New Cinema Under Way

[paulw77]

I've just started a website which will document the construction of our new home cinema. You can keep up to date with it's progress here :

http://www.btinternet.com/~paulw77

It's a bit sparse at the moment !

[ReTrO]

Idea: If you're going to put a false wall across the chimney end then you could have your front speakers all hidden away in it, then you can have a nice clean wall with just the screen visible.

X3ELS garage conversion was done like this and looks brilliant.

[paulw77]

Thanks for the suggestion Retro.

I had considered that, but won't they sound a bit boomy in what is, in effect, a large box.

[ReTrO]

What speakers will you be running?

If done correctly you should be able to get a very good sound out of most. The most problematic ones being those that are rear ported.

[banners]

Have you considered a built in sub-woofer or two in the front false wall? Obviously going the DIY route with such an idea. It eliminates them taking valuable floor space!

Cheers Steve

[paulw77]

Retro,

The front speakers are Eltax Symphony 8.2 and Eltax Symphony centre (I know, but they've always sounded OK to me, but I plan to upgrade in the not so distant future).

As far as I can remember, they are front ported.

banners,

I am a bit wary about a sub (let alone two!). The room directly joins onto our neighbour's bedroom. We have only lived here for three months so I don't want to upset her.

[banners]

CHICKEN!!










I understand perfectly! It would be more than likely a problem with the rear wave.

Cheers Steve

[ReTrO]

I'm not 100% how it would sound. But if you could mount your speakers very securely, so they don't move at all, and with their front baffles flsuh with the front of the wall it should work pretty well. I think you'd be best fixing the speakers in with a layer of neoprene to hold them secure, but isolate them from the wall.

Best see if Mr X3ELS has any ideas.

[paulw77]

A few more pictures added - progress is slow !

[woody67]

Originally posted by paulw77
I've just started a website which will document the construction of our new home cinema. You can keep up to date with it's progress here :

http://www.btinternet.com/~paulw77

It's a bit sparse at the moment !

This may be just the perspective of the photo and too late now, but it looks like you are cutting the boards to fit your timber stud spacing - you should use full boards and have the timber spaced to suit these. The board in you last picture (29/12) is very small and you are going to have loads of joints across the wall.

Timber spacing should be at 450 mm centres horizontally and 900mm vertically. Less than this and the boards will flex too much

Also the board nails look too far apart

The more joints you have the more chance of the plaster skim cracking - even with board tape applied.

If nailing you should space them at 150mm centres - but better still use screws and this will prevent the nail heads poping any plaster skim off when the wall starts to expand/contract

[paulw77]

Originally posted by woody67
This may be just the perspective of the photo and too late now, but it looks like you are cutting the boards to fit your timber stud spacing - you should use full boards and have the timber spaced to suit these. The board in you last picture (29/12) is very small and you are going to have loads of joints across the wall.

Timber spacing should be at 450 mm centres horizontally and 900mm vertically. Less than this and the boards will flex too much

Also the board nails look too far apart

The more joints you have the more chance of the plaster skim cracking - even with board tape applied.

If nailing you should space them at 150mm centres - but better still use screws and this will prevent the nail heads poping any plaster skim off when the wall starts to expand/contract

The boards I am using are standard 1800x900mm from B&Q. The only ones I have had to cut are the ones at the left hand end which is unavoidable.

Nails ???? I'm using screws. Also I won't be skimming with plaster. I will be covering the wall with carpet tiles.

[brendank]

woody67 is correct in what he is saying paul,

the b+q plasterboards you are using are one sheet of plasterboard cut in two this is to enable easy transportation for the diy person but only for small jobs not to cover a wole wall. They would never be used on a building job for the reasons woody67 mentioned however as you are covering them it isnt an issue as such.

If i was you i would put some more screws in though

[paulw77]

No, woody67 is not correct (at least in the assumptions he made about the way I have gone about things) i.e.

1. I have not had to cut the boards to make them fit my timber.
2. I AM using full boards (albeit smaller than what would be used in the trade).
3. I am not using nails.

The wall was completely rigid and secure with one layer of plasterboard. Now that the second layer of plasterboard is up (which has been bonded to the first layer with adhesive) the wall is solid as a rock. I realise that I should use "full size" boards (I assume 2.4x1.2m but as you rightly say, they don't fit in cars easily do they ?)

Also, having looked into the price or carpet tiles (around £100 for the whole wall), and the fact that they're not exactly nice to look at, I think I will be wallpapering the wall and painting it.

This may mean that I will have to look into acoustically treating the room somehow as it may be too bright. Maybe panels filled with Rockwool acoustic slabs (as John Revill did on Discovery Home and Leisure in his cinema room, for those who saw it).

[wandgrudd]

Why not just use normal carpet should be cheaper than carpet tiles

[Gary Lightfoot]

Hi Paul,

I used a cheap charcoal black carpet from Carpet Right, and have seen a much deeper black one since. The carpet I got was £1.99 per square meter (or yard - I can't remember), and the blacker stuff was £3.99, with a percentage off (30 or 40). You should only need two or three meters, so will be 8 to 12 square meters, which could be £32 to £48 at £4 per mtr at most.

I had a lot of trimming to do with mine, but it should be easier for you with square walls.

I put a good coating of wallpaper paste on the wall, and a few days later, pasted the carpet (cut to approximate but slightly over size) with a good coat of thick paste. It took two of us to put it up, and as far as I can remember, it didn't slip down.

I can't remember if I tacked a small nail or two in to hold it, but I think I leant some wood up against it at the top to stop it slipping while it dried. It's abit of a messy job, but worth it in the end I think.

Gary.