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Hanging a Dartboard
Before you can play, you have to set up the dartboard and space to
play in. This chapter explains what it takes to hang your board and set the
room up for ideal game play.
Choosing Your Playing Area
Because darts involves projectiles with sharp points, safety is an
important consideration. Here are some basic guidelines that you should use
to help you decide where to place your board.
- The throwing area should be at least 5 feet wide and 11 feet long.
- Breakable objects should be at least 8 feet from the board. This isn't just because of the potential for bad throws--darts often bounce back off the board and can go in any direction.
Flooring is an important consideration, too:
- Concrete floors will dull the darts.
- Wood and linoleum floors will get holes in them.
- Carpet will quickly show wear from the throw line to the board.
- Dart mats are the best for protecting carpet.
The make-up of the wall behind the board is also important:
- There should be several feet around the board that will not get damaged by, or damage, the darts.
- Like floors, hard walls will dull darts, and softer walls will inevitably be filled with holes.
- Dart backboards protect the wall and your darts.
Hanging the Dartboard
- The dartboard should be hung with the center of the bull's-eye exactly 5' 8" above the floor.
- Backboards must be centered around the board.
- Make sure that the dartboard and the backboard (if you have one) are both firmly attached to the wall. Drywall alone is not usually strong enough to hold the weight of a board—the screw should be mounted into a wall stud if at all possible.
Marking the Throw Line
A throw line is a mark on the floor that tells players where to stand
when they are ready to throw. Throw lines can be home made, but
decorative plastic throw lines are also available for purchase.
- The throw line should be 3 feet wide.
- For steel tip darts, place the line 7 feet, 9 1/4 inches from the front of the board.
- For soft tip darts, place the line 8 feet from the front of the board.
- To find the front of the board, tie a string around the shaft of a dart and hold the other end of the string at the bull's-eye. Let the dart hang just above the ground and when it's not swinging it will point to the place on the ground to measure from.
- Secure the throw line to the ground well, as it will be kicked around a lot during play.
Lighting
Lighting is important because it can affect game play.
- Two small overhead lights are best to avoid shadows.
- The thrower needs to be able to see where a dart lands without leaving the throw line.
- Dart lights work best.
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