Step 2 - Poker Table Supplies

Poker Table Supplies

Gathering the right supplies for your poker table will determine the quality of the finished product. For this reason you need to make sure that you get the right supplies the first time. It starts to get expensive if you continually buy the wrong supplies and have to replace them later on. We recommend that you read through the entire process before you buy anything. That way you will have a better idea of exactly what you are building and you'll be aware of minor adjustments that you may want to make to your poker table.

Wood

You're going to build your poker table primarily out of wood. What you need is 2 sheets of 8x4 1/2 inch particle board or ply wood. This wood is going to be covered by felt and vinyl so the finish is not at all important. You may choose to buy a 3rd sheet of wood of higher quality for a nice base that will show below the rail. Adding this 3rd sheet really makes the poker table look nice but it is in no way required. I use 3 sheets.

Playing Surface

This is a tougher task than the wood. The playing surface can be made of a lot of things and its completely up to you what you use. People use felt, casino cloth, billiard cloth, velvet, velveteen, and even micro suede. There are pros and cons to each fabric and I have written up a review of each HERE. For now I'll just tell you that I use Velveteen or Casino Cloth. Whatever you use you will need an 8x4 piece. Make sure not to get it any smaller than 8x4 or it may be hard to stretch over the surface of your poker table. Felt can be found HERE.

Vinyl

The railing of your poker table is generally upholstered in vinyl. Most people use the Whisper "Faux Leather" Vinyl. This is the vinyl that is on all my poker tables. It has a nice soft feeling, is easy to stretch, and is fairly cheap. You will need a piece that is no smaller than 4.5x9 and stretchable. Since its usually sold in 6' width, you would probably be better off getting a piece that is 6x10. I recomend this extra foot because the vinyl is tough to stretch tight and that extra bit to grab ahold of will show in the smoothness of the railing on your poker table. Vinyl can be found HERE.

Padding

For the surface of your poker table you will need a piece of 8x4 1/4" or 1/2" foam. For the railing you need to get a 9x4.5 1 inch piece of high density foam. If you want to save money you can get a smaller piece and put the rail foam together like a jigsaw puzzle but it really looks much nicer if you use one large piece. Padding can be found HERE.

Spray Adhesive

You will need at least 2 cans of spray adhesive. You're going to use this to keep the foam in place under the playing surface of your poker table. You'll also use it to keep the railing foam in place. Any brand will do.

Staples

You're going to use a ton of staples when you upholster your poker table. Since they're cheap I recommend that you buy more than you think you'll need. You'll be surprised at how many staples you actually use.

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