Top Contributors
Alphabetical Wiki List
Hey There!
Thanks for checking out our community! We've got lots of great stuff going on around here... why don't you create an account and join the fun? Why?
How To Build A Diy Black Out Cloth Screen
There are probably many ways to build a DIY Cloth screen. Here is how I built mine for under $80.00.
Supplies
1. 1 x 3 wood. Actual dimensions are 3/4 x 2 1/2
2. 2 1/2 wood trim. What I used is called clam-shell.
3. 1/4 x 3/4 wood trim.
4. Black-out cloth. It is white and is used in curtains. I bought 4 yards @ $7.00 per yard at a local fabric store. It is 54” wide.
5. Staple Gun
6. Trim nails
7. Flat black paint.
8. 3” wood screws
9. Drywall anchor screws
Steps
1) Locate the area on the wall that you want the screen and turn on the projector there.
2) Make sure the image is level and a true rectangle.
a) Using a tape measure, make sure that the top and bottom of the image are the same length, as well as the right and left side are the same height.
b) Then measure the diagonals. If the diagonal measurements are not the same, you will be making a parallelogram.
c) Measure your fabric. The height needs to be at least 7” shorter than your fabric is.
3) Once you are satisfied with the location, size and shape of the image, you are ready to start the screen. Do not have the image as large as the projector can make. This will not leave you any room to adjust the picture to fill the screen if needed later.
4) On the wall, mark the 4 corners of the image. I marked out the darker area, not the blue area. This will be the inside of the frame.
5) Measure the top dimension of the image from corner to corner. The one I built is 79” resulting in a ~ 90" diagonal screen. Yours may be different. Using a miter box, cut one end of the 1 x 3 board on a 45 angle. Then measure over and cut the other end on a 45 angle facing the other way. Your top image dimension is the shorter side of the board. The total board length should be about 5” (Or 2 times your frame width.) longer than your image.
6) Cut another board the same. This will be the bottom board.
7) I was doing this myself so I put a nail in the wall 1” in from each top corner and rested the top board on them. The 2 inside corners of the board should line up with the 2 corners that you marked on the wall. Check to see if it is level
8) Find a stud toward the right side of the board and put in a 3” screw. Do the same on the left side.
9) Do the same with the bottom board.
10) Measure to see if they are parallel. Then measure the diagonals. They should be the same. As with step 2b, if the diagonal measurements are not the same, you will be making a parallelogram.
11) Next measure the sides and put them up the same way. I had to use the drywall anchor screws because there were no studs where the boards went. You will need to pre-drill and countersink the boards so the screw heads are below the surface of the board.
12) Your frame is finished. Turn on the projector and you image should fill the inside and maybe a little on the wood.
13) Next, is stapling up the cloth. Put one staple on the center top outside, stretch the cloth, and staple the cloth on the center bottom outside. Then put another staple on the center right outside, stretched the cloth, and staple the cloth on the center left outside.
14) Working my way from the centers out stretch the cloth, to get rid of any wrinkles, and stapled about every 6”. Once completed I put more staples every 3”.
15) Next, I temporarily tack nailed the 1/4 x 3/4 trim around the outside. When permanently installed, this will help the cloth from pulling.
16) Then cut the Clam-shell trim to fit inside the other trim, but do not nail it in yet. The cut away view looks like this:
17) I took clam-shell trim and the 1/4" trim outside and painted it flat black. Flat paint is a must so the frame will not reflect any stray light. Paint them before nailing them up, so you won't get any dark black paint on my nice white screen. That would be terrible!
18) After the paint dried, nail up the clam shell trim and then the 1/4” trim.
19) Touch up paint on the nails and seams of the trim. Be very careful not to get paint on the screen!
20) Turn on the projector and adjust the image to fit the screen.
21) Add some curtains, pop some popcorn and enjoy watching your favorite movie.
Supplies
1. 1 x 3 wood. Actual dimensions are 3/4 x 2 1/2
2. 2 1/2 wood trim. What I used is called clam-shell.
3. 1/4 x 3/4 wood trim.
4. Black-out cloth. It is white and is used in curtains. I bought 4 yards @ $7.00 per yard at a local fabric store. It is 54” wide.
5. Staple Gun
6. Trim nails
7. Flat black paint.
8. 3” wood screws
9. Drywall anchor screws
Steps
1) Locate the area on the wall that you want the screen and turn on the projector there.
2) Make sure the image is level and a true rectangle.
a) Using a tape measure, make sure that the top and bottom of the image are the same length, as well as the right and left side are the same height.
b) Then measure the diagonals. If the diagonal measurements are not the same, you will be making a parallelogram.
c) Measure your fabric. The height needs to be at least 7” shorter than your fabric is.
3) Once you are satisfied with the location, size and shape of the image, you are ready to start the screen. Do not have the image as large as the projector can make. This will not leave you any room to adjust the picture to fill the screen if needed later.
4) On the wall, mark the 4 corners of the image. I marked out the darker area, not the blue area. This will be the inside of the frame.
5) Measure the top dimension of the image from corner to corner. The one I built is 79” resulting in a ~ 90" diagonal screen. Yours may be different. Using a miter box, cut one end of the 1 x 3 board on a 45 angle. Then measure over and cut the other end on a 45 angle facing the other way. Your top image dimension is the shorter side of the board. The total board length should be about 5” (Or 2 times your frame width.) longer than your image.
6) Cut another board the same. This will be the bottom board.
7) I was doing this myself so I put a nail in the wall 1” in from each top corner and rested the top board on them. The 2 inside corners of the board should line up with the 2 corners that you marked on the wall. Check to see if it is level
8) Find a stud toward the right side of the board and put in a 3” screw. Do the same on the left side.
9) Do the same with the bottom board.
10) Measure to see if they are parallel. Then measure the diagonals. They should be the same. As with step 2b, if the diagonal measurements are not the same, you will be making a parallelogram.
11) Next measure the sides and put them up the same way. I had to use the drywall anchor screws because there were no studs where the boards went. You will need to pre-drill and countersink the boards so the screw heads are below the surface of the board.
12) Your frame is finished. Turn on the projector and you image should fill the inside and maybe a little on the wood.
13) Next, is stapling up the cloth. Put one staple on the center top outside, stretch the cloth, and staple the cloth on the center bottom outside. Then put another staple on the center right outside, stretched the cloth, and staple the cloth on the center left outside.
14) Working my way from the centers out stretch the cloth, to get rid of any wrinkles, and stapled about every 6”. Once completed I put more staples every 3”.
15) Next, I temporarily tack nailed the 1/4 x 3/4 trim around the outside. When permanently installed, this will help the cloth from pulling.
16) Then cut the Clam-shell trim to fit inside the other trim, but do not nail it in yet. The cut away view looks like this:
17) I took clam-shell trim and the 1/4" trim outside and painted it flat black. Flat paint is a must so the frame will not reflect any stray light. Paint them before nailing them up, so you won't get any dark black paint on my nice white screen. That would be terrible!
18) After the paint dried, nail up the clam shell trim and then the 1/4” trim.
19) Touch up paint on the nails and seams of the trim. Be very careful not to get paint on the screen!
20) Turn on the projector and adjust the image to fit the screen.
21) Add some curtains, pop some popcorn and enjoy watching your favorite movie.
