Hanging your dartboard on a door may sound simple. Hammer a nail into your door, place your dartboard on it, and call it a day.
Although it is simple to hang a dartboard, there are proper measurements and procedures you need to take to get the best experience possible when placing a dartboard on your door.
First you’ll need to decipher the material of your door to determine what you’ll need to hang it, measure proper dartboard height, and then consider the safety of your location.
Inspect the Door and Its Surroundings
Grab the measuring tape and find out the dimensions of your door. Before hanging the dartboard, ask yourself the following questions:
- Will the dartboard cover too much or too little space across the width the door?
- Is the door solid or hollow?
- Does the door have enough sturdiness and stability or will you have to create backboard support? Do you have to reinforce the door itself?
- Is there enough clearance around the door in relationship to the board in case of stray darts?
- Can you use a standard hanging kit, hanging door anchors or will you have to come up with something else?
Clearance ; Measurements
Wherever your dartboard sits, it should be 5ft. 8in. from the floor beginning at the bull’s eye. Some people prefer to start measuring from the top rather than the center of the bull’s eye. There should be enough clearance around the board on the door.
Then configure the throwing space to the board. You have to make sure you have enough length and width to accommodate a normal game. About 3ft. wide by 10-11ft. long should be sufficient. When you play, you’ll stand about 7-8ft. away from the board.
Solid vs Hollow Doors
Solid doors will provide excellent support for a dartboard. But if it’s a high-quality wood or made of some other luxury material, you may want to consider a different door. Hollow doors do present some difficulty in securing the dartboard.
The important thing is to determine the door’s material and test its stability. Will it handle a nail or screw going through it? Or will you have to use an adhesive, like liquid nails?
Hollow Door Considerations
The material makeup of your door will determine its installation. Thicker and sturdier materials might be able to hold a direct mount and weaker, flimsier materials will require reinforcement. There are many ways to do this.
Weaker, thin woods, like pine, will need reinforcement with plywood or cardboard. More stable wood, like oak, can take direct mounting with a standard hanging kit. But some materials may be better suited to an adhesive, like liquid nails.
Reinforcing a Hollow Door
If your door is really flimsy, filling it up with some kind of material might be an option. You could try sand, foam, old towels or some other filler that will give it more inner support. Then reinforce the door with plywood or cardboard.
It may be quicker to affix the dartboard to a back support with some liquid nails or other strong cement adhesive. Then nail or screw the dartboard into the backboard. Finally, affix the backed dartboard to the door. This will help mitigate eventual and unavoidable damage to the door.
Hanging the Dartboard on the Door
Whatever you choose as a back support, don’t use duct tape to keep it in place. You’ll want a strong adhesive like liquid nails or more practical tools like thick nails or screws.
Keep in mind that you’ll also have to secure the dartboard, so having a drill might be necessary. Also, plan how many holes you want to drill before hand so that you don’t weaken the door.
Hanging Kits, Adhesives ; Fixtures
Most manufacturers include a U bracket and screws with their dartboards complete with directions. Always refer to their recommendations and instructions; adjust as needed.
Other dartboard companies provide a hook to place it over door without having to use screws, industrial adhesives or other destructive means. Plus, its portability means you’ll only have to determine the space required between the throwing point and the board.
Hollow Door Anchors
In the case of direct mounting for a stable hollow door, you can use special anchors. These are usually plastic and fold flat to fit inside a drilled pilot hole into the door.
This anchor assortment kit features many different types anchors, including hollow-door anchors, and comes with the necessary hardware needed to hang your dartboard on a door.
You’ll use a tiny key to open the anchor. This forces the brackets to spread out, which then latch the anchor’s ring against the face of the door. A screw finally goes into the anchor until it’s secure.
Liquid Nails
Liquid nails are quick but there is some wait time involved. Squeeze the adhesive onto the bracket or door. You want to make sure that the adhesive will give entire coverage over the surface of the bracket. Wait 30 seconds to allow for slight tackiness and then place the bracket over the it.
We recommend using the liquid nails for small projects variant. Other variants are more harsh and are only used for construction purposes.
This should dry within 8 hours minutes but you will have to wait at least 24 hours before hanging the dartboard. If the board is heavy, you’ll have to wait longer. It takes about a week for the formula to reach full staying power.
Command Strips
If you have serious concerns about damaging the door, going with something more removable, then command strips are a perfect solution. The standard board weighs around 11 pounds. Command strips comprise paired Velcro that can hold up to 16 pounds, making the large-sized ones great for a dartboard.
3M is the brand we recommend for command strips. These 3M command strips can hold up to 16 pounds, which is more than enough to hang a dartboard with.
First, clean the surface of the door. Don’t use wood polish or too much water, the command strips will not hold. Applying rubbing alcohol with a soft cloth will make sure the surface of the door and the back of the board are dry and free of schmutz.
Next, match the tacky parts of the strips together. You will need at least four pairs of these; the more strips there are, the stronger adhesion will be. Peel off one side of the protective tab and attach to the board.
Orientate the strips on the back of the board in both vertical and horizontal directions. Press them down for 30 seconds.
Lift the board to the door and mark its location with pencil or chalk. Remove the other tabs and carefully place it over the marks. Press the board onto the door for a full half second and leave it undisturbed for an hour.
DIY Configurations
If your board doesn’t have a hanging kit, then you can design one or buy a mounting kit from a hardware or home improvement store. If you want it from the top of the door and removable, there are some portable kits available.
Otherwise, you could make one out of an old belt or wire coat hanger or some other sturdy material. You could affix these to the door with screws, nails, command strips or liquid nails.
Final Thoughts
If a lot of people often use the same door as your dartboard, be smart and think about the logistics. Even if you plan to use soft-tipped darts, it can present a total safety hazard and cause serious injuries.
Also, make sure stray darts won’t hit electrical boxes, power outlets, cabinets, windows or other places presenting a danger.
Hanging a dartboard on a door, especially if it’s hollow, can be a bit difficult to configure at first. But if you have the right clearance, measurements, supplies and situation, it can make for a fun and sporting addition to a recreation space in your home.