McClure Shuffleboards New Traditional Shuffleboard Playing Surface Finish

We have been in the game room industry for over 35 years. Most of that past was in the sales and service of billiards, games, and shuffleboard tables. I started as a billiard mechanic (someone who installs and repairs pool tables) at 19. Throughout our history, we have had retail stores in Arizona and Texas. Still, for the last 7 years, we have focused exclusively on manufacturing and selling shuffleboard tables available on our website. Throughout history, we have heard the pros and cons of the polymer-epoxy bar-top-poured shuffleboard finish. 

      At one point in Texas, when we ran our retail store, we sold some game room furniture to a customer and were asked to move his shuffleboard from his old house to his new game room. He had a 40- to 50-year-old American Shuffleboard®, and it was probably in a commercial location before he brought it home. He asked if we could get the top refinished, and we said, "Sure." At the time, we called Champion Shuffleboard® in Texas, and they gave us a price to have the board refinished with a new polymer top. They did a nice job on the top, but once installed, it took less than an hour before the customer called us to ask us to remove it and return his old finish. He did not like the epoxy. It was not what he was used to. 

     We called Champion Shuffleboard®, but they did not do a traditional finish. They referred us to a person who ran a repair route in Oklahoma that went to commercial locations and refinished boards or replaced them with traditionally finished boards. He was very happy once we got him a new top with a traditional finish. 

     We would like to point out some things we know about the differences from other finishes and why polymer tops are offered and preferred. The main reason was for commercial use. The lacquers and shellacs used 50 to 60 years ago simply couldn't withstand heavy use. The top surface would wear off after a few years, and the board surface would need a new finish. 

    However, in the past, they used all hard maple to make the board tops, which were resistant to dings and dents when people dropped pucks on the boards, so the wood remained in good shape, and only the chemical coating needed replacement. I have seen boards in a commercial location for maybe up to 10 years and then in a customer's home for 50 years, still with the original finish or, at best, one extra coat of shellac put on top at once. These boards have a few dents and dings, but if we get one that's 60 years old in this good shape, we simply scuff-sand it and apply a new finish. There is no need to sand down the top in a planner/sander machine and put on a completely new finish. 

    How can we tell if the board has ever been run through a sander and/or planner and resurfaced? It is simple; the original old boards were all hard rock maple and a full 3' thick. " Less than" indicates that work has been done. The main reason was that the board would be resurfaced a few times over its history and that 3' thickness would allow for a new surface sanding through a machine periodically. I have seen old boards only 2.5 inches thick, so they may have been a few times throughout their history. Today, many boards are made out of soft maple, and because they pour an epoxy top over the wood, any impact on dents and dings will not affect the soft maple's softer nature.  

    However, this epoxy is basically like a sheet of Plexiglas. The main reason manufacturers use soft maple is that it is less expensive and easier to machine. Also, if they use a radio-frequency press to glue up the boards, they can get by with a lower-wattage generator, since soft maple is easier to glue and laminate. Another feature of the polymer top boards is that they do not need to be filled in or sanded before pouring the polymer, with as much care, because slight imperfections will be covered by the plastic. The polymer is a poured epoxy in a liquid form, and it will self-level and fill in any slight variations in the top. They will also surface the board down to 2 ¾ inches thick before they pour the polymer, so they can often start with only 3' wide boards when manufacturing the board. 

    With the traditional type finish, we use hard maple wood just like they did 60 years ago, so it is resistant to dents and dings. We also have to start with three ¼-inch-thick pieces of wood, as after we surface it before the finish, it will net out to a full 3 inches thick. We also have to take much more care to fill in and ensure the top is perfectly flat and surfaced both top and bottom with no imperfections before the finishing work. With today's new finish materials, you can lay down surfaces that are virtually all solids, 3 to 4 mils thick. We worked with our finish supplier to develop a formula that we were confident enough to offer a lifetime warranty while still retaining the natural feel and beauty of maple wood. 

     McClure Tables makes many traditional-style shuffleboard tables better suited for the traditional finish. Many are replicas of shuffleboards made in the late 40s and 50s, so we decided to switch to a traditional finish on all our shuffleboard playing surfaces. Not only can you see the difference, but you can also hear the difference. See our latest shuffleboard YouTube video here, or see below the features of our new finish: