How to Build a Projector Screen at Home

Making a custom projector screen yourself is completely achievable. Building your screen is like creating an artist’s canvas, it’s a blank slate. Making it stand or hang up any way you want is an art form anyone can perfect with Carl’s Place. We’re a team of DIY experts and we have you covered as you make your big screen dreams come true.

We’re here for you whether you’re screening (your!) movies in your basement, creating a game room you’ll practically live in (no judgment here!), making an affordable DIY projector screen for the congregation at church, or a large portable backyard screen for an event.

You’ve come to the right place. Get started on the right foot by reading how to make a projector screen for your specific needs.

In other words… definitely try this at home.

3 DIY Ways to Make a Projector Screen

Option 1. BUILD A FIXED FRAME SCREEN WITH RAW MATERIALS

Looking for a projector screen for your home theater? One that looks custom-made to match the rest of your decor? We can help! Using a piece of one of our raw projector screen materials, you can build a frame, stretch and staple the screen surface to it, and then finish it off to get the perfect high-end screen for your theater or living room.

Before you start, select the right material for you. This will help you choose between more flexible, tension-mounted material and a non-tensioned, thicker, stiffer material. Some materials are easier than others to install so keep that in mind when selecting it.

See a step-by-step how-to for building a projector screen: here are a couple of customer-made videos that accomplish that using different techniques.

Keep in mind there’s no single, right way to do it.

Make the screen that fits your space and do it how you like! Our flexible materials like FlexiWhite or ALR are perfect for stretching to a wood frame. Their elastic nature means that they are more forgiving to imperfect tension. Stiffer materials like ProWhite, aren’t quite as easy to get perfectly flat, but when done well they produce amazing results.

Get further inspired by our testimonials section and see firsthand how to make a projector screen on a wall or anywhere else for that matter. You might prefer a sleek zero-edge projector screen, but many also prefer a screen with a polished, contrast-boosting border, for which you can use our black felt projector screen tape. If you’re ready to make your screen yourself, check out our DIY projector screen fabric and get started on that dream screen!

Option 2. STRETCH A FINISHED-EDGE SCREEN TO A WALL OR FRAME

If you’re looking for a simpler or more portable solution for a larger (or outdoor) space — something easier than duct-taping a piece of fabric to your garage door or stapling it between some trees — Carl’s Finished Edge Screens are for you. They’re available in many of our materials and come with reinforced edges and grommets that let you bungee your DIY projection screen to a wall, frame, or truss system. Perfect for a portable screen, simply use our 6-inch Black Ball Bungees (or zip ties, shock cord, or any other fasteners you might prefer) for mounting your finished edge screen just about anywhere!

Get inspired with our testimonials section. Many happy customers have made impressive backyard theaters (including poolside movie screens and DIY drive-in movie theaters), simple garage and barn wall screens, praiseworthy church screens, and massive event backdrops (even on a budget!) for DJ booths, weddings, concerts, and other large venues.

Option 3. USE A WALL-HANGING OR FREE-STANDING KIT

Take out the guesswork and use one of our kits to build a frame. Then, simply use our Black Ball Bungees to attach these ready-to-hang screens with ease!

Our hanging kit (perfect for the side of a garage or hanging from a tree or even from the ceiling of a large venue), standing kit (when you don’t have a wall or anywhere else to hang a screen), and rear projection hanging truss kits come with a finished-edge projector screen, fittings, and bungees needed to make a frame. These kits make projector screen DIY projects, even with large screens, much more convenient! Just pick up a few pipes from your local store, follow our directions, and you’ll be rolling with a big screen like no other!

Between one of the options offered above, you should be all set to make your perfect projection screen!

Some ideas: use raw material for a DIY borderless projector screen or to build a fixed frame screen lined with black felt tape. Stretch a finished-edge screen to a wall or frame that you already have. Use a wall-hanging or freestanding kit to make installation easier. No matter what you decide to do, you’re sure to have a screen setup you’ll love in no time.