How to Apply Turntable Felt

One question that comes up from time to time is how to apply turntable felt. I’ve put together this article detailing the process I’ve used for decades. An assistant would be helpful but is not required. We have felt available in various sizes for purchase in our store.

1. Thoroughly remove the old felt from the turntable and scrape off the old residue with a steel wire brush.
2. Clean the outside edge of the turntable to an acceptable appearance and, while you’re at it, clean the inside and underneath parts, too. This will help prevent future issues such as rust from building up.
3. Stick a metal or wooden dowel into the turntable center so it sticks out about half an inch and clamp the dowel in a vise to securely hold everything.
4. Very lightly spray the turntable with an all-purpose spray adhesive, rotating the turntable so the spray does not get on the outside edge.
5. Place the felt with the “good” side down on a large sheet of paper (I use two opened sheets of newspaper).
6. Very lightly spray the entire surface of the felt.
7. Turn the felt over while avoiding handling of the sticky part of the felt too much. Let the felt droop a little. “Eyeball” the felt open center with the dowel and slip the felt over the dowel. If you have an assistant, s/he can push the felt center over the dowel down to the turntable to make contact.
8. Slowly lower the felt on to the turntable, avoiding making any ripples in the felt. Again, if you have an assistant available, s/he can smooth the felt while it is being lowered on to the turntable.
9. Finish pressing the felt to the turntable when it is completely put on.
10. Remove the turntable from the dowel and inspect the work.
11. Any felt that is over the edge of the turntable can be cut off with sharp scissors following the contour of the turntable. For an even better result, lay the turntable, felt-side down, on a cutting board or workbench. Then, pressing the rim of the turntable, use a sharp single-edge razor blade to cut off the excess felt, following the edge of the turntable while tilting the razor blade slightly inward toward the felt. This makes a slight angle on the felt and improves the appearance.

Excess glue spray on the turntable can be cleaned off with acetone. If the felt is too wrinkled before the gluing process, you can “iron” out the wrinkles somewhat by using a steaming hot clothes iron. With the felt over an ironing board, steam the felt, then place a steamed white sheet over the felt and press (not too much) to let the wrinkles out. If ironing is not desirable, you can often press out the wrinkles with your fingers – after the felt is glued to the turntable – by pressing down the wrinkles against the turntable. This will bond the felt to the turntable more securely and flatten the felt.  Be careful not to cause wrinkles! Good luck and enjoy your nice result!