The Complete Guide
Custom Made Table Tennis Table Covers — The Australian Owner's Complete Guide
An outdoor table tennis table is a piece of equipment that sees regular use and year-round weather. The playing surface is the most valuable part of the table, and it is also the most sensitive to moisture. This guide covers how to measure and protect it properly.
Why the playing surface needs protection
The playing surface on a table tennis table is a compressed fibreboard or medium-density fibreboard panel with a melamine or resin coating. Indoor tables use panels that are not moisture-resistant at all. Outdoor tables use panels designed to handle occasional moisture, but they are not immune to prolonged exposure.
When a table surface absorbs moisture, the fibreboard swells unevenly. The edges swell more than the centre because that is where moisture enters first. Over a season or two of Australian rain and humidity, an unprotected outdoor table will develop warped edges that cause the ball to bounce differently near the sides. In more severe cases the surface can delaminate or the frame can warp enough to affect the table's fold mechanism.
Covering the table between uses prevents this. The cover keeps rain off the surface, reduces the humidity gradient between the top and underside of the panel, and extends the life of the playing surface significantly.
How to measure
Length
Measure the full outside length of the table from end to end in its flat, open position. A standard tournament table is 274 cm long, but outdoor models and different brands vary. Some are 270 cm or 275 cm. Measure yours directly.
Width
Measure the full outside width from side to side. Standard is 152 cm, but again, outdoor models vary. Some sport tables and mini tables are considerably different.
Height
Height runs from the ground to the playing surface — the top of the table. A standard table is 76 cm high. The cover drops over the top and hangs down the sides to the correct depth based on this measurement.
Remove the net and posts before measuring. Do not include the net post height in the height measurement. The cover fits the table, not the net.
Why you should measure even a standard table
It is tempting to order a cover based on the standard 274 x 152 x 76 cm dimensions. The problem is that those dimensions are not perfectly consistent across all brands. Some manufacturers round slightly, some add a few millimetres to the frame, and some outdoor models are built to different specs altogether.
A cover that is 2 cm too short on the length hangs correctly at one end but gaps at the other. Over a wet season, that gap lets moisture in at exactly the point where the table panel is most vulnerable to edge swelling.
Measuring takes two minutes and guarantees the cover fits correctly.
Material
The cover is 200gsm solution-dyed polyester with a waterproof polyurethane underside. The face fabric is UV-stable, which matters for a table that lives outdoors and may have the cover on it for months at a time.
The PU underside keeps rain from soaking through to the playing surface. Water runs down the sides of the cover rather than sitting on top and finding its way through seams or under the edge of the cover.
At 200gsm the fabric is heavy enough to stay in place on the table in normal wind without needing to be tied or weighted down.
Care
Brush any leaves or debris off the top before fitting the cover. Check occasionally that the cover is sitting flat across the table and has not shifted to one side. Rinse with a garden hose every few months to clear dust and pollen. Do not machine wash. Allow to dry before storing during the off-season.