Table top modifications

In another thread people were talking about slowing the game down. Can the table top be modified in such a way it would slow the ball down? Similar to how clay slows a tennis ball down. Is it possible to use certain types of wood and paint to scrub speed off a table tennis ball?

I'm imagining a whole table with a frictionless long pips surface. Spin wouldn't be affected but it would certainly slow things down.

Imago wrote: Use outdoor melamine tables. They are slow and awful.

igorponger wrote: All the Rubber Floorings are known to damp down the ball bounce pretty much.

tt4me wrote: The bounce part is a myth.  OK, the bounce is is reduced by 0.001% but how can you notice that?  The variations in the wood density will be greater. The speed is going to be dependent on the friction of the table.  The ball spin will affect the speed if the table has more friction.  The tables with more friction will help chopped balls stall and spinny loops jump out after the bounce.

I think so too.  We had a long discussion about this on about.com and there are quite a few experienced players who think that the presence or absence of rubber mattes makes a clear difference. The problem is that nobody could come up with any reasonable explanation of why that would be true.  Further, nobody seemed to notice differences based on legs made of wood vs. steel or when equipped with plastic feet.  Given the mass difference between a ball and a table top, it seems extremely unlikely that the floor type makes any difference.  Ball seams and imperfections should have far more pronounced effects.

Table top surfaces, OTOH, make a clear difference.  We have new Butterfly Centerfold 25s in the club and Killerspin MYT10 tables.  The extra friction of the Butterflies is quite noticeable.

jrscatman wrote: I was going to test placing a OX pips rubber on the table surface to see how it would work - but forgot - try it next time I go to the club!

You are wasting your time.