How to Build
Your Own
Projector Screen
Using
projector screen material from Carl's Place

Overview:
Building
your own projector screen is by far the most cost-effective way to
enjoy your new home theater projector. With just a couple hours of work
and less than $100,
you can be enjoying a screen that would otherwise cost several hundreds or thousands of
dollars.
Carl's
Place sells projector screen material for the do-it-yourself projector
screen builder. We have developed this how-to so that
everyone
can see just how easy it is and how great the results are.
The basic idea behind this method is that we're building something very
similar to a giant artist's canvas: a wooden frame with the material
stretched and stapled to the front with black trim placed around the
edges to cover the remaining wood and staples.

Cross Section of Projector Screen Assembly
Choosing
Dimensions:
Before
building a projector screen, you should decide what size it will be.
Before deciding what size it will be, you should have an
aspect
ratio chosen. The aspect ratio of the screen is the shape - the ratio
of the width to the height ( Click
here for information on aspect ratio). Most people today
build 16:9 screens (also called "widescreen" - the same as HDTV),
though 4:3 screens are still common (the shape of older televsisions).
Some people choose to build wider screens like 2.39:1 (often
referred to as "scope"). 16:10 is also not uncommon. We
suggest building a screen that matches the native aspect ratio of your
projector.
For this how-to, we will be building a screen at 16:9, because it will
be used primarily for HDTV and it matches our projector.
Once an aspect ratio is chosen, the total size should be calculated.
Most people will build the biggest screen that fits on their
wall, though this isn't necessarily always the case. Since
our material is about 9' wide, we will use that as a starting point to
get the most out of the material.
Setting the width of the screen at 105" (subtracting 5" total from the
110" width of the fabric so we have some extra to work with), we can
figure the height by using our aspect ratio. 105" x 9/16 =
59.0625 or 59 1/16". If we had chosen 4:3 as our aspect ratio we would
calculate 105" x 3/4 = 78.75 or 78 3/4".
So, we have our viewable dimensions chosen: 59 1/16" x 105".
With the viewable dimensions chosen, we need to know what the
dimensions should be on the wood frame. To calculate the
overall dimensions for the wood frame we need to take our viewable
dimensions and add the width of the black felt tape and the overhang on
the backband trim all the way around.
For example, the felt tape should be very close to 2 inches. It may
vary by 1/16" or so, so be sure to measure your piece to verify.
The backband trim should have an overhang of about 3/8".
There are many styles of backband trim, though, so again
measure your pieces to verify. Taking our viewable width of
105 and adding 2" twice and 3/8" twice, we get a total frame width of
109 3/4". Taking our viewable height of 59 1/16 plus 2" twice
and 3/8" twice we end up with 63 13/16.
So, we have our frame dimensions: 63 13/16" x 109 3/4".
Materials
and Tools:
Construction:
With
all of our dimensions chosen, we're ready to build our wood frame.
We chose to build the frame using select pine 1x4's.
Pine is great because staples dig into it fairly easily.
We like to use select grade or higher to ensure that the
pieces will be nice and straight and will stay that way over time.
Cut two pieces to that are exactly as long as the frame width
was calculated and three pieces that are 7" (twice the width of the
1x4's: 3 1/2") shorter than the exact frame height. Lay them
out on the floor or work table in the general layout.
There are many choices for how to fasten the lumber together.
We like to use pocket screws because they involve no serious
woodworking equipment - just a $20 jig and a regular old drill.
Once the wood is fastened together, we'll brace the corners using metal
braces designed for floor trusses. These are a great way to
easily add a nice, strong brace to keep the frame square.
With those installed, the frame is complete!
We are now ready to stretch the projector screen material over the
frame and staple it down. This is perhaps one of the most
feared steps in the process, but it really isn't that hard.
Start by unfolding the fabric and placing it over the area
where it will be stapled down.
Pick one side to start on and staple the fabric down in the middle
using 3-4 staples spaced closely together. Move across the
frame and get the fabric stretched and stapled once in each direction.
With those four points stapled down well, simply move around the edge
stapling as you go and alternating sides occasionally to make sure no
waves develop. Keep a nice tension on the fabric as you staple it and you will stretch out all the wrinkles by the time you're done.
With that, the fabric is stretched and the screen is usable. We'll now
add the black felt to increase the perceived contrast on the screen and
the backband trim to hide the raw edges of the wood.
For those not familiar, backband trim looks like this when you buy it.
We bought the pieces already primed so they could be easily
painted black:
We used a cheap matte-black spray paint to paint all the pieces black
prior to working with them.
Place the backband trim around the frame using your preferred method.
We hand-nailed it down using trim nails.
A nice miter on the corners can be easily done with a miter saw.
With that, the backband trim is complete and all that's left is to add
the black felt border. The black felt border serves two
purposes. First, it covers the edge of the fabric and staples.
Second, with its deep black, light-absorbing color, it gives
the viewer's brain a reference for black colors and, in sort of an
optical illusion, makes the projected image look like it has a better
contrast than it does.
Placing the tape can be done however you wish. We chose to cut mitered
corners the same way we did the trim, but it would look great if the
edges were just butted up against each other.
Cut the tape to length using scissors or a utility knife. Peel off the
cover on the adhesive backing and stick the tape in place. Be sure that the tape is not
under tension when placed down or the adhesive will not stick as well.
With that, the construction is complete! Get it hung on the wall and
you're done.
Mounting:
As with
most of the other steps in this guide, mounting the projector screen
can be done in any number of ways. Our favorite is to get
whatever type of large picture frame hanger works best for your wall.
Two large hangers should be fine.
Finished Product:
With the
construction complete and the screen hanging on the wall, you're ready
to kick back and enjoy your favorite movies, shows, or video games.
Enjoy!
Thanks
for reading Carl's guide! Good luck on your project!
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