130" Projector screen material on a budget

bass007

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Looking into making my own fixed 2.35.1 screen, however I cannot seem to find screen material in UK at a sensible price and size.

Super 4K+ projector screen material - PSM Screens - Projector Screen Material UK - have this, which would be in my budget but it's only available up 100", I need 130"

I would appreciate any recommendations for UK based shops/manufactures

Thanks
That's not a bad price to be fair. I ended up importing my fabric from the states when my in-laws were over there visiting their daughter in Texas. Think I paid around £60 around 4 years ago.
 
The cheapest 'screen material' is simple white PVC blackout cloth. It's usually around 54 to 55" wide by however many metres you need for the screen width, so if your screen is 130" diagonal, that's around 120" wide by 51 tall (for 2.35, or 50" tall for 2.40), so just enough for the height if you're stretching and stapling it over a wooden frame.

I've seen fabric '3 pass' blackout cloth on ebay from around £4 a metre (and I think £3 on Amazon), but that seems to be all cloth, no PVC, so I've no idea how it would perform (could be better or worse than two layers of Spandex), but that would cost just £16 or more for the entire screen material. At that price you could order a metre or ask for a sample to find out. It would be useful for other members to know too, so you could take a bullet for the team so to speak :D

If there are any haberdasher shops or similar near to you, you could have a look and see what they have - a plain non shiny material (to prevent hotspotting) would be preferable. For my first two screens I used BO cloth before swapping out for more expensive 'proper' screen material, then later went to Spandex and then Seymour UF for AT material.
 
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@abs Yes that not a bad price at all just a shame about the size constraints. I don't fancy importing anything ATM because of the weak ££ and other charges that come with it.

@Peter Parker I had no idea that you can use fabrics and or spandex lol, I will take a look at your suggestions. I also have some Screen Goo paint which I ordered a while back but because the room has a picture rail I have to rule out painting directly on the wall, unless I paint to an MDF board which would end up being to heavy.

Just wondering can you spray paint thin layers onto the spandex by any chance ?

What started out a simple straight forward plan is turning out to be very challenging.
 
I've never gone that route myself, but some people have painted screen material - I think usually they're PVC, and need to be either sprayed or rolled. Try here and over on avsforum to see what has worked for others.

Stretched Spandex works well for an acoustically transparent screen (usually two layers with white over black seeming to be the current trend), so no reason you can't use any material that doesn't show a texture or weave. Spandex etc are very cheap so not a lot to lose if you try it and decide you don't like it.
 
I'll give the Spandex a try, also trying to source some banner material from a friend who is in the printing business
 
I was also thinking of getting some projector screen material but am struggling to find stuff in UK - currently project onto a white wall, 143" image. Have you had any luck finding anything good to use?
 
I've emailed PSM but they have not replied.

I looked at the spandex and I think I will tray that as its not too expensive.

I've also look at Foamex but not sure I want to go that route for now
 
Why not just buy a fixed frame screen and be done with it


Hiya, I have a specific size I want in order to maximise the viewing area for a 2.35.1 screen. Don’t want to commit to spending too much as I might be moving and changing projector next year and hoping to go bigger lol.

Attached is my design.
Why not just buy a fixed frame screen and be done with it

 

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In that case buy one of those outdoor screens off Amazon and cut and staple it to the frame.

Projector Screen, 150inch Indoor Outdoor Movie Projection Screen 4K HD 16: 9 Wrinkle-Free Design for Backyard Movie Night(Easy to Clean, 1.1Gain, 160° Viewing Angle) https://amzn.eu/d/d7xcDGA
 
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@bass007 I'm looking for material for a very similar size screen.
How are you finding the spandex? did you put black in behind white?
which product did you get, was it this one?


My frame height is 146cm and the fabric comes in at 150cm, how much can you stretch the spandex without effecting the picture?

Thanks!
 
Do you know psm uk have sizes up to 170" again.

 
Yes, I saw that alright. For me the ideal size from them would be their 16:9 150" I think.
For my room an acoustically transparent (spandex??) screen would be useful but not 100% necessary.
Is the consensus in favour of the PSM screens over spandex?
 
I have read lots of subjective comments about AT being a compromise.

I don't put much faith in subjective thoughts on screens.
 
sounds like the thing to do is just get the PSM product and be done with it. :)
 
Well the psm stuff is designed for its use case, spandex is not.
 
My next question is going to be about getting some cheap light absorbing fabric at the top and bottom of the screen for when I zoom in 21:9 content...
Maybe that should be a separate thread though
 



Abm uk is cheapest, but most amount.

All just as dark, but batches can vary.
 
Thanks for your help.
I've ordered screen material and border tape.
Will look into the stuff from ADM after it's all up and running so I can asses what I actually need.
I'll probably start with painting the ceiling and go from there.

Looking forward to finally getting something working after having the wood sitting there for 3 years!
 
Looking into making my own fixed 2.35.1 screen, however I cannot seem to find screen material in UK at a sensible price and size.

Super 4K+ projector screen material - PSM Screens - Projector Screen Material UK - have this, which would be in my budget but it's only available up 100", I need 130"

I would appreciate any recommendations for UK based shops/manufactures

Thanks
Are you sure you need a screen? If you're on a budget, why not consider just painting the wall and masking it with matte black blinds and curtains?

If the wall's not perfect, you can buy a sheet of thin MDF and paint that.
I've done it don't see any point doing otherwise, unless you need a perforated material.

But by all means, mask the surrounding wall as much as you can. The difference is amazing!!
Here's a thread from the first time I did it:
 

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