Guides · Quiet dartboard · 9 min read
Quiet dartboard: how to cut dartboard noise in a flat
Most dartboard noise is the knock of each dart travelling through the board and the wall into the next flat, plus darts clattering onto a hard floor. So a quiet dartboard starts with where and how you mount it.
In short
- Pick a wall with no neighbour behind it.
- Decouple the board on rubber spacers, or use a stand.
- Fit a surround so misses never hit the wall.
- Put a mat down for bounce-outs and dropped darts.
Where the noise comes from
Why is a dartboard so loud through the wall?
Every dart gives the board a small knock. A board screwed straight to the wall passes that knock into the building, and the wall gives it off as a dull thud next door, much like footsteps from the flat upstairs.
- The thudThree knocks per visit, carried by the wall itself. The sound neighbours notice most, and the hardest to stop.
- RattleA loose board or one that turns on its bracket adds a hard clack. Easy to fix.
- MissesA steel point hitting bare plaster is sharp and loud, and damages wall and dart.
- Bounce-outs and dropsA point landing on tiles, laminate or boards ticks straight into the flat below.
No bristle board is silent. The mounting matters more than the model. For choosing the board itself, see the dartboard buying guide.
Overview
Dartboard noise reduction: what helps and how much?
Whatever keeps the knock away from a shared wall helps most: another wall, a decoupled backboard or a stand. A mat matters most for the flat below. The ranking is rough, because every building behaves differently.
| Measure | Cost | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Another wall | Free | Rearranging |
| Backboard | Low | An afternoon |
| Stand | Moderate | No drilling |
| Anti-rattle fixes | Very low | Minutes |
| Surround | Low | Minutes |
| Mat or rug | Low to mid | Minutes |
| Cabinet | Moderate | An hour |
Stack them. Each one deals with a different source: a decoupled mount for the thud, a surround for misses, a mat for the floor.
Choosing the wall
Where should a quiet dartboard hang in a flat?
On a wall with no neighbour directly behind it: an outside wall, or a wall between two of your own rooms. A dartboard in a flat is at its worst on the party wall to a neighbour’s bedroom or living room, however well it is mounted.
- Outside wallUsually the best choice. Some vibration still travels through the building, but nobody sits right behind it.
- Wall to your own roomGood, as long as the spot is not right next to a party wall. Think about who sleeps behind it.
- Party wallAvoid it where you can. If there is no other option, decouple the board and keep to sociable hours.
- Stud wallPlasterboard on a frame drums like a speaker and holds screws poorly. Fix into the studs and decouple.
The lane still needs the regulation numbers: bull centre 1.73 m above the floor, oche 2.37 m from the board face. The full set-up is in how to hang a dartboard.
Step by step
How to build a decoupled dartboard backboard
A decoupled dartboard backboard is a solid panel that carries board and surround and touches the wall only through rubber spacers. The heavy panel spreads each knock, and the rubber keeps much of it out of the wall.
What you need
- Plywood, 18 mm or thicker, about 1 m square
- Firm rubber or cork-rubber anti-vibration pads, 1 to 2 cm thick
- Rubber grommets and rubber washers
- Wall plugs and screws for your wall, short wood screws for the bracket
- Check the wall and the rulesIf you rent, read your tenancy agreement first. Use a detector to find cables and pipes.
- Glue the spacers onCorners, the middle of each edge and around the board area, so the panel can’t rock. Very soft foam squashes flat and passes the knock on, so use firm rubber.
- Fix the panel, decoupledDrill the holes oversize, fit a grommet in each and a rubber washer under each screw head. Four fixings are usually enough.
- Check for bridgesPanel edges, skirting board and cables must not touch the wall anywhere.
- Fit the bracketMark the bull at 1.73 m above the surface you stand on, mat included. Screw the bracket to the plywood only, never through to the wall.
- Hang board and surround20 at the top, stabilisers fitted so it can’t turn. A thin felt pad behind the board stops any knocking on the panel.
- Level, measure, listenCheck the face is vertical, measure 2.37 m from the face and the 2.93 m diagonal. Then throw while someone listens next door.
The board face moves forward. Measure the oche from the face once everything is up, and recheck the level after a few weeks. If Sridu’s camera scoring watches the board, calibrate again after any remount.
Not allowed to drill? Build the same panel on two uprights with rubber feet, touching the wall only through rubber pads. Secure it against tipping, as board and panel easily weigh 15 kg, or choose a stand.
Surrounds and cabinets
Do surrounds, cabinets and sound-damping pads help?
A surround helps a lot with misses, a cabinet a little, and acoustic foam hardly helps the neighbours at all. None of them stops the thud if the board is screwed straight to a shared wall.
- Foam or rubber surroundMisses sink in or drop softly instead of cracking against the wall. Rubber lasts longer. Verdict: buy one.
- Anti-rattle padsRubber or felt behind the board stops the clack. Verdict: cheap, but no substitute for decoupling.
- CabinetDoors are open while you play, and on a bare shared wall it can act as a sounding box. Verdict: only on a backboard.
- Acoustic foamToo light to stop vibration. It only cuts echo in your own room. Verdict: not for the neighbours.
Stands
Is a freestanding dartboard stand quieter than wall mounting?
For the walls, yes: nothing is fixed to them, so no knock goes straight in. The impact goes into the floor instead, which is why a stand always belongs on a thick mat or rug.
Wall mount on a backboard
- Rock solid, no wobble
- Takes no floor space
- Needs drilling
- Some knock still reaches the wall
Freestanding stand
Best with no good wall
- No drilling, good for renters
- Nothing touches the wall
- Knock goes into the floor
- Cheap stands wobble
What to look for in a stand
- A gap behind it, so it never rocks against the wall
- A heavy or wide base that doesn’t move on each hit
- Height that puts the bull at exactly 1.73 m
- A rubber mat or rug with underlay under the base
Floor
How do you stop dropped darts being heard downstairs?
Put a dart mat, a rug or carpet under the board and along the lane. Steel points dropping onto tiles, laminate or floorboards are sharp impacts for the flat below, and a soft covering deals with nearly all of them.
- Dart matA rubber or carpet runner, often about 3 m long, with the oche printed on. Check the line really sits 2.37 m from the face.
- Rug with underlayCatches most falling darts. The area right under the board matters most, because that is where bounce-outs land.
- Fewer bounce-outsSmooth points, thin wires and regular rotation keep them rare. More in dartboard care.
- Soft-tip isn’t quieterThe plastic segments click on every hit. See steel-tip vs soft-tip.
Neighbours
How do you keep the peace with your neighbours?
Talk to them before the first session, agree on times and ask them to tell you if they hear it. Most problems are easier to fix early.
Do
- Throw a few visits while they listen next door
- Stick to the quiet hours in your tenancy agreement and house rules
- Turn the TV, music and caller down late in the day
- Wear soft shoes on a hard floor
- Ask again after a few weeks
Don’t
- Play late in the evening, even where no rule forbids it
- Leave doors and windows open during a match
- Assume foam on the wall solved it
- Wait for the first complaint before saying hello
Quiet hours vary. Night-time rest is common, and some places add midday, Sundays and holidays. In Sridu the caller and the sounds each have their own switch in the game menu.
Sources: WDF Playing and Tournament Rules, section 6 (board set-up), Designing Buildings Wiki: structure-borne sound.
FAQ
Quiet dartboard questions
Can you make a dartboard completely soundproof?
No. A truly soundproof dartboard doesn’t exist, because every dart gives the board a knock. A wall you don’t share, a decoupled mount, a surround and a mat together make it much less noticeable, though on a shared wall some thud usually gets through.
Is a soft-tip dartboard quieter than a bristle board?
Not necessarily. The darts are lighter, but the plastic segments click on every hit and the board plays its own sounds.
Can I hang a dartboard on a shared wall?
You can, but it is the worst spot for noise. If there is no other wall, use a decoupled backboard or a stand and agree playing times with your neighbours.
What is the best material for dartboard spacers?
Firm, dense rubber or cork-rubber pads about 1 to 2 cm thick, like the anti-vibration pads sold for washing machines. Very soft foam squashes flat and passes the knock on, and hard spacers such as wood pass it on straight away.
Does a backboard change the throw distance?
It moves the board face forward by the thickness of spacers and panel, so measure the 2.37 m to the oche from the board face after mounting, never from the wall. The bull stays at 1.73 m above the surface you stand on.
What time can you play darts in a flat?
That depends on your tenancy agreement, the house rules and local regulations. Night-time quiet hours are common in many countries, and some places also have quiet times at midday or on Sundays. Daytime and early evening are the safe choice.
A quiet dartboard, and a caller you can switch off
Once your quiet dartboard is up, Sridu scores your darts in the browser with one to four USB webcams or typed-in scores, with 41 game modes, bots and statistics. The caller and sounds each have their own switch, so late sessions stay quiet. It’s free and needs no account.