Darts is a chill, fun game for family, friends, and even yourself. But, since it uses a board hanging on a wall, it’s essential to ensure it’s appropriately placed. You can’t play darts with a board that’s too low or too high. There are also other standard requirements you need to follow. This includes flooring, room space, and among others.
This article will provide a step-by-step process for setting up your professional dart board at home. Learn what requirements you must meet and the measurements you need to follow. This way, you can ensure that you can play darts safely and comfortably.
8 Steps in Setting Up a Professional Dart Board
You should be in the right playing environment for a proper darts play. Here’s how to set up that environment:
1. Choose a Location and Evaluate Space
Decide on the room or location where you want to play darts. Make sure it’s an open space without much furniture or any obstacles that can crowd it. Ideally, it’s best if the area is about 5 ft wide and 11 ft long, as long as it’s clear, so you can easily retrieve the darts after each throw. You’ll also need that space for the other players and spectators.
2. Prepare a Suitable Flooring
The floor between your throwing line and dartboard can take a beating during your plays. At the same time, different floor materials can also easily damage your darts. This is why choosing the right type of floor surface is important when setting up everything. Examples are hardwood floors, concrete, and rubber flooring. However, customizing your flooring can be costly.
It’s best to use a mat and lay a protective surface on the floor. This will ensure a suitable flooring for playing darts. Use a roll-out rubber dart mat to protect both floors and darts from getting damaged.
3. Choose the Right Wall
Consider which wall you’ll place and hang the board. Strategically place it on a wall that will ensure the safety of both players and spectators. Choose an isolated wall far from doorways or high-traffic areas with breakable items.
Avoid a wall near windows as well since darts can backfire in any direction, which can cause injuries to people who didn’t know it was coming. If you live in an apartment, choose a wall that won’t be too noisy and disturb your neighbors while playing darts.
It’s also best to protect your wall with a protective board. This can be made of plywood, foam, or a cork. This prevents damaging your wall when you miss the dartboard when playing.
4. Make and Mark Hanging Measurements
Once you’ve determined the setting, it’s time to measure where the board should be placed and hung. You need to follow official and standard measurements for the bullseye's center. Take note of these measurements:
- Distance from floor to bullseye: 1.73 m or 5’ 8”
- Distance from floor to bullseye (wheelchair POV): 1.37 m or 4.5’
This standard applies to whatever kind of dart board you have: soft, steel, in a cabinet, and others. Once you’ve made the measurements, mark that bullseye position. This is where you’ll attach and hang your board.
5. Mount and Hang Your Dart Board
Dartboards should be mounted flush against the wall. There are three main ways you can do that:
Mounting Directly on the Wall
If you’ll be mounting directly on your wall, make sure the wall is made of wood or concrete. It’s also best not to use heavy-duty anchor screws since it can damage the board and the wall. Use metal hangers when mounting it on the wall instead, and make sure it has a good weight capacity and can keep the board flushed against the wall.
Hanging the Board With a Metal Bracket
Most dartboards come with a basic metal bracket kit. This kit includes a U-shaped hanging bracket, a center screw, and spring clips. This kit must level the board against the backing surface or wall. Here’s how to set everything up:
- Directly screw the center screw into the back of the board.
- Spread out the spring clips evenly on the back as well.
- Mount the U-shaped wall bracket while ensuring the bottom of the U-slot is at the bullseye mark.
After that, you can simply slide the board with the screw into the slot. It should fit and would have minimal to no movement. Also, make sure that the bullseye is still at 1.73 m.
Mount Using a Disc Mount Kit
Some dart boards come with disc mount hanging kits as well. These kits include two main pieces: the disc and a wider U-shaped bracket. It works like the previous kit, but it doesn’t use a center screw screwed directly into the back of the board. With this kit, you screw the whole disc into the center back of the board.
This kit doesn’t have spring clips as well since the disc and bracket will keep the board flushed and secured. Still, make sure the wall bracket is placed so that the center of the bullseye is at 1.73 m.
6. Check Stability
Once everything is mounted, make sure to check its stability. If you’re using a cabinet for your dart board, check if it’s also stable. Try testing it to see if it won’t wiggle or move when darts are thrown. If there’s any sign of instability, check the screws and tighten them.
7. Measure and Mark the Throwline
The last standard measurement you need to make and follow is the throwline. This is also called the oche or toe-line and is a marked line where you’ll throw your dart from. Its distance from the wall should be 2.37 m or 7’ 9.25” and marked with a throwline sticker or tape. Make sure it’s centered and perpendicular to the face of the board as well.
8. Add Adequate Lighting
A good dartboard setup isn’t complete without adequate lighting. You don't have to use fancy lights. This ensures the dartboard is bright enough. You can add a simple spotlight above the board or slightly away from it and angled back.
Conclusion
A proper setup is required to play darts. You have to make sure that your professional dart board is placed in the right position. So you can safely and comfortably enjoy playing with friends and family. Follow the steps above to make sure everything is aligned correctly.
If you’re looking for some dart boards, you can check out our darting products collection. We have different kinds and styles of boards, from modern to electric and even classic ones!
