building a screen -- I know, many a posts on this, but this is a little different (1 Viewer)

[dadoftwowinds]

[COLOR= black]there are many posts on building your own screen... i scored a brand new pull down screen from an auction from which I plan to harvest the screen from and place in a frame. The good news is the screen is exactly 8 ft wide which is the size I want. The bad news is the screen is exactly 8 feet wide.[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= black]The link below seems to provide a pretty decent set of instructions for building.[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= black]http://www.buildyourownprojectionscreen.com/frame_directions.html[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= black]The problem is that steps 3 and 4 guides the "do-it-your-self" person to stretch and wrap to the back side of my board and staple (pasted below). My material is not "stretchy" -- it is white with a black, rubber-feeling backside. Also, even if I can wrap it around and staple, I do not want to give up the 6 to 8 inches that would required. I want 8 feet. [/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= black]So, what are my options? Should I use create an 8 foot flat surface with sheetrock, or is that too heavy? If I do create a flat surface, how do i glue the material down without harming it?[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= black]Or do I build the frame 8 feet across and 5' 7.5" and just glue it on the edges to the frame? If I do that, how can I make sure it is tight?[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= black]And finally, if I do glue, I still want the black velvet trip around the outside edge.[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= black]Insight is most appreciated. Thanks to you all.[/COLOR]

 

 

[COLOR= black]John[/COLOR]

 

 

 

 

[COLOR= black]3. To attach the materials, roll out your projection screen material[/COLOR] on a clean flat area. Lay your frame, braces facing up, onto the material. Measure the center point of 1 of the shorter frame boards. Put a mark on the inside edge of the board (the side with the metal frame braces showing).

Wrap the material around the top of the frame (no need to be tight just yet). Staple the material at this center mark. Now move to the shorter frame board directly across from the one you just stapled. Measure the center of this frame board as you did the previous board.

Wrap the material around the frame and stretch the material so it becomes tight. Staple into place. Do the same with one of the longer frame boards, and finally the longer frame board directly across from this one. When you're done this, the material will have a diamond-shaped stretch pattern to it.


[COLOR= black]4. Choose a longer frame board. From the center mark where you stapled, move about 3 to 4 inches to the right. Stretch the material by pulling it over the frame and to the right as you do so. Staple into place.

Now move 3 to 4 inches to the left of that same mark on that same frame board. Pull the material over and, this time, to the left as you stretch it. Staple into place. Repeat this back and forth method until you've stapled the material[/COLOR] to the length of this frame board.

Now do the same on the longer frame board directly across from this one. Then do the same to one of the shorter frame boards, then do the shorter frame board directly across from it. With those, you may have to work sideways. The frame will be too tall to work with standing on these ends.

 

[Robert_J]

"[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]white with a black, rubber-feeling backside" - I hope you didn't pay too much because you have standard blackout curtain cloth except the part you can't see is black. The standard stuff is available at every fabric store in the nation. To build my 16x9, 103" diagonal screen cost me $12 in fabric and I bought too much just in case.[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]Your sheetrock option isn't too heavy but if you want 8 feet wide, you need it 54" tall if you are going with a 1.78:1 ratio. But your fabric is useless on this route. Just paint the sheetrock and you will have a screen.[/COLOR]

 

[COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 0)]If you do go with a frame, you have to stretch the fabric over the frame. It will pull loose if you staple it on the front of the frame.[/COLOR]

 

[dadoftwowinds]

I am replying because I hope this stays alive and i get a response that involves using my screen. The screen by the way is a Draper Silhouette Series M -- I got it for 5 bucks brand new. It looks like it retails around 400.

 

So, back to the question. If I am to glue this down, what is the right kind of glue? Can I glue it to the frame and not create a solid back?

 

And thanks for the ratio correction. I am also working on a 10foot screen project and I was mixing my height.

 

[Robert_J]

For 5 bucks give it a shot. Find some 3M contact cement in a spray can. Find a video (youtube or somewhere else) on how they recover car headliners. Same glue. Same technique.

 

I wouldn't put it on a frame though. I'd put it on something like a foam insulation board. They are the same size as sheetrock but much, much lighter. If it isn't flat enough, then 1/8" hardboard and foam board may work. But whatever you are going to have a difficult time getting 120" diagonal without using more than 1 sheet of something. To get a board more than 48" wide, you will have to special order it. Maybe a combination of frame and two foam boards/hardboards? The seam between the two boards will be the spot you need to seal and make invisible. It will show through the fabric.