Introduction[/SIZE][/B]
First of all let me say that a fixed screen, be it DIY or commercial, is always a better choice than a retractable screen. Unfortunately not all situations will accommodate a large fixed screen. Retractable screens are vulnerable to waves. The waves usually take on a large "V" shape. I have examined every retractable screen I have come in contact with in the last two years. Most of these are in conference rooms and most were manual retractable screens. All of them had waves of some form. This can be improved upon by opting for a Tab-Tension screen, but this comes at an additional cost.
You may consider making a retractable screen and after a little investigating you might conclude that some of the more inexpensive remote controlled retractable screens are in the same cost range as the components required to make one yourself. What you may also determine is that inexpensive screens are only offered with white screen material. The problem with a white screen is that it requires a darkened room with dark wall and ceiling colors. Typically that means a dedicated theater room. Of course in a dedicated theater room a retractable screen is usually not necessary.
In the following photographs there is a white panel on the left and a gray panel on the right. With no lights on the two are very similar.
As soon as you introduce some ambient light the white screen will lose contrast while the gray screen will maintain darker blacks. Therefore in a white living room situation, like mine, the only reasonable option is a gray screen.
So we may be able to get the screen we want, at a price we like, but the screen is only available in white (my situation). Or you may have a screen that has gotten stained or discolored. Otherwise it is mechanically sound and the material is still in good shape.
The most common reason I have encountered for painting a commercial screen, both retractable and fixed, has been to remedy texture or sparkly issues. As I mentioned, most retractable screens will develop V waves unless they are tab-tension. Many screen materials employed some form of texture and surface sheen in order to claim a higher gain value. This texture may have been deliberately added or it may have been due to the weave of the fabric. In some cases this worked well for older lower resolution projectors but when the upgrade to 1080p was made, the texture started to cause problems.
The secret to hiding screen surface imperfections is to use a flat or matte finish paint. To hide some texture or screen waves it is not necessary to go completely flat finish. I have found that many paints come in a flat and flat enamel. The flat enamel has a slight sheen to it. This sheen is enough to improve the brightness of whites but not enough to reveal V waves or some texture. I have also found that exterior paints designated as flat are not truly flat. They actually have a low level sheen similar to interior flat enamels.
Whatever your reason for considering the option to paint a retractable or fixed fabric screen, I suspect the first question is whether or not it is possible. The answer to that is "yes". In particular you may be wondering if you can paint a screen that will be rolled up around a 3" diameter roller. The answer to that is also "YES". However there are some special considerations that I will outline now.
Considerations for Painting A Fabric Screen
The first concern most people express is that the paint will crack. In my experience around the house, only the alkyd paints have cracked. Any latex paint I have used is still intact. In fact, if you try to sand a latex painted wall, you will soon find the paint comes off in the form of little rubber balls. Latex and acrylic paints are inherently flexible.
The next concern is how well will the paint will stick to the screen surface. As always you must clean the surface of all grease or wax coatings. A paint must be selected that has excellent adhesion properties. In fact a paint that was designed to adhere to vinyl siding is the ideal choice.
Considerations For Painting A Retractable Screen
The biggest consideration when contemplating painting your retractable screen, is that it must remain deployed for 2 weeks to a month. If you are painting the border as well as the image area, then plan on a month for the paint to fully cure. You may want to consider hanging the screen some place where it will not be in the way for that time. You will be able to use it as a screen but you must let the paint cure before rolling it up. In my case the screen covers the other entertainment equipment when deployed. Therefore I had to paint it in the basement.
Click thumbnail to see the full size photo.
The next consideration is how to hold the screen material so that you can roll paint on it. This can be done easily with some weights, clamps, and bungee cords. I know it may seem more practical to simply push the screen material against the wall or lay it flat but then you run the risk of not being able to properly control the roller pressure.
You may have noticed, in the photographs above, that my painted screen has wider borders than it had originally. I won't dwell on this, but I strongly suggest considering it. The overall look is better and if there is any curling at the sides of the screen, the border is wide enough that the image area remains flat. To put it into perspective, the first image shows the screen with the full 120" image area. The wider borders only reduced the screen size to 115" but significantly improved the appearance of the screen.
Spray Painting
No doubt spray painting is a very good way to paint a retractable screen. However I limited my investigations to rolling since that can be done in one's living room. I will not be providing any information specific to spray painting but much of the information provided should be useful to those who opt for spray painting.
You Too Can Have A Black Widow Screen
For those of you with fabric or retractable screens, that have been reading about the Black Widow DIY Screen Paint, YES you can use it on a retractable screen. I did!
First of all let me say that a fixed screen, be it DIY or commercial, is always a better choice than a retractable screen. Unfortunately not all situations will accommodate a large fixed screen. Retractable screens are vulnerable to waves. The waves usually take on a large "V" shape. I have examined every retractable screen I have come in contact with in the last two years. Most of these are in conference rooms and most were manual retractable screens. All of them had waves of some form. This can be improved upon by opting for a Tab-Tension screen, but this comes at an additional cost.
You may consider making a retractable screen and after a little investigating you might conclude that some of the more inexpensive remote controlled retractable screens are in the same cost range as the components required to make one yourself. What you may also determine is that inexpensive screens are only offered with white screen material. The problem with a white screen is that it requires a darkened room with dark wall and ceiling colors. Typically that means a dedicated theater room. Of course in a dedicated theater room a retractable screen is usually not necessary.
In the following photographs there is a white panel on the left and a gray panel on the right. With no lights on the two are very similar.
As soon as you introduce some ambient light the white screen will lose contrast while the gray screen will maintain darker blacks. Therefore in a white living room situation, like mine, the only reasonable option is a gray screen.
So we may be able to get the screen we want, at a price we like, but the screen is only available in white (my situation). Or you may have a screen that has gotten stained or discolored. Otherwise it is mechanically sound and the material is still in good shape.
The most common reason I have encountered for painting a commercial screen, both retractable and fixed, has been to remedy texture or sparkly issues. As I mentioned, most retractable screens will develop V waves unless they are tab-tension. Many screen materials employed some form of texture and surface sheen in order to claim a higher gain value. This texture may have been deliberately added or it may have been due to the weave of the fabric. In some cases this worked well for older lower resolution projectors but when the upgrade to 1080p was made, the texture started to cause problems.
The secret to hiding screen surface imperfections is to use a flat or matte finish paint. To hide some texture or screen waves it is not necessary to go completely flat finish. I have found that many paints come in a flat and flat enamel. The flat enamel has a slight sheen to it. This sheen is enough to improve the brightness of whites but not enough to reveal V waves or some texture. I have also found that exterior paints designated as flat are not truly flat. They actually have a low level sheen similar to interior flat enamels.
Whatever your reason for considering the option to paint a retractable or fixed fabric screen, I suspect the first question is whether or not it is possible. The answer to that is "yes". In particular you may be wondering if you can paint a screen that will be rolled up around a 3" diameter roller. The answer to that is also "YES". However there are some special considerations that I will outline now.
Considerations for Painting A Fabric Screen
The first concern most people express is that the paint will crack. In my experience around the house, only the alkyd paints have cracked. Any latex paint I have used is still intact. In fact, if you try to sand a latex painted wall, you will soon find the paint comes off in the form of little rubber balls. Latex and acrylic paints are inherently flexible.
The next concern is how well will the paint will stick to the screen surface. As always you must clean the surface of all grease or wax coatings. A paint must be selected that has excellent adhesion properties. In fact a paint that was designed to adhere to vinyl siding is the ideal choice.
Considerations For Painting A Retractable Screen
The biggest consideration when contemplating painting your retractable screen, is that it must remain deployed for 2 weeks to a month. If you are painting the border as well as the image area, then plan on a month for the paint to fully cure. You may want to consider hanging the screen some place where it will not be in the way for that time. You will be able to use it as a screen but you must let the paint cure before rolling it up. In my case the screen covers the other entertainment equipment when deployed. Therefore I had to paint it in the basement.
Click thumbnail to see the full size photo.
The next consideration is how to hold the screen material so that you can roll paint on it. This can be done easily with some weights, clamps, and bungee cords. I know it may seem more practical to simply push the screen material against the wall or lay it flat but then you run the risk of not being able to properly control the roller pressure.
You may have noticed, in the photographs above, that my painted screen has wider borders than it had originally. I won't dwell on this, but I strongly suggest considering it. The overall look is better and if there is any curling at the sides of the screen, the border is wide enough that the image area remains flat. To put it into perspective, the first image shows the screen with the full 120" image area. The wider borders only reduced the screen size to 115" but significantly improved the appearance of the screen.
Spray Painting
No doubt spray painting is a very good way to paint a retractable screen. However I limited my investigations to rolling since that can be done in one's living room. I will not be providing any information specific to spray painting but much of the information provided should be useful to those who opt for spray painting.
You Too Can Have A Black Widow Screen
For those of you with fabric or retractable screens, that have been reading about the Black Widow DIY Screen Paint, YES you can use it on a retractable screen. I did!
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