Question Preferable/ ideal wall and carpet colour (other than black) for semi-dedicated home cinema room

[fallinlight]

Hi all,

Apart from black, what is a preferable wall colour for the quality and accuracy of a projected image? I will be painting my ceiling and projection wall a grey or dark grey. My other walls are currently a light orange/ terracotta. I have in mind to keep it a similar shade, but just go darker as it would be nice to keep the living space warm and not too cold feeling/ neutral. However, will grey walls mean that light reflected back on to the image is more neutral than a non-neutral colour like terracotta or other, and thus preferable?

As for carpet, I have gathered that it is not as important, but the darker the better. I plan on either a deep, dark red/ burgundy or dark grey.

EDIT: I just received some solid feedback from a fellow member, who went from a dark red/ black scheme to grey/ black and they noted an improvement in their image. So, that says something positive for going neutral and as dark as possible.

Kind thanks,

fallinlight

 

[PaulDavidThomas]

What ever you paint and how ever you paint it. Keep in mind that certain manufacturers produce different 'types' of paint. If you are looking at reducing reflections, look for a 'flat' finish. The only potential down side of this is that finger prints, well, they show !

Johnstons do a 'durable' paint that is scrubbable ... Unlike normal emulsion paints, when you clean them you will get paint residue coming off on the cloth.... 'durable' will stay on the wall.

The tech departments of all major paint makes are REALLY helpful. So, whilst you can choose your colour get some assistance on the 'finish' of the paint, it does make a difference.

Equally, applying the paint correctly makes a difference, so ensure you (or your painter) follows manufacturers instructions - they can be complex !

 

[PaulDavidThomas]

Finally, last week I saw a REALLY dark, if not black wall paper, I would never have considered it, but it looked stunning.

 

[fallinlight]

Good evening @PaulDavidThomas, kind thanks for chiming in, very helpful.

Just back from seeing Endgame. I always take all of the cinema in, decor, lights, layout; speakers, paint, finish, lights, sound, image.. always reignites the passion and vision. Gave me further impetus. Just what I needed, at this time.

Yes, I used Matt White Endurance on my projection wall. Solid as f.

Yes, weary and conscious of certain finishes being different and not suitable. Also from reading many who have painted walls and ceilings in 'matt' black finishes, yet still get reflections. Something to note for sure.

Thank you, yes, I will seek advice from those knowledgeable.

Totally, I still do not know how to paint properly. And so, my projection wall was trial and error, resulting in way too many coats and sanding. Came out ace though and have been complemented on it by a few fellow enthusiasts from the forums and friends. I wanted to strip it back down to the terracotta before re-painting it and the rest of the room. All those layers of paint still eats at my OCD, knowing it is there. You know? Perhaps 10 layers of paint!! As after the first few coats, I stuck a black velvet frame - you know the ones you can buy on eBay? - around my image, which looked great. Peeling it off left strong black marks. I re-painted further on top of that. This was years ago. I over painted, regardless.

Have thought about getting someone to paint the room, might be worth really. But will try and teach myself and if I feel confident, then I will do it myself. If not, then option b.

Being at the cinema again makes me want to go all grey and as dark as possible. But this is actually my living and bed room. So, need to be careful and sure.

Here are some rough photos of the room in a recent layout. Note however, it is now more spacious. Missing from photo is my 1x12 sub which is now in rear left corner wall exciting a lot of boundaries and sounding so very guttural and powerful through the entire room. Soundstage is vast and open, very cinematic, but controlled, dynamic and marries extremely well with the new sub position and bass response I am getting.

Note: Image of my desktop is far crisper and better looking in real life. Poor photo.

 

[mac_monkey]

Being at the cinema again makes me want to go all grey and as dark as possible. But this is actually my living and bed room. So, need to be careful and sure.

Dark bedrooms and living rooms can look stunning if well considered. If you need help embracing “The Dark side” spend an hour or so Googling Abigail Ahern (interior designer) and reading her blog.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=abigail+ahern+dark&tbm=isch&source=univ&hl=en-gb

 

[fallinlight]

Dark bedrooms and living rooms can look stunning if well considered. If you need help embracing “The Dark side” spend an hour or so Googling Abigail Ahern (interior designer) and reading her blog.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=abigail+ahern+dark&tbm=isch&source=univ&hl=en-gb

Had a brief look at Abigail's work, kind thanks. They are all beautiful rooms. I am currently set on all grey with darker grey for room door and projection wall. Most likely a nice dark grey Saxony thick pile carpet, too. But unsure as to skirting boards and door frame. I want to offset them with rest of colours/ walls. So, thinking a lighter grey.

But is it recommended to go matt for skirting boards in a dedicated room? This would mean sanding them all down I assume, which is a big job in itself. Preparing the entire rooms surfaces is a big task alone, which I am doing by myself. Made some good progress today, started sanding down filled holes and chips. Lots more to do.