How to create the ultimate home darts setup

You’ve seen the professionals playing on TV. You might have even tried it out for yourself in the pub with your friends. But now you want to have your own darts setup at home! Building your own dart room setup is easier than you think and once you have it all put together, you’ll have hours and hours of fun playing against your family and friends or practicing by yourself.

In this blog, we will walk you through how to create the ultimate home darts setup, from choosing the right dartboard and darts for you, to installing it properly. This guide will also give you some handy tips on caring for your very own 'darts corner' and how to improve your darts set up at home as your skills improve. Keep reading below to find out how to create the best dart setup in your own home!

Where do you want to play darts?

The first decision you will have to make when creating your darts home setup is where you’re going to play. Do you already have a dedicated 'man cave' or a room for your dartboard?

Darts is most commonly an indoor sport, so if your dartboard is being put up in your home then steel tip or soft tip boards are both options for you. If you’re worried about damaging your walls with any stray darts, then a soft tip dartboard is recommended, as the points on soft tip darts are made of plastic, rather than the sharp metal used for steel tip darts. A soft tip board is also a safer option for families with young children as the darts are less dangerous than in steel tip.

If you are looking for a more portable option for your dartboard, instead of hanging it up on the wall, then take a look at our range of travel stands. One of the advantages of a dartboard stand is that you can set your board up on the stand and then take it down when you’re not playing.

If you plan on playing darts outdoors, then you will be looking for a dartboard for steel tip darts. A soft tip dartboard is electronic and will often require power for it to be used properly, which makes it more difficult to be set up outdoors. Make sure your dartboard is covered when not in use outside or bring it indoors after playing to avoid any damage from the weather.

Making the right choice of dartboards

Let’s start with one of the most important items – the dartboard itself. When creating your darts setup at home, you’ll need a board that’s going to meet your requirements. Once you have decided on either steel tip or soft tip darts, the next step is to pick a dartboard to play on.

If you want a board at the lower end of the price scale, but still want something that will give you plenty of performance, then the Unicorn Striker Dartboard and the Shot Rogue Dartboard are two great options. These two steel tip (bristle/sisal) dartboards are both great value and are labelled as ‘entry level’ or ‘starter level’ boards.

The Mission Samurai Infinity Dartboard is one of the leading choices for players looking for a top-quality steel tip dartboard. The Samurai Infinity is manufactured from the highest quality sisal material and features ultra-thin wire construction, making it the ideal pick for darters seeking a professional-like setup at home.

For soft tip, our electronic dartboards range features options from leading brands such as XQMax, Viper and Harrows and all at different price points, which means you can choose the board that matches your budget.

Read our dartboard buying guide for an in-depth look at all of the different boards available and to help you make your choice. Don’t forget to customise your new dartboard with a surround and lighting for the ultimate at home setup.

Choose the right darts for your budget and style of play

To play darts you’ll obviously need a set of darts to play with! Choosing the right darts is what will make the biggest impact on the level of your play – so it’s important to get this part right! Darts Corner carries a huge range of steel tip and soft tip darts in a variety of different weights, shapes, designs and sizes, which means there’s plenty to choose from!

For beginners, it makes sense to purchase a set of darts instead of picking out all of the different components separately. A dart is made up of four elements (point, barrel, shaft/stem and flight) and a darts set will come with all of these parts included. Take a look at our how to choose darts for beginners for more tips and browse our beginners darts collection for our hand-picked selection of darts we recommend for new players.

If you are looking for a more premium dart, then you’ll find what you’re looking for in our top 10 steel tip darts and top 10 soft tip darts pages. These ranges include some of the signature darts used by professional players as well as sets made with the highest-quality materials, such as the Mission Archon, which is crafted from 97.5% tungsten!

Need some more help deciding on your darts? Read our how to choose a dart blog for some useful pointers. If you want to customise your new darts then check out our how to choose a flight and how to choose a stem guides for a closer look at how these individual parts make a difference to your game.

Get the perfect pro dartboard setup

Match your home darts setup with what the professionals would play on by setting your dartboard up at the regulation height. For both steel tip and soft tip, the height from the floor to the centre of the board (the bullseye) must be 1.73m (5ft 8in). Take a look at our how to hang a dartboard guide for instructions on setting up your new board on the wall.

The throw line (also known as the oche) is where you stand behind to throw your darts and is measured directly from the face of the dartboard at 2.37m (7ft 9.25in) for steel tip and 2.44m (8ft) for soft tip. A darts mat, or for the more serious player a toeline oche, is the perfect addition to your setup, as it will act as a visual reminder of where you should throw from. Our how to choose a darts mat blog has plenty of useful tips on picking the one that’s right for you.

You should also consider adding a dartboard surround or darts cabinet to your home setup to protect your walls from any stray darts. Why not choose one of our personalised surrounds and make it your own with the text of your choice? If you’re a football fan you can show off your team colours with our growing list of officially licensed football teams.

Keep your dartboard well lit with one of our dartboard lights and you’ll be able to see every bullseye you hit whatever the time of day! Our how to fit a Mission Torus Light blog offers some handy tips on setting up one of our best-selling lights to your dartboard.

Deck out your darts setup with a range of accessories

Only seasoned dart players are good at counting back from 501 consistently and adding up the scores, so if you’re new to the game consider easing the load with one of one of our electronic scorers. Whilst you’re still learning the ropes, a dartboard scorer is a worthwhile accessory to include in your setup as it will accurately keep score of your matches against family and friends!

Take your game further with the dart shirts range at Darts Corner. Choose from our selection of replica player shirts or an option from leading brands such as Unicorn, Mission and Harrows that will feel comfortable during play and will make you look the part too!

Add an extra edge to your darts tournaments at home with one of our darts trophies and give the winner their very own prize for being the champion. Many of the trophies in our range can also be personalised so you can have the name of your in-person competition and/or the champion’s name etched onto the trophy.

Customisable trophies are just one part of Darts Corner’s personalised darts section. Make your darts setup your own with our many bespoke options including personalised dartboards, personalised surrounds, personalised darts cases and more.

Find out more about the wealth of accessory options available with our top darts accessories to really up your game blog, and check out our top 10 darts accessories for our best range of items to take your darts setup to the next level!

Caring for your darts setup

It is important to care for your darts equipment so that it will last longer and you’ll enjoy the game more. There are several simple and easy ways to maintain good maintenance for your darts and dartboard to keep them in the best possible condition.

If you’ve invested in a brand new set of darts to go with your darts setup, keep them safe and protected with something from our darts cases and wallets range. It is also worthwhile regularly sharpening your darts with a dart sharpener.

Read our how to care for your darts guide for more useful tips on looking after your darts. The how to sharpen your darts blog also has some handy information on keeping your darts match ready.

To prolong the life of your steel tip dartboard, make sure you regularly rotate the board so that you are not wearing out specific areas as quickly. Our how to care for your dartboard blog includes some pointers on prolonging the life span of your board so that you can enjoy more consistent play.

If you’ve got the best darts setup, time to play like a pro

Once you’ve got the perfect darts setup, you’ll want to make the most of it and there are no excuses for your poor game anymore! In the words of the legendary Bobby George: “darts is an easy game to play. It’s a hard game to play well.” Put the hours in practicing with your new darts and setup at home and watch your skills improve!

Our darts practice routines blog has plenty of fun games you can try out for yourself to help you develop your skills on the oche. From round the board to 201, the routines in this guide will keep you equally motivated and entertained if you’re practicing alone at home.

Read our how to practice darts guide for some helpful advice on how best to hone your skills on the practice board to get the most out of your game, including tips from PDC professional Alan Soutar and ex-Premier League star and current Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle.

Now you can just enjoy your new darts setup!

Now that you know everything there is to know about creating your darts setup, it’s time to enjoy it and focus on playing your best game. Darts is an affordable sport to play with dartboards available at various price points to fit every budget. Where possible you should look towards choosing the best quality and then caring for your board and other items in your setup so that they stay in match-ready condition and last for as long as possible.

Find out more about Darts Corner with our 'About Our Darts Shop' page and use our contact us page to speak with our team of experts in customer services who can help with any queries you might have. Make sure you follow Darts Corner on our social media platforms and sign up to our email newsletter to be the first to know about our competitions, special offers and more!