Choosing A Location
- 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.
- There needs to be a place for a score board in sight from the line, preferably right next to 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.
- There should be adequate room for spectators and players when they are not throwing.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 lots of holes.
- Carpet will show a lot of wear from the traffic between the board and the line.
Hanging The Board & Marking The Throw Line:
The board needs to be hung with the CENTER OF THE BULLSEYE exactly 5 foot 8 inches (68 inches / 172.72cm) in height from the base of the floor at the Throw Line. The Throw Line (also known as the oche, toe-line or hockey) should be about 2 feet / 600mm 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 ¼ inches (93 ¼ inches / 236.85cm) from the FACE of the board.
To be sure that your measurements are correct, first make sure that your floor is level and not on a slope. Then, measure the height of the Bull, and fix your dart board in place. After this, measure FROM the Bullseye TO the Throw Line with a distance of 9 foot 7 inches (115 inches / 2931mm). Then fix your Throw Line to the floor. If you are using tape or a sticker for your Line, make sure that the back edge of the tape is your line. (Imagine that the tape is a block of wood that you cannot stand over.)
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 protects the floor from wear & tear and marks the proper distance to the throw line. (Just make sure that the front edge of the mat is parallel with the front edge of the Dart Board.)
Proper lighting of the dart board is very critical. It is important (for both the Players & Checker) to be able to tell exactly where the dart landed without moving from their position. The ideal lighting can be obtained from many light sources.
Here are 2 ideas:
- 2 Lamps (or more) mounted from the ceiling, to the left and to the right of the board.
- 1 Flourescent Tube (with shield) mounted parallel to the Dart Board, about 1 foot away.
The main goal is to light the area as reasonably bright as possible, to create as little shadow as possible.