How To Set Up A Dart Board

by Simon Phillips

A dart board is a great accessory to have in any games room, with all the different variations of darts games providing hours of entertainment for family and friends.  Here are a few helpful tips to bear in mind if you’re thinking of installing a dart board in your home:

• The location of your dart board is all important.  It may sound obvious, but it’s essential to make sure there’s enough space to play a decent game of darts.  As a guide you’ll need a clear area of around 11ft long by 5ft wide.  Try to locate your dart board away from doorways or anywhere people may need to walk through.  Not only can this be disruptive to the game, you don’t want to injure anyone with a stray dart!

Check that the wall where you’re mounting your dartboard is flat.  You can either fix a backboard behind your dart board to protect the surrounding wall from damage from dart tips, or you could install a cabinet.  Cabinets made especially for dart boards are useful for storing your darts and accessories, and enable you to close the doors on your board when it’s not in use.

• Also check that your floor is flat and doesn’t slope at all.  You may want to buy a dart mat to protect your flooring and to mark out the correct distance from the throw line to the board.  Mats are good for covering concrete floors, which can damage dart shafts, and for protecting wooden flooring that is prone to becoming dotted with holes over time.  Carpet is another option, but again it is subject to wear and tear.
   

• When hanging your dart board it’s important to take accurate measurements.  The proper vertical height should be exactly 5ft 8” (173 cms) from the middle of the bulls eye to the ground. 

If you don’t have a dart mat, you’ll need to mark out a throw line on the floor, using tape or chalk, or a piece of wood or metal. 

The throw line (measured horizontally from wall) should be exactly 7ft 9.25” (237 cms) from the board.

The diagonal distance from the centre of the bull to the back of the throwing line should be 9ft 7.5" (293.4 cms)**

Once you’ve got your board in position you can add the finishing touches, such as fixing a scoreboard on the wall next to the dart board and making sure there are some comfortable seats nearby for spectators.

**  Additional information provided by Chris Bond