[Luc]

Just about to find a hefty bit of MDF and finally put my screen up, but i need to know what colour paint i need. I've seen it somewhere on these forums before, but i can't find it now. Also, any tips on actually suspending a big bit of MDF from the wall? I'd rather have it as removable than just screw it to the wall.

[Paul D]

Dulux matt emulsion, Icestorm 5 or 6 or a mix of both.<br />5 is about as dark as you should really go.<br />6 is about as light as to make a difference.

I used mix 50/50 (5-6) for Toshiba MT1<br />I used 5 straight with Sony VW10HT

Hope this helps.

[Luc]

Thanks, but looking at what it'll cost me to do it manually (£20 for MDF, £20 for paint, brackets, time etc.), and considering a manual screen will only cost me £130 from <a href="http://www.a-v.co.uk" target="_blank">www.a-v.co.uk</a> (Manual Video Format screens - 138 x 180 - Matt White - Medium Weight), is it worth it? Are professional screens much better than DIY solutions?

[samwiley]

Luc

I have just finished making my own screen and am delighted with the results.

I had already bought a 16:9 format matt white sceen only to discover that the black levels from my projector looked really washed out and the light spill from the unused parts of the LCD panel were very distracting (paticularly during dark sceens of a movie).

The answer was a grey screen - and as the Greyhawk screens (or similar) are ridiculously expensive, I made my own.

The paint I used was Ice Storm No.5 for the screen and dark grey/black for the borders which have been painted on to reflect the true aspect ratio of the movies, this also significantly reduce the noticable light spill and gives a great 'cinema' feel.

The great advantage of my MDF screen is that I have painted it on both sides, 16:9 on one side (that I can mask down to 4:3) and 2.35:1 on the other (which I can mask down to 1.85:1) - Four screens for the cost of a sheet of MDF and a tin of paint.

That's what I call a bargin!! (except that I'm now stuck with £270 worth of screen that I don't use!!! <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0"> )

Sam

[Luc]

Sounds ideal, i use my projector for TV as well as dvd viewing, so two different aspect screens would be ideal. How have you gone about securing it to the wall, if you need to move and flip it every so often? That's the only thing that's hindering my progress atm, i can't find anything that's secure enough, yet elegant enough not to be too distracting...

[samwiley]

I bolted 2 'D' rings to the top of the screen and simply hang these on two hooks that are concealed by a ceiling beam. So, even tho' it's not very elegant, it's nicely hidden.

Turning the screen around does require another pair of hands tho' - it's heavy and quite awkward!

Sam

[ 18-09-2001: Message edited by: Sam Wiley ]</p>

[Luc]

Finished it. Crap pic, sorry, but my camera's a bit w@nk. Anyway, did do it double sided in the end, 4:3 on one side, and 1.85:1 on the other. Couple of tips for people who are going to do the same - MDF that fits in the hole may not do so when it's been painted. Surprisingly paint has a mass and makes the MDF bend and come out of the brackets. <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0"> Sorted it by bolting some aluminium bars to each side of the screen, frames the screen nicely with the top and bottom brackets too..

The kit..
[list][*]Crappy Epson EMP-7100 projector on (permanent) loan from Dad's work =][*]Grundig 25" TV (old, but it's 50hz, and i can't stand 100hz images)[*]Panasonic digibox[*]Sony video recorder[*]Sony STR DB940[*]PS2[*]Pioneer 646D DVD player[*]Sony SA-W101 sub (again, bit old and pants, but it does what i need it to.)[*]Mission 702s fronts[*]B&W CC6 center[*]Mission 70ds rears[*]Optimum AV400 rack <a href="http://www.optimum2000.com/av.html" target="_blank">www.optimum2000.com/av.html</a>[*]Vivanco optical cables for PS2 and DVD[*]Remote control light switch (£30 from Dixons <img src="biggrin.gif" border="0"> )[*]Glade plug in.[*]stack of DVDs

<br />Next upgrade will definately be a CRT projector, but i think i'll wait until i'm out of uni and earning money on a regular basis before i spend £4k. Then a decent sub. Oh, another tip, if you think you'll need 3 holes in the wall, drill 5, one will almost certainly go straight into cement and not brick and screw it up a treat.

[Galaxy]

Hi, I use a LCD projector that has 1300ansi output and at a distance of 18' from the screen I found that Icestorm 3 was good for me.

[frankie13]

wilkinsons 7.99 hurricane matt 2 and a half litres
excellent on mdf

[Paul D]

Wow frankie!
This thread is over two years old
Hope you weren't waiting at B&Q to get served all this time!!!

[angelboy]

.....and another year goes by!!!

[mattym]

another year? the original post is dated 2001 and the most recent 2003!

Holy resurrected old post Batman!

[Malone]

Out of interest is there any reason why you cant paint a newly plastered wall(dried obviously) with this icestorm paint. Although I have a screen I was just curious if painting a wall (with no imperfections) is a better bet?

Matt.

[Rob_Quads]

Nope, painting the wall would be fine. I would recommend making sure its 100% straight, probably worth giving it a fine grit sand on a long block to make sure its 100 straight

[Malone]

Originally Posted by Rob_Quads

Nope, painting the wall would be fine. I would recommend making sure its 100% straight, probably worth giving it a fine grit sand on a long block to make sure its 100 straight

Ta, another option to consider

Matt