The Setup

Choosing A Location: The proper place to hang a dart board can be a difficult choice:
  • The area should be a low-traffic area to decrease the risk of injuries.
  • There should be nothing breakable 2-3 feet on either side of the board and preferably nowhere near the board at all. Darts can bounce 8 feet or more off the board.
  • You need an empty area roughly 5 feet wide and 11 feet long. Although you can throw over items in the area, it can be VERY distracting. It is also annoying walking an obstacle course each time you pull your darts out of the board.
  • The floor should be considered in several ways:
    • A concrete, stone or tile floor will break darts and dull the points.
    • A wood floor will get lots of holes in it around the front of the board.
    • Linoleum or vinyl flooring will also get alot of holes.
    • Carpet will show ALOT of wear from the traffic between the board and the line.
    • You will need to mark the throw line with either tape, a sticker, or a screwed down wood or metal bar.
    Taking all this into consideration, you might want to think about purchasing a "dart mat". This is a roll out rubber mat that serves several functions. It protect the dart from breaking and dulling, it protects the floor and marks the proper distance to the throw line.
  • There should be adequate room for spectators and players when they are not throwing.
  • There needs to be a place for a score board in sight from the line, preferably right next to the board.
Hanging The Board: The board needs to be hung exactly 5 foot 8 inches from the floor to the CENTER OF THE BULLSEYE. Good quality boards are hung from the center, making this measurement easy. If you have a board that hangs from the top, you will have to measure the distance from the center of the bullseye to the hanger and add that to the height. If a back board is used to protect the wall around the board, this will also have to be centered around the board.

Marking The Throw Line: The throw line (also known as the oche, toe-line or hockey) should be about 3 feet wide. It may be made of tape, a store bought throw-line sticker, a piece of wood or metal. It should be placed exactly 7 foot 9 and 1/4 inches from the FACE of the board for a standard steel-tipped setup. For soft-tipped darts, the line should be 8 feet from the FACE of the board. (NOTE: Some British pubs use an 8 foot or 8 foot 6 inch measurement for steel tip darts.) To measure from the face of the board, have someone hold a plumb line from the bottom-front of the board to the floor. If you don't have a plumb line, you can use a piece of string with a pencil or dart tied to one end. Make sure the throw line is exactly perpendicular to the face of the board and centered with the board. This can be accomplished by measuring from the bullseye to each corner of the line.

sservan@ccis.com suggested a great idea. If you have a carpeted area where you are going to setup your dartboard, you can use a strip of wood or metal with the "hook" side of a piece of Velco attatched to the back as your throw line. You can stick it to the carpet when in use and it won't move, then just rip it up when your done.

Proper Setup Of A Darting Area:

Lighting: Proper lighting of the dart board is very critical. It is important to be able to tell exactly where the dart landed without moving from the throw-line. The ideal lighting is from 2 lamps mounted from the ceiling to the left and right of the board. Obviously, in a home this can be a little ugly and expensive. The main goal is to light it reasonably brightly and create as little shadow as possible. I mounted a little "piano light" (the kind you hang over a painting) that I bought at Ikea for $10.00 about 4 feet in front of the board on the ceiling. It works beautifully.