How to set up a dartboard at home

Short answer: mount the board so the bullseye is 5ft 8in from the floor with the 20 at the top, mark the throw line 7ft 9¼in horizontally from the board face, verify with the 9ft 7⅜in diagonal, fit wall protection, and light the board from above and in front. That is the whole job.

• A tape measure long enough for the diagonal — at least 10 feet.
• A spirit level, to check the board is vertical and the bracket is straight.
• A stud finder, or hollow-wall anchors. A dartboard alone is manageable; a cabinet with a board in it is not something to hang on a plasterboard screw.
• A pencil and something to mark the throw line.
• Wall protection — cabinet or surround. Fit it as part of the installation.

1. Choose the wall. You want about 11 feet of clear depth in front of it and roughly 2 feet either side of the board. Avoid a wall with a doorway behind the throwing position — see how much space you need.
2. Mark 5ft 8in on the wall. This is where the center of the bullseye goes. Measure from the finished floor, and if you are fitting a mat, measure from the top of the mat.
3. Fix the bracket. Most boards come with a mounting bracket and a center fixing. Get it level and into something solid — a board pulling off a wall takes plaster with it.
4. Hang the board with the 20 at the top. The black 20 segment goes directly above the bullseye. Check the bullseye is at exactly 5ft 8in once hung, not before.
5. Check the board is vertical with a spirit level held against the face. A board leaning forward or back changes where darts land relative to where you aim.
6. Measure the throw distance: 7ft 9¼in horizontally from the face of the board, at floor level, for steel tip. For soft tip, use the figure in your board's manual — commonly about 8ft.
7. Verify with the diagonal: 9ft 7⅜in from the center of the bullseye to the back edge of the throw line. If that measures correctly, everything else is right.
8. Mark the line permanently with a throw line marker, a mat or tape. An approximate line is the most common home setup fault.
9. Fit the surround or close up the cabinet, and check the doors still open and close freely.
10. Sort the lighting. Any light above and in front of the board. A ceiling fixture behind the player throws their own shadow on the target.

Quick picks

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up.

#	Product	Best for	Price
1	The board Viper Shot King Bristle Dartboard A genuine sisal board worth mounting properly.	Most home setups	Check price on Amazon
2	The wall protection Viper Metropolitan Dartboard Cabinet Fit it as part of the installation, not as a later repair.	Any board in a room people use	Check price on Amazon
3	The throw line Viper Throw Line Marker The cheapest part of the setup and the one that makes practice transfer.	Every installation	Check price on Amazon

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1. The board

Viper Shot King Bristle Dartboard

Viper (GLD Products)

Real sisal with a staple-free bull, at a price that suits a first proper installation.

What we like

• Staple-free bull
• Genuine sisal
• Rotating number ring
• Good value

Worth knowing

• Thicker wire than premium boards
• Wears with heavy use
• Needs wall protection

Who it’s wrong for

A household with small children — consider soft tip.

Check price on Amazon

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2. The wall protection

Viper Metropolitan Dartboard Cabinet

Viper (GLD Products)

A cabinet turns the installation into a finished piece of the room rather than a board screwed to plaster.

What we like

• Protects the wall
• Hides the board
• Scoreboard inside
• Looks intentional

Worth knowing

• Needs solid fixing
• Door clearance required
• Costs more than a surround

Who it’s wrong for

An electronic board, which needs a different mount.

Check price on Amazon

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3. The throw line

Viper Throw Line Marker

Viper (GLD Products)

Without a marked line, everyone stands somewhere slightly different and nobody improves consistently.

What we like

• Correct distance permanently marked
• Cheap
• Quick to fit
• Consistent foot position

Worth knowing

• Adhesive can mark some floors
• Check floor compatibility
• Easy to forget to buy

Who it’s wrong for

Nothing — every setup wants one.

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• Rotate the number ring every month or two. Sisal wears fastest at the treble twenty. Rotating spreads the wear and hugely extends the board's life.
• Keep a spare set of flights nearby. They break constantly, and a bent flight quietly ruins a throw before anyone notices why.
• Fit a mat if the floor is hard. It protects dart points, the floor, and often carries the throw line already marked.
• Put the scoreboard where you can reach it, not across the room. It is the difference between playing games and just throwing.
• Do not oil or dampen a bristle board. Old advice that circulates and is wrong — modern sisal boards need nothing but rotation.