DIY screen members here (1 Viewer)

[Neil Joseph]

To all the HTF members that have made their own front projection screens, I thought it might be the time for us all to list the paints we used to make our white, grey, or silver screens. Please post them here as well as your results and thoughts. I am particulalry interested if you have done paint combinations and formulas etc.

And yes, for those with fabric screens, please also chime in too.

 

[Aaron Gilbert]

What, no love for those with a fabric screen??


Aaron Gilbert

 

[Dustin B]

I tried samples of Vutec GrayDove, Dalite HCCV, two different spray paints and a dDog (AVS forum) paint mix sample kindly supplied by Andrew Pratt.

In the end I (and my brother who is currently working as a professional animator) liked the picture best with the plain white $30 worth of blackout cloth. I also think my preference for the plain white blackout fabric over the others will be even greater after I upgrade my projector a year or 2 from now (I'm expecting at least a 3000:1 contrast ratio on that projector hopefully much higher given what the Sony HS51 has accomplished already).

On the other DIY side of front projection screens though, I really liked the end result of my 3 way adjustable masking system that is allowing my to run a pseudo constant area screen.

 

[Citizen87645]

As I mentioned in another thread I like the Do-Able product AKA Melamine AKA Home Depot "White Vinyl." I have no ambition to paint at this point, however in my shopping I came across grey Melamine and may eventually try it out.

 

[Rich Kraus]

im running a screen made of black out cloth pulled over a frame.

performs pretty well for a near zero effort, $20 project.

 

[Eric Samonte]

We've been using the plywood with Glidden Misty Evening on it for a good 15 months now. Next week, I'll be making a new screen out of blackout cloth. I'm doing this to make increase the screen height, since I can only achieve 4 feet of height on a 4 x 8 plywood.

 

[DonRC]

I'm getting ready to build my screen. I'm planning on a screen made of blackout cloth stretched over a wooden frame. Can anybody make any suggestions for where I can find BOC wide enough to make a 120" diagonal 16:9 screen (about 58" by 104" viewing area, plus cloth for stretching)?

 

[Scott L]

Just plain old flat white? I think I'm with you on this issue. I've tried Silverscreen, Misty Evening, White Opal Pearlescent in various combinations and in the end I always preferred the punchy colors I get from an eggshell white wall. Only problem is the projected whites can be overbearing, probably because the eggshell is too reflective. Here's a pic comparing the two colors.

I'll probably dust off my DIY Parkland Plastics screen and just roll a couple of coats of flat white this weekend. Thanks for making this thread btw Neil, sometimes it's a real PITA digging through AVS for the best solutions.

 

[Brad E]

Don, I found some boc that was 110" wide. Can't remember the name of the store, it was a smaller mom and pop type of shop.
Just wanted to let you know that there is wider material out there, it's just harder to find.

 

[Howard Clarke]

I am currently using silverscreen. I also tried plain white but I must agree with Scott it was very overbearing. IMHO the silverscreen looks much better and from what I read at AVS it seemed best bang for the buck ~$8.

 

[BrianKR]

Blackout cloth
stretched tight over 1 x 4 frame (110" screen)
painted w/Behr Premium ultra white flat
4 coats lightly sanded

 

[kwagar]

Has anyone tried plain old vinyl? It comes in many colors, although I would suggest just plain white, off-white or grey. And make sure it is not grained (leather like, etc).. Anyway, what about a metallic color like this...(silver/copper) cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=28160&item=8169586713&rd=1 (can't post URLs I guess since it has been a while I need to build up my posts again.


I know this piece is small, but I was just wondering if anyone had tried this or what you would think of this color, etc...

Any Ideas, would it be worth trying?

Thanks,

K

 

[Jack Ferry]

Virgin black out cloth stretched over 1x4 frame. 84" x 48"

 

[Leo Kerr]

Jo-Ann Fabrics generic light gray 100% cotton fabric.

Stretched across a pipe frame (top bar black iron pipe for strength, sides and bottom PVC for weight. Sides not glued so I can re-tension the screen as needed.)

Some cheap black "stretch terry" loosely behind it as a light-trap.

The whole game for me was I needed something that wouldn't affect the sound of all three speakers behind the screen.

Leo

 

[John Menoni]

I was seriously considering driving myself crazy making a DIY screen after seeing the prices of Stewart and Da Lite screens. I'm glad that I found Carada. For a fraction of the price of the above mentioned brands, the Carada gives you the same quality. I figure that 600 bucks for the scren is worth it. I just ordered a 96' screen. I am very confident that I made the right choice. I just couldnt' see spending over $1000.00 on a piece of fabric with a frame around it. Carada is the best company out there. I can't say enough about the customer service. The owner, Davie is awesome! Not only does he give you a great screeen for a great price, but he gives you so much great info on your HT if needed. He answers all your questions promptly and thouroughly. Not just when it comes to the screen either. He helped walk me through the whole process. If anyone is dreading going through this whole project of making your own screen, I highly suggest taking a look at Carada. They make a great product at a great price.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

I'm using a "Light Fusion" screen found over at AVS. "Mississippi Mud" mix over an acrylic mirror. I mounted the mirror on artist stretcher bars which I can use for a fabric screen also.

 

[Scott L]

Make one for me please. How do you like it?

 

[DonRC]

I've been thinking about abandoning my plan for a BOC screen over a frame and going with a "Wall Fusion" screen painted directly on the wall of my media room. (The game is, I think, to paint a highly reflective silver surface, followed by a slightly modified pseudo-translucent "Mississippi Mud" recipe over the top.)

Since I'm seriously considering this route, I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences making the Light Fusion screen. Is its performance as good as you'd hoped and as good as people say over on AVS? How difficult was it to create? How were the costs? How big is it? Did you roll the paint or spray it? Etc, etc, etc...

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Hey guys, some non-sequential ramblings regarding the LF screen...

Cost was about $85 for the acrylic mirror (I was able to grab it locally from a source only 10 min. from me LF-champion Mississippi Man directed me to). The paints ran about $25 I guess at HD. Mixed them myself as I suspected they'd be about as accurate at this as they are at my rip cuts. Size is ~70"x~40", or 80" diag. I used 2" duvetyne tape to make a border (viewing area is somewhat less due to this border). As I mentioned, I used a 70"40" frame of artist stretcher bars behind it, I carefully drilled holes and mounted the mirror onto the flat side of the frame. The holes/screws are hidden by the tape. The other, rounded side of the frame would be used to stretch fabric.
Not having access to the requisite spray equipment (or having a buddy in a body shop, as everyone else seems to have), I rolled the mixture onto the mirror (flat on the floor) with a foam roller. I rolled three light, even coats, the roller being almost dry at the end of each one. The goal is to have enough paint to achieve the right reflective properties but little enough so that there's light transmission to the mirror and back out. This is completely subjective, and I had no way of knowing if it was right or not with no reference. I was surprized and pleased at the uniform coating I was able to get with the roller, this was my main concern. Start pretty dry, and keep rolling...
In the end, I am very happy with the way it turned out. It does look better than my BOC screen, but I haven't compared them directly as I had gotten rid of the old one. Some samples I have of things like Firehawk, Carada grey, and HCCM have better blacks, as you'd expect, but tend to mute everything else. I'm tempted to try a full screen of HCCM since I have the nice frame and it'd be pretty cheap to grab what I need in raw form.
The 4805 paints a very vivid picture in my light-controlled room. The mixture seems a bit on the blue side, I didn't include the red oxide drop in my mix. I know you want shots! I'm digital camera shopping, and screen shots are a project I'll get to.
Again, since the paint thickness is the critical element and such guesswork, I have no idea if I'm looking at LF as intended (just right thickness), a "lite", under-saturated version (too thin), or just a paint mixture on a flat surface, the presence of the mirror inconsequential (too thick, not enough transmission).
Anyone who wants to see it is welcome, subject to the caveat above. Bring beer.

 

[DonRC]

Forgive my ignorance, but... HCCM? What's that?

If I were anywhere near New Jersey, I'd be sending you a message to come take a look at your screen. However, the drive from Dallas would be a little too far for me. :p