When browsing some pallet projects on the web, I came across a post where somebody built a nice backboard for a dart board. Few blocks away from where I live, there are some businesses that constantly throw out decent pallets. If I was highly motivated, I could probably built a house out of a year worth of supply they are disposing. Anyway, it took me three afternoons/evenings to build the backboard.
First evening was the disassembly of the pallet which took me about 45 minutes. I was rushing to pickup my kid from his soccer practice so all I did was to cut the nails holding the boards with a reciprocating saw and punch the remaining nails out. At the end I had about 10-11 usable boards and handful of old nails.
Second (afternoon) was the cutting and assembly of the backboard. I have used glue, brad nails and some screws to hold the whole board in place. At the end, I did a try it out with our electronic dartboard to see how it looks.
Third and final evening was spent on applying stain and clear coat. I did not sand the boards very well so the stain did not go in smoothly. It actually went on a bit darker than I wanted, so after it was all dry, I have sanded edges and few other places to give is a bit distress look. Once all was dry, the backboard was hung in our basement.
Overall, I am very happy with the result. The backboard looks way better than the dartboard hanging directly on the wall alone. For those with a keen eye, yes the dartboard is positioned lower than it should be by few inches. I have two kids so the current height was adjusted for them.