Anyone using MDF as your screen? (1 Viewer)

I'm considering using a sheet of 1/2" thick MDF, painted of course,for my screen. If anyone else did this can you share how it worked out? Did you prime and paint? How did you mount it to wall? Thanks a lot for your help.

I would guess most people do not use it because of it's weight?

Marc

I dont think its a good idea.

MDF is a hastle to paint.

you can buy 1/8" thick tileboard at lowes or home depot that is a lot easier to paint and wall mount. only weighs about 10-15 pounds.

i don't see any real benefit from it, unless you stand it off the wall and incorporate some sort of sound deadening behind it.

Here's some posts I made on another forum recently:

For a test screen try this formula:

1 sheet mdf cut at the box store to 84.75" wide, height will be 49" - these dimensions will give a 16:9 ratio screen 94" diag after a 1.5" border is applied.
1 quart white paint with a single drop 1/48oz of black dye.
1 pint flat black paint.

Paint board white, put 1.5" black border around, hang on wall. (Note: Prime it first)

Cost maybe $50Can w/taxes.

This is the test screen I put up a couple of months ago and I'm glad I did - now I know that I want a 100-104" screen. If I'd gone ahead and bought a screen immediately I would have gotten a 92-94" screen.

Incidentally, the quality of the picture with my "mdf test screen" is good enough that I'm not in a rush to buy a proper screen.


The paint I used was Behr ultra pure white flat.

I hung the "screen" with a cleat. Take the leftover mdf from the sheet, and cut two strips 6 to 8" wide (exact width not important) and 49" long, with a 45degree bevel along one 49" edge for each piece.

Hang one piece on the wall, and fasten the other to the "screen" such that they interlock when the screen is hung on the wall. (side note - a picture really is worth a thousand words - let me know if this doesn't make sense and I'll try again). The cleat makes mounting easy and avoids any visible screw holes on the front of the screen.


I used 1/2" mdf because it was cheap, easy, and takes paint extremely well with a nice smooth surface. It is heavy - about 70 pounds - but I don't move it on a daily basis Using 1/2" rather than some very thin board allows all fasteners to be concealed at the back using the cleat attachment described above. Also, the 1/2 board will hang straight and flat - I didn't have much confidence in the thinner stuff staying flat.

Paul

I also used a 1/2" sheet of MDF with frames painted black for the sides going all the way to the floor to support the weight then bolted into the existing window frame with 90 degree brackets, painted with some flat white paint with a little bit of grey mixed in, certainly not rocket science but suprisingly effective.
I would attach an image if I could figure out how.

So true. The tile board (4' x 8') runs about $9.99 a sheet.