Your man cave would not be complete if it did not have some games for you to play. Enjoy some friendly competition with the guys or even have Dad over for some guy time. The dream is to have a fancy pool table, a great air hockey table, maybe some foosball, poker, or even some darts. Even if you have one of those tables there is always room for some darts in the corner and who doesn’t love a great game of darts?
Of course the ultimate goal is to have a fancy electronic dart board like you see at any bar with darts. A large arcade style machine that electronically keeps score and has pre-programmed games, but those machines come with a hefty price tag. Maybe you don’t have the budget for it at the moment, or maybe you do, but you would rather get that pool table and have darts, not just have a cool dart machine. Today we are going to tell you a super easy way to set up a dart area without breaking the bank, leaving plenty of cash to put into all the other parts of your room.
Here is how:
1.) First select the area that you want your dart board to be in and then take some measurements. A standard dartboard is going to measure 18” in diameter. You will need room for this plus at least 18” on each side for a total of 54” wide, you could go smaller, but if you have any friends that aren’t so good at darts you risk messing up your walls. Measure the ceiling height as well. A standard room with 8’ ceilings would mean your final measurements should be at least 54” wide x 96” high.
2.) Now you are going to take your measurements and get a piece of plywood, particle board, or MDF and cut it to that size to act as a backer board for your dart setup. This way you will protect the wall from all of the darts that miss the board (this is for your friends, not you; we know you are great at darts). This will also be acting as a scoreboard.
3.) Use chalkboard paint to paint the entire board. You can go with a standard black chalkboard if you want; you can’t go wrong with that or choose a color. There are a lot of options for chalkboard paint now. You can even make your own by doing a quick google search as there are many chalk board paint tutorials out there.
4.) After it dries you will secure it to the wall and hang a standard dartboard in the middle. A basic one like this Viper Shot King Bristle Dartboard can be found for as little as $25.00.
5.) Lastly, you will grab some chalk. If you want to add a shelf to hold darts when not in use or set the chalk on go for it. Add it under the dart board and make it a few inches wider than the dartboard for the best look. Add a screw in the top right corner as well and hang a towel from it to act as an eraser for the chalk and set up the score board to your first game. You are ready to go.
If you are like me and do not know every rule to every game or just need a refresher take a look at the following sites for rules to all the most popular games (like cricket) and some lesser known ones for when you really want to mix things up.
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