Hanging a 10' motorized screen - Advice please

[FordPrefect]

It's going to be a ceiling mount, instructions are vague at best, the width is a little over 120" I'm thinking mount the brackets about 30" in from each end. I'll have to modify it depending on where the joists are but I figure that's a good starting point. Any thoughts?

 

[buckhorn76]

how about mounting a 12 ft 2x6 to the ceiling,locate the floor joists with a stud finder and paint the 2x6 whatever colour strikes your fancy. mount the screen brackets/assembly to the 2x6.

 

[Ranman]

More details Wayne? are you hanging w white screen for a projector TV?

 

[FordPrefect]

10' not 10"

Finding the joists is no problem, plus once the brackets are screwed into the ceiling the screen can slide left or right to get it precisely centered relative to the projector.

Yes it is a screen/Home Theater projector setup.

 

[buckhorn76]

would'nt be easier to mount to a plate on the ceiling ?

 

[Ranman]

very nice! Maybe hang it on the wall (very top) instead of the ceiling using 2 L brackets? Assuming its a dry walled ceiling and not a drop ceiling. My neighbor actually mounted his projector on the ceiling and then he outlined the 10 ft screen using door trim on the wall and painted inside the 10 ft square white. No screen required. It looks awesome.

 

[FordPrefect]

No it's ceiling mount only as it drops down in front of a 60" TV, I'll give the dealer a call this morning see how far off my estimate is.

Sadly once this room is done my "things I want; but don't need list" is now complete.

Then again perhaps suspension improvements could be next.


...................or a snowblower

 

[CCO]

Fixed title for you Wayne.

That'll be really nice -- how is the detail on such a large screen Wayne?

C.

 

[FordPrefect]

From the demo in the showroom it looked amazing, colour wasn't washed out, looked as though you were looking out a window. I'm hoping mine will look the same once installed. I only went with a 120 because Mary's niece had a 106. Plus it's much easier to convert to feet

 

[Zeeman28a]

Over time, you will have to contend with the screen slightly sagging in places, and the fabric wrinkling when rolling and unrolling. If this is a permanent setup, don't rely on just 2 hangers. You should have at least 5 for that size IMO. It will help with weight distribution, especially when the screen is rolled up and down. Place the hangers, 1 on each end, 1 in the middle and then 1 in between the middle and each end to prevent the droop. And I agree with buckhorn76. Don't mount the roll up directly to the ceiling.

The defacto source for DIY home theatre setups is AVS | Home Theater Discussions And Reviews. You'll find just about every imagineable topic covered.

But I'm going to give you a WARNING, which the site should but doesn't. Enter the site at your own risk. Cause, you know, once you start, you won't be able to stop.

My DIY originally involved a 55" Plasma, receiver, dvd, xbox and speaker recommendations to installation, placement, and materials for a family room which turned into a home theatre setup with a 100" screen, HD projector and the rest. Mind you, mine is a permanent screen and not the rollup kind. I just got carried away with some of the ideas there.

Roll Up Screen - Search

You'll find a few threads with some good ideas, not so good ideas that work and wtf were they thinking threads.

DIY Screen Section

Good luck with your install.

 

[FordPrefect]

Been on AVS for years, good info there but it is quite similar to the "other" Corvette forum. Two brackets is all the dealer and the manufacturer recommend. Metal parts are very sturdy and the screen is tab tensioned so I expect it to hang flat. I l drift over to AVS and have a peek ... Thanks

Posting from a phone is a pita

 

[Keith Tedford]

If you mount something like a 2X6 to the ceiling, you could trim it with veneer wood and trim around the edges to make it match the rest of the trim in the room.

 

[buckhorn76]

If you mount something like a 2X6 to the ceiling, you could trim it with veneer wood and trim around the edges to make it match the rest of the trim in the room.

maybe even a small crown molding or just router the edges.

 

[FordPrefect]

And the answer is.... About a quarter of the way in from each end. So that's 30" in from each end adjust to the nearest stud.

 

[FordPrefect]

it's up,(and down) it 's FLAT, it's something I should have bought years ago. Still got to fine tune the projector (and that's part of the fun) but out of the box colour is stunning.

 

[theboss]

I am also looking to buy a projector for the home theater that i am building now (nice vacations) what brand of projector did you buy and what color of screen?

 

[FordPrefect]

Screen is white, 120", room is in basement with only one small window that is covered by a blind, walls are dark grey behine the screen and at the far end of the room, side walls are currently dark beige.

Welcome to Eastporters - Best Projector Screen Prices in Canada

Wanted to go with a black projector because I went to a lot of trouble to control the lighting in this room. In fact after watching a movie for the first time (Avatar) I'm thinking about going with a dark grey ceiling.

Projector is here: PowerLite Pro Cinema 4030 2D/3D 1080p 3LCD Projector
Epson PowerLite Pro Cinema 4030 2D/3D 1080p 3LCD Projector - Product Information - Epson America, Inc.

I bought from Easterporters because:

!. They have a very good showroom in an industrial strip mall so you get to see everything.
2. A relative had good luck with them.
3. They came out top the house a year ago when I was starting the project and discussed screen and projector layouts and where the electrical and data boxes need to be. Very good service, both before and after the sale.

Installation was not going to be cheap ($600) so I did it myself. You need one other person to hang the screen but the projector is a one person job.

The "wow" factor when people see it for the first time is pretty incredible. Both my wife and I are no longer young in body (healthy, thank God,and still act like 19 year olds) but we wanted to make our place sort of a "vacation spot" if you know what I mean.

Still have to add a couple of more chairs that will go on a riser.

My only regret is that I didn't do it years ago. One caution, make sure you size the screen to the room. My friend has a 106" in a fairly small room and the experience is only so-so. My 10' screen is in a 17'6-"x25' room and I don't think I'd go any bigger. The depth of the room is shortened by there being a wet bar on the back wall.

Also a good sound system is ESSENTIAL, especially the center channel where about 90% of the dialogue comes from. I've got 7.2 and still need to get all the speakers put back and set it up correctly. Great hobby, love it.

If you need more info PM me for my phone number, or give me yours as all "in Canada calls" are "local" for me.

 

[CCO]

Nice settup Wayne -- I'd sure like to see that sometime. Maybe in the spring.

C.

 

[FordPrefect]

Sounds like a plan Colin, spring or sooner

 

[Steamer]

Wayne, by the sounds of it, you've got it all figured out. One question that I'd like to ask is, do they recomend leaving the screen down all the time or retract it to eleminate the dust factor. I know that screens a whopper as I've installed a few myself but never got to use one after. I bought one of those 12" sub woofer's and I'll tell ya when a B-52 drops a bomb you better be holding on tight to the chair. The first time I didn't and it was an eye opener!!