As someone who’s fond of playing darts, I’ve had my fair share of experiences setting up my game area for practice and leisure. However, the one thing that most players should know is that how and where the dartboard is placed can significantly affect the overall game. Hanging the dartboard in an unstable manner, especially on plasterboard or drywall, will make the whole game risky and unsatisfactory.
So can you hang a dartboard on plasterboard or drywall? To answer directly, yes, you can mount a dartboard on the plasterboard. However, it would be best to hang the board on a wall stud to help support the dartboard’s weight. Without it, the board might be too heavy for the wall to support, enough to rip the screws off the drywall.
How to Hang a Dartboard on Dry Wall
Now that you’re sure that there is no problem with hanging your dartboard on a plaster board, let’s proceed on how to hang it more securely.
When hanging a dartboard on a dry wall, the main goal is to make sure that the dartboard, which can go from 10 to 12 pounds heavy, will not end up ripping off the screws mounted on the plasterboard. This usually happens when the screws are loose or improperly placed, or drilled.
With that said, here are the steps on how to mount your dartboard effectively:
- Look for a stud in the area using a stud finder.
- Measure 68 inches from the floor to the stud and mark the spot. This spot will become the bottom cup area for the mounting bracket.
- Keep the bracket in place, open-side up, and allow the dartboard to slide in place.
- Mark the spots for the pilot holes using a pencil.
- Remove the bracket and drill shallow holes at the marked spots. Make sure to use something narrower than the screws you are going to use with the bracket.
- Move the mounting bracket to align the bracket holes with the drilled holes.
- Apply and tighten screws to secure your bracket.
Prepping the Dartboard
For the most part, dartboard cabinets and dartboards should come with either one of two hanger systems that assure ease of use for their users.
The first system includes a hanging wire and is mounted onto the wall with screws, while the other one is a bracket and flange system. The latter allows the board to slide in place on the wall easily.
This type of system is also used in mounting a dartboard inside the dartboard cabinet. Both include varying instructions for building depending on the brand and the type of enclosed mounting hardware.
Dartboard Distance and Height Regulations
Aside from the wall surface, you will also need to ensure that your dartboard is placed in a location with enough headroom and floor space to create a safe and regulated darting area. Overall, the dartboard must be hung ideally 68 inches away from the floor to the bullseye.
To know where to mark the throw line, measure the board’s thickness followed by a 9 and ¼-inch distance from the wall.
Then, add the two together and mark the spot where it stops. Upon mounting, you might need to alter the throw line location a little bit, especially when you consider the thickness of the mounting hardware.
Hanging Dartboard With Toggle Bolts and Anchors
Suppose the mounting process isn’t possible with studs. In that case, you can opt for heavy-duty toggle bolts or anchors as an alternative.
For drywall, it’s best to go for hollow metal or plastic anchors and toggle bolts, as these add up to the overall holding power. After all, nobody would want their dartboards to fall out of nowhere after some time.
Moreover, make sure that the toggle bolts and anchors used can hold the weight of your dartboard; otherwise, your efforts will be fruitless. You should use one on every spot where you would usually drill screws.
When hanging a dartboard cabinet, have one anchor near every corner and in every mounting hole you can find.
Hanging a Dartboard Without Screws
In some cases, you might have to opt for different ways to mount up your dartboard without having to drill walls on your walls, especially when drilling also means slightly damaging your walls just to secure your dartboard.
Fortunately, it is possible to use command strips instead of screws. Command strips can carry up to 16 pounds of weight and are the most practical alternative if you don’t want any damaged walls. The standard dartboard is around 10 to 12 pounds heavy, so it can be done for sure.
However, before you do so, there are a few things that you need to check first; otherwise, your dartboard might drop anytime.
First, make sure that your command strips can hold up the weight of your dartboard. It’s best to become familiar with its capacity, together with the type of dartboard you’ll hang and how much it weighs.
In addition, you should know that there are different variations of command strips; we have small, medium, large, and some other types.
If you have a standard dartboard, do not get small and medium command strips as these will not be able to carry all the weight of your dartboard. However, the medium-sized command strips can technically hold up to 12 pounds maximum that is still taking it to its limits, and are risky.
So, your best bet would be to choose the large command strips as these can hold objects that are up to 16 pounds, like mirrors, framed pictures, and the like. They also give more leeway, which makes it a more stable choice.
The Best Thing to Put Behind The Dartboard
Following the usage of command strips instead of screws to avoid puncturing holes into your wall, the next thing you should consider is putting a backboard behind the dartboard to prevent darts from poking a hole when thrown.
In this case, you can either use corks, covered cardboard, or soft wood planks. It is basically just something that adds cushion to the dart’s hit and prevents any unwanted holes in the wall.
