A couple of months ago, I bought an Epson 2100 projector and mounted it near the ceiling of our “lounge”.
The picture was impressive. At 150″ diagonally, from a couch it feels almost as big as being in a real theater. But the wall is a slight yellow color and has a bumpy texture on it, which can be distracting at times.
I did some research and decided to make my own theater screen. Now, it’s possible to buy “professional-quality” projector paint, but it’s a wallet-blowing $250 per gallon. No thanks. Instead, I called my local Sherwin-Williams paint store and ordered a quart of primer and two quarts of pure unadulterated white. On my way to pick that up, I stopped in at Lowe’s to grab a few other supplies.
Thom is always blogging about his house projects, and he includes tons of photos about the process. So, in homage to him, I present the obligatory shot of my initial tools: drywall compound, a mixing pan, and a ten-inch drywall knife.
A bit of painter’s tape, some plastic sheeting and a few tarps, and I was ready to go. I layered the “mud” right over the textured wall, making sure it was thick enough to hide all the bumps.
After letting it dry for a day, I went in with a power sander (yes, Thom, it’s a DeWalt). I figured I’d generate a little bit of dust in the process, but sweet glory, I had no idea how bad it would be. The entire room was coated with a layer of very fine white powder. And, naturally, it drifted into the adjoining room as well. I literally spent three hours cleaning everything afterward. Note to self: next time, drape the entire area in plastic sheeting.
A second coat of mud to fill in the dents and anywhere it wasn’t smooth:
After another day of drying, and some touch-up sanding, I had a really nice and really flat wall. I peeled off the tape and admired my handiwork thus far.
Then it was time to paint. First, a layer of primer.
Wait a day. After it dried, I added a coat of white paint. Wait another day. Add a second coat.
Finally, I surrounded it with black velvet tape. Not only does it give the screen a more attractive border, but it helps with the picture contrast along the edges. It looks pretty sharp!
And today, the final test:
Yeah, so Tron Legacy wasn’t the best choice in broad daylight. Dark movies don’t show up well with all the ambient light. But once night fell, we sat down to watch an episode of Lost and it looked amazing. It’s noticeably better than the old wall, and will be a ton of fun.
The only problem? It doesn’t get dark until almost ten o’clock. And it’s not even summer yet! I guess our movie nights will have to wait until midnight…