Proper Pool Table Lighting for Your Home

The classic overhead pool table light fixture has become an iconic part of the pool table room look. In addition to their stylistic appearance, lighting fixtures for cue sports tables provide essential lighting for the game. Proper pool and billiard lighting ensures that players can clearly see each ball's position and minimizes shadows that can interfere with a shot. However, many classic and vintage fixtures have outdated light bulbs that cast dim or ultra-warm light over the playing surface which negatively impacts the game. Luckily, you can upgrade your old pool, snooker, or billiards light fixture with LEDs to provide bright game lighting.

Successful pool table lights should provide enough light to cover the main bed and the surrounding rails. For professional use, the World Pool-Billiard Association mandates that a pool table should receive at least 48 footcandles, or 517 lux, of light. This is equivalent to 517 lm/m². While not required for home use, this can be used as a guide for how bright your lighting should be.

The size of your pool or cue sport board should also be considered when determining how many lights should hang from above. The average pool table can be properly lit with 3-4 light bulbs in a single fixture, but you may need more lights for a longer table such as a snooker table.

Additionally, it is important to install your pool table light fixtures at a height that will not interfere with playing but will still distribute adequate light to the table. For example, you might accidentally hit your cue stick on a fixture that is hung too low. Many experts recommend hanging your light around 30” to 38” above the bed of your pool table.

The best replacement bulbs for vintage pool table fixtures are LEDs and CFL replacement bulbs. These lights are more energy-efficient and longer-lasting than their incandescent/halogen counterparts. LEDs also have the added benefit of offering different beam angles, colors, and color temperatures. For a wide light distribution over your pool table and to make sure your fixture is properly lit, choose LED bulbs with a flood light beam of 100 degrees or higher.

If you like the brightness of your incandescent lights but want to upgrade to energy-efficient LEDs, choose an LED bulb that has an equivalent wattage or the same lumen output as your current bulb. LED can produce the same brightness while consuming less energy, so if you were to choose an LED bulb with the same wattage as your incandescent, you would find that the LED is too bright. Instead, look for the equivalent wattage or find a bulb that has the same brightness.

Many experts suggest choosing lights with a color temperature of 4000K-5000K. This lighting is ideal for performing focused tasks. If you want to allow for greater customization, choose light bulbs with a selectable color temperature or that are dimmable so that you can adjust your lighting to what works best for your room.

The process to upgrade your vintage pool table light fixture is very simple. The base and voltageof your new LED light bulb must be the same as the bulb you are replacing. Most bulbs that fit into these fixtures will have a screw base. Next, determine the wattage of your old light bulbs (this can sometimes be found on the side of the bulb) and choose an LED bulb with an equivalent wattage. Finally, unscrew your old bulbs and replace them with your new ones.

We retrofitted a vintage Anheuser-Busch pool table light with LED light bulbs emitting 820 lumens in 4000K. Previously, the fixture used light bulbs emitting 720 lumens in 2700K. As you can see, the room is more brightly lit, and it is easier to see the pool table!

For more information on how to light entertainment rooms in your house, check out our guide to game room lighting here.