on the board for support.

How do you deal with chalk dust and spills?

Deal with chalk dust by keeping it dry: brush it out with a soft dry brush, then vacuum. Water turns blue chalk into a stain that spreads, so never reach for a wet cloth first.

• Chalk on the rail. Keep cue chalk in a holder on the table or a wall rack, never on the rug.
• Brush, then vacuum. Lift chalk from the pile with a dry brush and vacuum with a brush head and no beater bar.
• Drinks off the floor. Give glasses a side table or a shelf at the wall, away from the rug.
• Blot spills. Press a dry microfibre cloth onto any drink and blot with a little lukewarm water.

A games room with a bar corner follows the same rules as a home bar. Our guide to a home bar rug covers glasses and spills, and our guide to a rug for a high traffic area covers heavy use.

What colour and pattern suit a games room?

Dark and mid tones with some pattern suit a games room best. Charcoal, black, rust and deep brown hide chalk, scuffs and the grey dust of a basement, and a pattern breaks up whatever does show.

The Mosaic Wool Rug is hand tufted in black New Zealand wool drawn with fine ivory lines, at 14 to 16 mm. It sits well under the green or blue cloth of a pool table and costs ₹1,29,000 for 10x14 ft and ₹1,66,000 for 12x15 ft, ex GST at the time of writing.

The Clique Wool Rug in Pitch Black is hand tufted at 14 to 16 mm, a deep black field for a card or chess corner. A warm alternative is the Grain Wool Rug in Tan, handloom woven at 12 to 14 mm, ₹37,000 for 5x8 ft at regular price before GST. Rugberry's charcoal and black rugs collect more dark options.

Think about the light over the table too. A low pendant throws a bright pool onto the cloth and a little onto the floor around it, and a dark rug keeps that pool contained, so the table glows and the room around it stays quiet.

How do you stop a games room rug from shifting?

Stop a games room rug from shifting with a full size felt underlay and by letting heavy furniture hold it. Under a pool table the table itself pins the rug, but the edges near the walls and seating still need grip.

Watch the rug edge where players step back with a cue. A curling corner in that spot is a trip hazard in a room where people are looking at the table, not their feet, so keep corners flat and the underlay cut 2 inches inside the rug edge.

Leave a clear path from the door to the table and the seating, with no rug edge running across it at an angle. In a room where people carry drinks and cues, a straight, square layout is safer as well as calmer.

On polished stone in a basement, check the floor under the rug in the monsoon for damp. Our guide to rug pads on Indian floors explains which underlay suits which floor.

Frequently asked questions

What size rug do I need for an 8 ft pool table?

About 12x15 ft. That leaves roughly 3 ft or more of rug beyond the table on every side, so a player's feet stay on the rug while shooting.

Can you put a pool table on a thick rug?

It is not a good idea. A deep pile lets a heavy slate table settle unevenly, so choose a low, firm rug and have the table levelled after the rug is down.

How do I get pool chalk out of a wool rug?

Brush it out dry with a soft brush, then vacuum. Do not use water first, because wet chalk spreads and stains.

Is a rug a good idea for a carrom room?

Yes, a low, firm rug makes floor play warmer and more comfortable. Lay a cotton sheet under the board to catch carrom powder.

What colour rug is best for a games room?

Dark or mid tones such as charcoal, black, rust and deep brown, ideally with some pattern. They hide chalk dust, scuffs and drink marks.

Size the rug to the player, not the table. See Rugberry 12x15 ft rugs. Material first.