Take a slightly larger drill bit than the area you are repairing. Drill it out slightly and then fill it with the appropriate material.

Ronnie

I don't think that'll work. A picture is worth a thousand words... It seems everywhere I rubbed the woodfill, ended up not taking the stain, although the actual spot where the nail is was taken.
http://images16.fotki.com/v288/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0950-vi.jpg

Bud

Ya, the picture helped. I was thinking it was only the small hole that you filled that didnt match. Looks like you going to have to sand out a larger area and re-try it.

A finish nailer and the appropriate nails would have helped a lot also. You probably wouldnt have even noticed them.

Ronnie

Well, I used both finish nails and brads... what you see is not a nail, its the filled in nail hole. It did take the stain. I use a few brads when the jamb is first installed to plumb everything, then I drill and use 8 penny finish nails through the shims to secure the jamb permanently.

Bud

I was just playing with my Ryobi detail sander on a scrap piece of wood, looks like it I sand id good, it'll work. I think I'll sand the whole jamb an restain it. The other jambs I'll just sand the filler down really well before attempting to stain.

Bud

Well, I used both finish nails and brads... what you see is not a nail, its the filled in nail hole. Bud

Wow, im getting old. That looks just like a huge nail head. Sorry Bud. I should know that you are on top of all this and use the correct tools. Especially since I read your thread daily.

Ronnie

Did you use the wood conditioner after filling?

Yes, prestained after filling in the holes. It was the plastic wood, that was probably my first mistake. They make different colors as well, I went with a large can and it was natural. Didn't seem to matter, since it was stainable. They said to stain the wood first, then use the filler, but it was already hung, since it was a jamb. I ended up using my Ryobi detail sander and just sanded it and restained it. It's much better, although as usual, you're your own worst critic. At least its not obvious. Will post a second picture tomorrow.

Bud

Hey Bud, I have tried the sawdust/glue trick many times and the success factor really depends on the wood that you are working with. I have found that Wunderfil is a great product that works on almost all stain/paint grade wood. You can get it from Rockler (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=2003&TabSelect=Details). Hopefully yours turns out for you, as you say you are your own worst critic. I however, say you are doing a great job as it is looking fantastic :D

Drew

Don't worry about it Bud.... no one else but you will ever notice it, see it, think about it, or remember it! :D

Hey Bud, I have tried the sawdust/glue trick many times and the success factor really depends on the wood that you are working with. I have found that Wunderfil is a great product that works on almost all stain/paint grade wood. You can get it from Rockler (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=2003&TabSelect=Details). Hopefully yours turns out for you, as you say you are your own worst critic. I however, say you are doing a great job as it is looking fantastic :D

Drew

Noted. Thanks!

Bud

More black GOM on the way. Thought I had enough for the projector box, but no luck. Should be here in the next day or so.

My brother was a help, he did a little poly yesterday on the casing and then we did the pre-stain and 1st coat of stain on the remainder of the casing. Base molding and crown should go quicker, but still have three jambs and four doors to do.

Bud

Went to Big Orange today during lunch to finalize the bar plans and cabinets for the concession area. They turned me away, needed an appointment. Grrrrrr :mad: . Going back tomorrow during lunch though. Spent some time looking at flooring with the wife as well, we brought home some samples and made an appointment for someone to come out and do the official measure. I'm hoping to finalize the flooring in the next week for the whole basement and place the order. Of course, the install won't happen for a few weeks the way I'm going, but its motivational!

Yeah, I know Jerrod, back to work ....

Bud

The extra black GOM arrived for the projector box. It was actually sitting on the front porch since yesterday. They must have come when I was at Home Depot.

Bud

Here's what we're thinking about going with for carpet and flooring. It's not an exciting carpet with a pattern or anything, but it compliments the Lido GOM well. I didn't want any clashes between the carpet and material. The carpet is a "Trafficmaster", 100% Nylon carpet - Type 6,6 BCG Nylon, Style Regatta 359, 48 oz. weight. It's density is 2.764 and twist is rated at 6.0. It's about 26.00 a square yard installed, including pad.

The first picture is "Creme Caramel" color.
http://images17.fotki.com/v297/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0955-vi.jpg

The second is "Sanded Silk" color.
http://images16.fotki.com/v299/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0957-vi.jpg

Not sure if you can tell the difference in two carpets, the top one is a little less tan. Any body like one over the other? The Creme Caramel is on the right column in the middle. The Sanded Silk is top row in the middle.
http://images17.fotki.com/v312/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0958-vi.jpg

The actual stained trim is a little darker (a little redder actually) as well. The small piece was wiped on and off quickly, whereas the real pieces were brushed on and wiped on, but the stain was on longer since it was a bigger piece. I still like it though.

Also, the Laminate in the picture is probably what I'll end up in the concession area and the gameroom. I thought about glue down, but decided its not worth the pain. It's a Dupont laminate, "Merbau Block", product code FG8010. It has the preinstalled foam underlayment and has a 30 year wear warranty. It's special order, but right now its 20% off, so its around 3.10 a square foot.

The measurement guy comes on Monday.

Bud

Bud...

I'm leaning toward the "Sanded Silk". It's a little darker (by my monitor) and might be better for hiding dirt and such, and maybe disappear when the lights are off during a movie.

We had our carpet installed from "big orange" and I have to say, go with the upgraded pad. The top of the pad is coated and prevents spills from passing all the way through to the floor, and makes for easier clean-up. Not to mention it sure feels good under foot. For only $1/sqyd, I think it's worth it.

Sean

Sean,

Thanks for the reply. Good point and noted. I usually upgrade pad anyway. I used to use a rubber pad, which really helps with spills.

Also, I'm still out on the black stage. I want to go with black carpet on the stage. Saw some yesterday, but not sure of this carpet next to it and how that'll look. This carpet is a Frieze, the black carpet is a standard pile. What do you think?

Bud

Bud - just my opinion, but I wouldn't go with a carpet that light. That's a lot of surface area to reflect...

Yeah, I know its light. I've thought about that. Its so dark now, I'm concerned about the cave look. I'm reluctant to go much darker though. I think the black on the stage will help, I really don't want to match the green either, it would be like being in a can of pea soup.

I'll have to use the large sample and test the reflections and see if it makes a difference.

Bud

Bud...

I like the idea of the black carpet for the stage, but I'm not sure how it will look with the Frieze. The black would look nice against the black GOM on the front wall.
Maybe run the "Sanded Silk" up the riser of the stage, and then do the black over the lip and on top. That makes the fieze look a little darker and "bunchier"(if that's really a word), before meeting the black. Other option might be to pick a dark color out of the carpet you choose in a frieze, and cover the stage in that. So that all the carpet texture will be the same.

Straight black carpet shows a lot of dust and carpet "pills" from other carpets as you move from one to the other.

Sean

I like the Sanded Silk.

Also, the Laminate in the picture is probably what I'll end up int he concession area and the gameroom. I thought about glue down, but decided its not worth the pain. It's a Dupont laminate, "Merbau Block", product code FG8010. It has the preinstalled foam underlayment and has a 30 year wear warranty. It's special order, but right now its 20% off, so its around 3.10 a square foot.

The measurement guy comes on Monday.

Bud

Bud, If you've got a Lumber Liquidators near you, I would go look at their DreamHome Nirvana V3 Laminate (http://www.lumberliquidators.com/shopping/index.asp?category_id=26) before buying anything. I've had laminate in my first home (Pergo), and I've looked at just about every laminate on the market to put down in the house I just vacated to turn into a lease house. I wanted something that would wear well, be water resistant, and go together well. The first one is obvious. My biggest complaint about Pergo was that if it got wet at all it would immediately start to bubble, and when you have kids there are tons of spills. And it didn't go together well at all. When you put the pieces together, occasionally you'd have pieces that didn't fit well or absolutely refused to go in. And I ate up more than a few boards by trying to use the dang tapping block and ended up with the finish chipping off.

In the house I just moved out of, I ripped up aproximately 1400 sq. ft. of carpet (everything else was tiled) and replaced it all with the LL Nivarna V3 laminate in New Orleans Reclaimed Pine finish. When I was looking at laminates, here were my criteria:

Must look as close to real wood as possible. No 6" wide planks with three board patters on it that don't match up on the small ends like my Pergo did. It never looked right. It also should have a woodgrain texture.

Must go together firmly on all sides.

I wanted beveled/microbeveled edges, again so that it looked like wood.

Had to withstand water exposure, both drips and larger spills.

I didn't want to spend more than $2.50 per sq. ft.

I finally decided on the Armstrong Sqiftlock at $3.50 sq. ft. at Big Orange or Blue (can't remember which) because it was the only thing that looked good and met some of my criteria. Then I remembered that I had read about the Lumber Liquidators stuff when I was looking at purchasing/remodelling a student condo for a lease property last summer, and since they had opened a new location near me I wanted to check it out.

The Nirvana stuff is 3.5" wide/8mm deep with a pre-attached 3mm foam underlayment. It looks like single planks that come in 3 lengths per box with a wood image laminated on top with a wood texture over that. It locks together firmly on all four sides and takes a decent amount of abuse during cutting and installation. It also has microbeveled edges. But here's the two best parts: It's $1.99/sq. ft. (!) and it's extremely water resistant. How water resistant? Let's just say I left some excess cut pieces out on my patio table after my living room installation and they got rained on twice. That's rained on for a few days, left out in the sun to dry, rained on again for a day and then left to dry again. When I realized I had left some out there, I decided to grab the larger cuts and check their condition. The pieces all snapped together firmly and none of the boards showed any sign of warping or swelling when compared and snapped together with new boards removed from a box in the garage. That feature alone makes it one of the best laminates I've ever seen.

Here's a pic of the Nirvana V3 laminate installed in my old living room. (http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d3/consolenexus/Home/?action=view&current=daytimeshot.jpg)

I wouldn't mix carpet "textures" (frieze, regular etc...). Also, I agree with ebr and think you should go for a darker carpet in the main area.

Bud, If you've got a Lumber Liquidators near you, I would go look at their DreamHome Nirvana V3 Laminate (http://www.lumberliquidators.com/shopping/index.asp?category_id=26) before buying anything.

Here's a pic of the Nirvana V3 laminate installed in my old living room. (http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d3/consolenexus/Home/?action=view&current=daytimeshot.jpg)

With kids and a bar, water or spills will be an issue. One of my pet peeves if the sound when walking with shoes, although thats only likely on occasion and not by me. What does it sound like?

We do have a LL in Marietta. Maybe I'll take a ride down on Saturday. Your floor looks good. How wide are those boards and what are the three lengths?

Bud

I'm a little nervous of mixing textures as well, but would like to keep it all black if possible. I'll have to look to see if there are other alternatives.

The good news is that the measurement won't cost anything, so if I decide to change my mind, thats done at least.

Bud

Bud, out of the two choices you have given, I like the "sanded silk".

I feel your pain :p

Ronnie

With kids and a bar, water or spills will be an issue. One of my pet peeves if the sound when walking with shoes, although thats only likely on occasion and not by me. What does it sound like?

Pretty good, actually. It's hard to describe, but it sounds close to hardwoods when I walk on it. If you go to Lumber Liquidators they should have it laid out in an area for you to walk on. I've got one area in the formal dining room where there is a slight dip that I didn't find before the install. That area has a slight creek when you walk on it, but it's not very loud. I'm still tempted to bring up the floor and put some self levelling patch in so I won't have to worry about it. The rest of the foundation was pretty flat, thankfully. In my first house, we had a rock about the size of my fist in the foundation that was poking up, so I had to rent a grinder and wheel from Big Orange to smooth it down. That's so much more inconvenient than just applying a concrete patching compound.

We do have a LL in Marietta. Maybe I'll take a ride down on Saturday. Your floor looks good. How wide are those boards and what are the three lengths?

Bud

The boards are either 3" or 3.5" wide, and the three lengths are aproximately 16", 32", and 48" long. You get eight 48" boards, and sixteen each of the 16" and 32" boards. I'd have to check the package insert at home to make sure. I was doing 10'x10' rooms by myself in 7 hours, though I spent a lot of time walking to the mitre saw in the backyard to make my cuts. I finally realized it was faster to lay out the floor three or four rows at a time, then walk to the backyard to make the cuts and start three or four more new rows. With help it went much faster; I could be making the cuts and come back to find more rows laid out and ready to have the end pieces cut. My wife and I working together were able to do an 18x16 room in just under 10 hours, but it had a fireplace on a 45 degree wall with a rounded hearth that took a lot of time to cut for. Also, if the walls are pretty much in square, I would just lay out all the rows and not snap them together until had 15 or 20 rows laid out. I also would have kept the saw inside, but this stuff is as dusty as sawing MDF.

They should have sample pieces of all the colors available for the Nirvana V3. Ask to see a couple of each color, and make sure you get some male/female end pieces so you can see how they go together. The only thing my wife and I found is that the different colors don't go together well, but that seems to be intentional as they appear to be cut slightly different so you don't accidentally put in a row of the cherry with the mahogany, since they are close in color. We've purchased boards from different pallets in the same style and they've all gone together perfectly.

Joseph

Bud,

I have a carpet that almost matches the "sanded silk" only maybe a little darker. It is also a frieze. IMO, it is not too dark and does an excellent job of hiding my kids "accidents". I ran it up onto the stage because I liked this more unified look. Good luck with your choice.

Scott

I think the silk is better as well.

As to the laminate flooring, it would be fine in the bar area, but not in the theater room. It will mess up the acoustics that you have deadened everywhere else. In one of my previous houses we went with Wilsonart, which really held up to the abuse, but the whole house became an echo chamber. That effect was minimized by area rugs, but when we moved and the house was empty, it was very noticeable, even in regular conversation.

I would just go with Scotchgard-ed carpet.

Ketih

Dropper,

The carpet would be in the theater room and on the stage, the laminate in the concession area would be closed off by a door. I'm probably tile inside the bar area.

Bud

Bud,

IMO, it is not too dark and does an excellent job of hiding my kids "accidents". I ran it up onto the stage because I liked this more unified look. Good luck with your choice.

Scott

Confused. :confused: Not too dark for a HT room, or not dark enough?

The other option is to stain the fronts of the steps for the stage, although I'd have to put something stainable on them, but that would be easy.

Bud

Joe,

Thanks for the response and answers.

Bud

Bud, out of the two choices you have given, I like the "sanded silk".

I feel your pain :p

Ronnie

Just as easy of GOM choices, huh?

Bud

Sorry, not too dark for the HT. I have successfully avoided the cave feeling.

Bud, while the carpet is on the lighter side, if it's what you want, get it. I think it looks fine. Avoiding the bat cave is certainly understandable

Bud, while the carpet is on the lighter side, if it's what you want, get it. I think it looks fine. Avoiding the bat cave is certainly understandable

Peer pressure! Peer pressure! :p

I know, I just value other opinions to confirm my decisions!

Bud

Went back to HD today for the cabinets. First, my design for the bar had been purged. Apparently it was in the system too long. Had to do the whole thing over again. I was there for like three hours. I like the new design, but man, its more than I want to spend on cabinets. Its a tough call. Would love to build them myself, just afraid they wouldn't come out as nice and it would take too long. Anyone know where you can get prefab unfinished cabinets in Atlanta?

Bud

Bud, you asked me to let you know how the quality was on the USA Electric stuff.

On the baffles for recessed lighting: I just received my 42 pound order today. I really like the quality - especially in the 5 inch cans. Those are full aluminum baffels. The 6 inch standard are alum on the inside and plastic trims (expected). Bulbs are very reasonable (priced) and are looking good. I'll post pics eventually when they are installed.

Gary

Stained my other three door jambs today and a second coat on the last 8 pieces of casing. Tomorrow I'll poly the four jambs, the casing and maybe even install the casing with the stuff that's already done.

Slow going, but If I can do some base molding during the week, that'll help and maybe get that all installed next weekend. I'll stain the doors last, one at a time.

Bud

Bud, you asked me to let you know how the quality was on the USA Electric stuff.

On the baffles for recessed lighting: I just received my 42 pound order today. I really like the quality - especially in the 5 inch cans. Those are full aluminum baffels. The 6 inch standard are alum on the inside and plastic trims (expected). Bulbs are very reasonable (priced) and are looking good. I'll post pics eventually when they are installed.

Gary

Great. What did the bulbs run you?

Bud

$2.89 a piece!

i am in the same boat as well when it comes to cabinets. they also had to do the cabinets over since i did it back in aug of 05. I also do not want to pay so much for cabinets but my tastes is pointing torwards maple and cherry wood . I would love to find a reasonable cabinet unfinished in maple or cherry with door style i like but very hard to find. I really don't want to wait 4 to 6 weeks either. I am real tempted to just buy the stock maples at lowes.

Bud,

Just finally finished reading your thread and it is fantastic! I have been reading it at work, er during my "free time" at home, yea thats it. I get motivated to get started on my HT every time I read your or sandman's threads. Of course I need to get out of my townhome and get a house first lol.

BTW I really like the sanded silk for your carpet and I can't wait to see the finished product.


Andre'

Bud, I had been meaning to ask you...what type/size of inline duct fan did you use for your projector exhaust? Did you use one of the suncourt inline duct fans from HD? I am assuming you used a 6" inline fan though? Also how far away is the inline fan from the exhaust entry above the PJ? I jut bought 3 of the suncourt inline fans from HD and wanted to try them out. Not sure what peoples experience is with these....or if there are better options. Also do you have a model number or sku for the attic fan thermometer you used?

Thanks

Drew

Bud,

I think I might try and do cabinets on my own... kinda like BuffBaker did. I'm sure you've seen his thread. It doesn't seem to difficult..... and it's something I'll just do once I have the HT done, and drywall/carpet/molding in the rest of the basement.

If you can take the time to do it, might be worth thinking about.

Bud,

Just finally finished reading your thread and it is fantastic! I have been reading it at work, er during my "free time" at home, yea thats it. I get motivated to get started on my HT every time I read your or sandman's threads. Of course I need to get out of my townhome and get a house first lol.

BTW I really like the sanded silk for your carpet and I can't wait to see the finished product.


Andre'

Thanks for the vote. Almost there. One more final push.

Bud

Drew,

I used a four inch in-line fan from HD. I believe its a suncourt, as you mentioned. The ductwork runs probably 40 feet into my workshop. Seems to be sufficient for what I intended it for, although I don't have the box completely done at this point, so we'll see. Also, I still plan on plenty of ventilation. I expect if I really closed up the box, a 6 inch fan probably would be safer.

I don't have a part number for the thermostat, its an attic fan thermostat found with the attic fans (not in the HVAC area). About 16 bucks I think.

Bud

Bud,

I think I might try and do cabinets on my own... kinda like BuffBaker did. I'm sure you've seen his thread. It doesn't seem to difficult..... and it's something I'll just do once I have the HT done, and drywall/carpet/molding in the rest of the basement.

If you can take the time to do it, might be worth thinking about.

Larry and Jerrod,

Tough call on the cabinets for me. I want to get it all done by the end of May, the kids will be home for the summer and I expect they'll spent a lot of time in the basement since my office is on the main floor. I'm tempted to do a 12 month no payments/interest with HD just to get it done and that ends this week. I expect it'll look great (what I designed) and it'll be done quicker, just more expensive.

Bud

Larry and Jerrod,

Tough call on the cabinets for me. I want to get it all done by the end of May, the kids will be home for the summer and I expect they'll spent a lot of time in the basement since my office is on the main floor. I'm tempted to do a 12 month no payments/interest with HD just to get it done and that ends this week. I expect it'll look great (what I designed) and it'll be done quicker, just more expensive.

Bud

No payments/no financing is a wonderful thing!

On the carpet situation...

I did some prelim testing of the larger sample over the weekend. Here are my thoughts and conclusions on the subject.

I first put the large sanded silk sample on the top portion of the stage. It is noticeable, but I knew it was there, so I was looking for it. When I put it in front of the stage, not really an issue for me. I think this is because the screen is high enough that its below the line of sight. I was sitting on the riser as well, so I expect it'll be even better sitting in the front row.

Based on the testing, I'm thinking I either need to do the black on the stage completely OR veneer the front of the stage and stain to match the trim. I could then do the top in black carpet. I'm not sure how easy that would be for a carpet installer to do. The measurement guy comes today, so I guess I'll ask. Thoughts on this approach?

Bud

I plan to do the stained wood risers on my stage. I think it will look very sharp.

Bud...

Did you decide on a texture for the black carpet on the stage?! Are you going to try and do a fieza on both the main floor and the stage, or a straight pile?!

Sean

Do you have examples to look at for the full black on the stage front vs. the wood? I have seen plenty of theaters with the round face of the stage front carpeted and it looks great, haven't seen one with just wood stain there. I'm sure that would look like a curved continuation of the base molding and would be very nice.

gk

Joe,

Thanks for the response and answers.

Bud

No problem. Thanks for the great thread. I'm about to embark on my first theater, so I'm just happy I can give back some practical information. I found one of the box inserts, and the floor data is as follows:

8 planks - 47.5" x 3.5" x 7/16" (11mm)
16 planks - 31.75" x 3.5" x 7/16" (11mm)
16 planks - 15.875" x 3.5" x 7/16" (11mm)
-- Total sq. ft.: 28.04 sq. ft. per box @ 46.25 lbs.

Their t-molding is ~$7 per 94" piece with mounting track, and my local big blue has 12' of 1/2"x3/4" shoe molding for $3.84.

Joseph

Bud...

Did you decide on a texture for the black carpet on the stage?! Are you going to try and do a fieza on both the main floor and the stage, or a straight pile?!

Sean

The only black carpet I saw was the standard cut. not sure if there is black frieze or even if it would look right if there was.

Bud

Gary and ebr,

No pictures off hand. I think Ruben has this rendered, but not sure on the actual photos.

I was thinking about this at some other point, but was concerned about the reflection from the poly, but don't see that as a problem now, based on what I'm using, I think it'll be fine. I used 2x8s, so I'd have to get some yellow ping and just rip a very narrow piece for both the stage and riser, stain it and attach it. My only concern is how they would wrap the carpet on the lip. I assume the would just staple it, but the rounded step is not very high and getting the tool in there may be an issue. They'll have this problem anyway, whether I go with wood or not though, I think.

Bud

Joseph,

Thanks for the info. That helps.

Bud

Bud,

As far as the cabinets go, I was thinking of doing them myself, I even have three books on doing just that. "I don't need them anymore if someone is looking :)" and I decided to go with the unfinished oak cabinets I found at Lowes.

You have to ask for them, they are in the back of the store by the premade laminate tops, but they are a little cheaper than the stock cabinets and they have them in all sizes.

I think a 60 sink base was $107, not bad eh?

Take a look if you have a Lowes as this might be your best bet, keep in mind oak is hard to get an even stain on, but easy to paint, which is what I am doing.

Good Luck and I love your theater!

Texas,

Thanks. Good find. I assume its just the fronts/doors only that were oak, correct?

Bud

Bud,

Take a look if you have a Lowes as this might be your best bet, keep in mind oak is hard to get an even stain on, but easy to paint, which is what I am doing.




I am not an expert, but everything that I have read indicates that oak is one of the easiest woods to stain because it is very hard and dense. It should stain very evenly. I had no issues at all getting even staining on oak. Normally its your soft woods like pine or aspen that are hard to stain evenly and require a pre-stain conditioner.

Im curious as to why you would spend the money on oak if you were going to paint it. I would think there would be cheaper cabinet materials for painting.

Ronnie

Still need to build the front panel, but I'm pretty close to wrapping up the projector box. A few things here. I originally opened up the bottom of the box to allow for access. I was going to build a panel, but decided since the slides worked so well, that I didn't need another panel. Looks a lot cleaner as well. I left the opening, so it'll allow some airflow from the bottom as well as the back. I also looked at Tim's idea about using a painted return vent cover for the back for access and intake, but I couldn't find one the right size. I ended up going with my original idea, using a Middle Atlantic 2 space vent cover.

I'm very happy with the way its worked out so far.

http://images16.fotki.com/v288/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_0964-vi.jpg
http://images15.fotki.com/v235/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_0965-vi.jpg
http://images12.fotki.com/v239/photos/6/649633/3052581/100_0963-vi.jpg

Bud

Very nice, looking good bud!

That sliding rig is one of the cleverest things I have seen in these forums. Brilliant!!!! Looks great. I'll bet it feels great to almost be done with this thing. All that hard work will pay off for years to come. Enjoy......

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet. Very clean. Cant wait to see the finished product.

Ronnie

BTW, did you ever get a chance to try out those fabricated T-Hangers?

Ronnie

Ronnie,

Nope! Cotton is still in the bags in the other room. I think they'll work, but I'm running around trying to get these little things done. I think I'm just going to put the cotton across the corners and use the T pins right in the drywall to hold them on the sides. I think it'll hold and its just a simple solution.

Bud

mastiff34 and Jon,

Thanks. Getting there. Thought I'd be done by now!

Bud

Sliding hushbox looks great - may borrow the idea if my projector ends up being too noisy.....not too concerned on aesthetics as I'm leaning towards the IN Big 76

Cheers,
Mark

very cool... I love the vintage sign.

BTW, did you ever get a chance to try out those fabricated T-Hangers?

Ronnie

Well, you made me feel guilty... so I went down and cut a piece of cotton 45 inches, which was the room I had above my right channel. My wall is only like 14 inches deep, so I put the piece as far forward as possible and had some excess on the back wall. Used about three T pins on each side. The hard part was getting it through the cotton. You have to hold it from the back and force it through, the edges are not real sharp. Once I got it through, I pushed it through the Linacoustic and into the drywall. Worked like a charm.

BTW, I just used a razor knife to cut it.

Bud

Sliding hushbox looks great - may borrow the idea if my projector ends up being too noisy.....not too concerned on aesthetics as I'm leaning towards the IN Big 76

Cheers,
Mark

Steal away. It blends in really well now with the ceiling, especially in the premovie lighting. Just need to get the front done.

Bud

very cool... I love the vintage sign.

Ebay find from a store called "The Old Sign Shop". His ebay ID is the same ""theoldsignshop".

Bud

Well, you made me feel guilty... so I went down and cut a piece of cotton 45 inches, which was the room I had above my right channel. My wall is only like 14 inches deep, so I put the piece as far forward as possible and had some excess on the back wall. Used about three T pins on each side. The hard part was getting it through the cotton. You have to hold it from the back and force it through, the edges are not real sharp. Once I go it through, I pushed it through the Linacoustic and into the drywall. Worked like a charm.

BTW, I just used a razor knife to cut it.

Bud

LOL, your to much Bud..... You didnt have to do all that. I would have waited.

Sounds great. I will probably do the same.

Ronnie

LOL, your to much Bud..... You didnt have to do all that. I would have waited.

Sounds great. I will probably do the same.

Ronnie

Not a problem. Now I've got something else I've started that I've got to finish!

Bud

Wow Bud, great job. I would love to do this in a few years with a new house.

I have a queation about finishing your drywall and ceilings. Were you going to texture them? I realize that it isn't needed in the HT, cause it is covered with GOM, but what about the HT ceiling, and the walls and ceiling in the rest of the basement?

Or is the rest of your house not textured either (figured they might build differently in the south).

Again, the theater is really looking nice, and I think your crown trim in there will really add something.

Hey Chiahead,

Thanks. No plans for texturing. The rest of the house has flat ceilings, so I'll end up doing the same to match.

Almost done with staining the base molding. I have two coats now, may go one more coat. The base molding is pretty grainy, so the darker probably the better. I'm hoping my crown isn't as grainy as well. I think the crown will make a huge difference.

Bud

Looking good Bud!

The little things seem to take so long to take care of don't they?

Jerrod,

Yes, absolutely. I usually find myself doing proof of concept or idea work. I get to a point where I'm like "OK, that works, the rest is easy","that's not hard to do at all","tough parts over, I'll finish the rest later" or "this is boring, I'll take care of this later".

80% rule anyone?

Bud

Bud,
If I could get 80% I'd be golden :D

Isn't staining fun? :D I had to catch up on my Bud construction... What's this? Light tape? http://images17.fotki.com/v295/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_0731-vi.jpg

I finally finished my bar cabinets doors @ 2am last night...

Isn't staining fun? :D I had to catch up on my Bud construction... What's this? Light tape? http://images17.fotki.com/v295/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_0731-vi.jpg

Mr. Baker!

I finally finished my bar cabinets doors @ 2am last night...

No, its not... Takes forever, but definately a nice result! Finished, huh? Was that the last of the work in the basement?

It's just a frosted rope light, looks a little yellow in these pictures, but isn't really. Still thinking of some light tape in the bar area, either under the bar itself as a downlight and/or using it to highlight shelves and bottles.... when I get there!

BTW, that shot is the for the trap door I made to get to the IR receiver built into the cover (and covered with GOM).

Bud

Bud, that sliding hush box is awesome. I like it.

To follow up on the floor sound, it sounds just like walking on tile with my running shoes on. With dress shoes, it sounds a lot more wooden. The only place where it sounds different is where I didn't fill the dip in the floor (didn't find it in my check before installing) and it creaks when you walk over it.

I'm finally done painting about 300 ft. of shoebase molding for those floors and got one roomed cut and laid out. Hopefully today I'll finish it all the rooms and finally be done.

Joseph

Joe,

Thanks and thanks for the info. Can relate to the molding, I'll still have to do all that as well in the near future.

Bud

Spent about two hours yesterday working on trim. All the door jambs are now done and all the casing has been installed. I had to extend the the jambs for the two doors in the HT room due to the furring strips. The doors I ordered from HD originally could not be made with the correct jamb width. I just ripped some matching yellow pain and stained it, polyed and installed it. Looks good. I also installed all the base molding in the room. I'm waiting for the bullnose piece for the riser to dry (just put on the last coat of poly this morning) and I'll install that and the base in the concession room. I have a few lengths of crown to purchase today and need to stain them and the doors still. Pictures to come.

I may install the rack tomorrow and trim it out. I have stained casing for it, but am thinking about using a flat black on the casing. Between all the doors and trim in there, it may be a nice contrast.

Bud

Here are some trim shots to give you an idea how things are looking.

From the concession area looking out to the HT room and the equipment closet:
http://images1.fotki.com/v310/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0980-vi.jpg

Looking into the concession area (storage room in back):
http://images16.fotki.com/v298/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0981-vi.jpg

HT entrance on left, concession on right:
http://images16.fotki.com/v287/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0982-vi.jpg

HT entrance and riser:
http://images16.fotki.com/v289/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0983-vi.jpg

Riser with bullnosed edge (ala BuffBakerGA.. thanks Jeff!)
http://images16.fotki.com/v299/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0985-vi.jpg

Blurry shot of where the bullnose and the base molding meet. I lucked out on the position of the step lights. Any lower and I would have had to trim the molding.
http://images17.fotki.com/v305/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0984-vi.jpg

Bud

Lookin' real nice, Bud.

Trim really looks good with the walls. Nice job!

bud
I am not a big fan of wood stain an the natural grain of the wood, but that trim looks real good!!

Larry

Thanks guys. The stain really adds to the look. I really didn't want to go white like the rest of the house and basement. I'm going to start staining the crown molding and will do the doors last.

Bud

Nice job Bud! Love that look!

Very nice work bud, its looking good.

Thanks guys!

I've got all my crown stained and I just need to poly it in the morning and let it dry. Hopefully I'll have all the crown down tomorrow as well.

Bud

Bud,
I was wondering what your secret is to getting the floor so clean after drywall. I'm just finishing up drywall (whole basement), trying to get the place cleaned up again, and I'm starting to think the floor will never get clean. What's the trick? It certainly doesn't seem to be a broom... :)

Steve,

Actually, it is, at least partially. I swept a lot, you have to, but the broom I had was a stiff bristle brush. I had a dustpan that had this soften nylon brush and it really helped with the drywall dust. One day I decided to go look at new brooms and discover a large broom with blue nylon bristles, so I bought it and it worked great. For mud that dried on the floor, I has one of the ice scrapers/edgers with a long handle. I also used a a mud knife top scrap up the floor before the mud completely hardened.

Also, since the floor has an epoxy paint on it (done when the house was built), I think that helps keep the dust from getting in the texture of the concrete, at least not as bad.

In the HT room when I did the GOM, I put the craft paper down. The rolls are like 48 inches wide and are really cheap. You can find it in the paint section at Home Depot. I put it on a piece of plywood I was using in the gameroom as a workbench when I stained and even after all the prestain, stain, poly and paint it never really soaked through. It's a cheap solution if you want to cover the floor.

Bud

Here are some crown shots from today. I have one small section to do, I miscalculated and left myself a few inches short. The problem with that is I now have to go to home depot, but a piece, prestain, stain and poly. Man, a paint in the butt. I also started staining the doors today. I did not trim out the rack yet. I think I need one more piece of casing if I go with black. I do have the stained casing done if I were to use it. Since it's polyed, the paint doesn't take well if I paint it. Guess I could sand it down though. Also, I need to get the floring in prior to installing the rack, otherwise it may be a little difficult.

The crown pretty much disappears during a movie. It's dark enough and with a satin finish, it worked out well as far as reflections.
http://images16.fotki.com/v287/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0988-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v287/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0987-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v298/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0989-vi.jpg

Concession area:
http://images17.fotki.com/v305/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0990-vi.jpg
http://images1.fotki.com/v310/photos/6/649633/3002014/100_0991-vi.jpg

Bud

Another thing... I may have to get used to the crown in the HT room. Another option is to do the crown in the room a flat black. I'll give it a little time and see what happens. I like he crown, its just a little weird for me now to have the different color running across the top of the screen wall.

Bud

Bud,

You could also eliminate the crown on the screen wall as do a nice 90 degree termination just before the side walls hit the front wall. This would also solve you "needing a new piece of crown" proble where you cut it short.

Either way, the room is looking awesome, you did a very nice job with the molding - looks professional to me.

keep up the good work

Hey Bud, looks good. Did you cope your inside corners...?

Oooh mama... looking fine. Sorry if this ? has been asked before... but are you going to have a door up there to the left of the screen that is shiny stained wood? Are you worried about reflections? Visual... not audible...

Hey guys, thanks.

j-dubb, need something there to hide the seam of the GOM. Black crown is not a bad option since it'll blend so well with the whole soffit. Not sure yet, getting used to the stained crown.

ebr,

No, I didn't really have to. The corners matched up pretty well. What I did was to use a test piece and make sure I have the correct angle before cutting the actual piece. After I cut it, I stain the cut to make sure it's pretty hidden. I had one corner in the back where I actually have to pull the piece off and recut it because the corner was like 92 degrees, so I recut it using two 46 degree cuts, then married them before putting in the brads to secure them permanently. Getting good at it after all the crown I've done.

Bud

Hey Reaper,

Actually, it was a concern, but not so much now. The stain with the satin is pretty dark with not much of a reflection at least from the corwn and jamb. The framing is 2x6, plus the 1 inch of furring and the door itself opens into the concession area. I guess what I'm trying to say is the door is set back pretty far. I don't see much reflection now from the jamb itself and I'm expecting it not to be a big deal. I'll let you know in about a week or so when I get the doors done. Got my fingers crossed!

Bud

Looks like you had a productive weekend also Bud. The crown looks very nice.

Im with you on the crown piece that runs across the screenwall. Not to sure about that one piece. Maybe paint it black so it blends in with the rest of the front. I would leave the rest like it is. It looks awsome and ties into the rest of your trim.

Test it out in photoshop.

Keep up the good work.

Ronnie

Bud - I agree the crown looks great with exception of the screen wall......either paint black or remove and terminate at the edges.

How are you liking the Insteons - are they working well for your set up?

Cheers,
Mark

Looking good bud, keep going, your almost there.

Love the woodwork, coming together nicely.

Are you giving tours yet?

I miscalculated and left myself a few inches short. The problem with that is I now have to go to home depot, but a piece, prestain, stain and poly. Man, a paint in the butt.
Bud

Bud, did you mean to say that? :)

Bud, did you mean to say that? :)

Scott,

Subliminally, I suppose! Should have said "paintbrush" in the butt! :p

Bud

Bud - I agree the crown looks great with exception of the screen wall......either paint black or remove and terminate at the edges.

How are you liking the Insteons - are they working well for your set up?

Cheers,
Mark

I think I have an idea that I can get the desired look if I decide to change it out. I can just end it at a 90 angle like j-dubb mentioned and give it a cleaner look. I'm going to give it a little time and see if I get used to it. It shows up more since I used a flash on the picture and like I said, it pretty much disappears in the dark.

I've got some other stuff to finish up and maybe I'll go back and redo it.

Bud

Looking good bud, keep going, your almost there.

Love the woodwork, coming together nicely.

Are you giving tours yet?

Thanks! Anyone in the ATL area that wants to come by, just let me know!

Bud

I travel down to Atlanta to the Vinings area - You anywhere near there?

You will soon be - but ya better stick with us that are still in progess in the forum as we need ya tips :eek:

Mark,

I'm actually about 25 miles north up 75 from there. In Acworth, which is just north of Marietta and Kennesaw.

http://images9.fotki.com/v174/photos/6/649633/2370847/metromap-vi.gif

Bud

Bud,

I come to Atlant often, I might take you up on that to see how you did the finer details. It all looks professional done and I think that is all of us DIYer's goal

What is the ETA of opening night?

Looks like I needs to find a reason to visit our offices in Atlanta then :)

I'll let you know when I'm next down - give me a chance to listen to the Ascends.

Cheers,
Mark

Guys, just let me know. I'm pretty much always here except for Home Depot excursions and a few baseball games with my sone, but the season ends this week. Just give me some advance notice.

Bud

Bud,

I come to Atlant often, I might take you up on that to see how you did the finer details. It all looks professional done and I think that is all of us DIYer's goal

What is the ETA of opening night?

I should have it all done by Memorial weekend (meaning HT room, bathroom, gameroom, etc). I may not have cabinets it though for the bar and concession area, but all the flooring should be in as well.

Seating ... need to order pretty soon. Would like to get it it ordered this week and I'd still have an outside chance by the end of the month, not sure.

Bud

Bud,

On the seating, I know you were questioning between the 090s and 088s. Double check dimension before you order. I had planned a 4 seat arch config of 090s for my front row. I based this off the dimensions given on the Berkline website and cut sheets for that exact config. Well this weekend I was at the store where I am getting them from and the new display was exactly what I am ordering. Well, it is 7 inches longer than what Berkline had noted. I will actually have to change my front row config to make it work now.

Double check you dims and measure it at the store if they have your config. there.

OH SNAP!

Wow! It was that much of a difference? Things will be tight already, if I end up with an unexpected 7 inches, that's a real problem.

Bud

That was just my set-up. I measured another one while I was there and it matched the online measurement. I was able to make it work for me by making the two middle seats in the arch config a loveseat like the back row, but it was not my first choice.

When you order, maybe you can get verbal confirmation of the configuration size to compare to your room.

I think Berkline messed up on their info and forgot to add an armrest width online and in their cut sheet.

OH SNAP!

if I end up with an unexpected 7 inches, that's a real problem.

Bud


LOL............. Never heard that complaint before :D




Sorry Bud, couldnt resist.


Ronnie

How are you liking the Insteons - are they working well for your set up?

Mark,

My switches are X10, not Insteon. Works well with my setup now that I figured out how to control everything with the H880.

Bud

Bud,

What wood species and stain, poly combination did you use on your doors, and trim?

Ryan

Ryan,

I bought yellow pine trim because the doors were yellow pine. I wanted it all to match. I found the only really grainy trim was the base molding. The doors are also a little grainy. The trim is the water based Minwax Rosewood. You need to use the prestain (for water based stain) as well. The poly is Minwax Satin.

Bud

Just hung the equipment closet door. The hard part is the wait between all the coats. I did this one first to experiment a little. I was afraid that with such a large surface that it would be hard to get an even stain. Turned out pretty well. I even like the ebay door knob!

http://images16.fotki.com/v282/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0992-vi.jpg

Bud

Looks great Bud. I am actually here in Atlanta today, next conference I go to I'll have to make time to get out to see your place (& DE's showroom). Nice weather here, I must say.

I think your new nickname should be "StainMaster". Those doors and trim look excellent. I know pictures dont really do them justice.

Can you imagine what it would have cost you to hire that out? And it probably wouldnt have turned out as nice either.

Ronnie

Looks great Bud. I am actually here in Atlanta today, next conference I go to I'll have to make time to get out to see your place (& DE's showroom). Nice weather here, I must say.

Dave,

Absolutely, plan on it next time. I grew up in CT and have a sister in Bellingham, MA. I'll take this weather over yours anytime.... except maybe tornado season....

Bud

I think your new nickname should be "StainMaster". Those doors and trim look excellent. I know pictures dont really do them justice.

Can you imagine what it would have cost you to hire that out? And it probably wouldnt have turned out as nice either.

Ronnie

Thanks Ronnie. I know how long its taken, so I expect it would cost a few bucks, but no idea how much more. Well worth the effort.

Bud

Der StainMeister!
If the pics look this good, the real thing must be very nice.
People will be wowed by your theater but they'll probably remark
most about the woodwork.
As always, nicely done.

Thanks Milt.

I started door number two tonight. Working on the HT entrance door. Was watching The Longest Yard, would pause it, go stain, watch some more, pause it, go stain. Just finished the first coat.

I tell ya, the trim used like hardly any stain. I'm going through a lot with the doors though. Need another quart probably tomorrow to finish the rest of the doors. Also, I think I've gone through more rubber gloves than a proctologist! Well .... maybe not. :eek:

Bud

Hi Bud,

Looking great! Especially the woodwork, and it's nice to see the colors in full-size view.

A question about your bullnose riser edge.. Is that the same height as the plywood on the riser? How will that effect the carpet and pad once they're installed? BuffBaker's is just barely taller it seems (installed), but yours seems flush prior to the carpet being installed.

I agree with others that I'd chop the trim off at the sidewalls and make a 90 degree angle.

Hey Tim,

Its a 3 1/2 inch bullnose (they have a 5 1/2 inch version as well) and looks like this. This is the 5 1/2 inch version.

http://www.mouldingsunlimited.com/mu3815gr.gif

The widest part is 1 1/16" and it overlaps the riser in the front. The carpet and part will bring it about even. It's typically used to build a staircase.
Here's the place I got it, they have some good profiles for other types of moldings as well.

http://www.mouldingsunlimited.com/flooring.htm

Bud

HT entrance door installed this evening. Plan on starting the door to the concession area firs thing in the AM and hopefully will finish by Thursday. I should have the doors wrapped up before the weekend. Will post a picture in the AM.

The Stain Meister/Master is gettin' in a grove!

Bud

Hi Bud, Everything is looking great. Keep up the good work. When do you start programming some automation with the Omni Pro II?

Dave

Hey Dave, thanks. I'm not going to use the Omni for the theater. I probably could, but decided to go with the PowerLinc, which I'll have in my equipment closet and will be on the same circuit as the dimmers. I've go that already setup, just need to fine tune some timings and light levels. Works great.

Bud

Here's the home theater door I hung last night.

http://images14.fotki.com/v250/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0995-vi.jpg
http://images17.fotki.com/v313/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0994-vi.jpg

Notice the floor.. that's where I dropped the can of stain a few weeks ago! :(

Bud

Hey BUd the stain is suppose to go on the door not the floor. Nice looking doors.


Craig,

You missed a spot








just kidding! Looks great! I assume you posted the brand of stain and all. I just can't remember so I'll read back a few pages and find it. But, since I've mentioned this I know you'll post it again. Any special method? Brush? Rag?

I can't believe, but it's feasible I could start doing trim and buy my doors in the next week or two..... unfortunately for the rest of the basment and not the HT cuz I'm slow.

Snake,

Thanks. I'm just glad it didn't end up on the fabric. Man, what a mess.

Jerrod,

I saw that spot on the picture, but believe me, its not there.

I used a Minwax water based stain called Rosewood. Very easy to clean up, not a lot of smell, dries quick.

I'm no woodworker, but here are a few tips. Some ebr and Ronnie mentioned before, I believe.

1. Softer woods tend to splotch. Not sure if thats actually a word, but should be if its not. You need to use a prestain. There is a water based prestain that I used by Minwax, since I'm using yellow pine.

2. Don't leave the stain on for more than a few minutes. If working trim, do the piece quickly and wipe it off with a rag. I used a brush, it holds more stain. Stain the piece and just wipe it off quickly. When doing doors, I did half the door, wiped it down with a rag quickly to get most of the stain off, then used a stain pad to pick up the excess that the rag left. This worked well because it removed the swirls and mark left by the rag. Need to do it quickly.

3. I would prestain both sides of the door while it laid on a table (plywood and sawhorses). I hace some strips of wood underneath to raise it off the plywood. Once the prestain was dry, I stained one side and the visible side edges and let it dry. Flipped it, then did the top surface. Once that's dry, I left the door as is, did the second coat and the edges again. Let it dry, then flip again for the second coat on the back. Same thing for poly. Do the two coats, then flip and do the other two coats. Easier than always flipping the door over. Depending on the size of the door, then can get heavy and awkward to move.

4. When staining or polying on the edges of the door, make sure you address the drips on the underneath side. After staining and applying the poly, I flipped my first door and had some dried poly that I had to sand off and restain before I could go further.

5. Get a box of clean rags from the paint section of HD. I'm on my second box of rags (70 in a box for about 12.00). I went through a bunch. Once they get saturated, unless you're using them to actually stain, get a new one. Same with the pads. I used one pad per door. Also in the paint/stain section of HD.

6. Use the matching stain color nail fillers. Use it after you've installed the finished/stained trim. Easier to deal with.

7. Figure out how trim you need and give yourself a little extra. Staining takes too long, so don't stain what you don't think you'll need.

8. Wear non-powdered rubber gloves. Took a while to get the stain off my hands initially. I reused many until the fingers wore through.

9. Make sure you use a tack cloth to pick up anything on the door before you poly, otherwise you get little bits of stuff under your finish. Also found at HD.

10. I marked my hinges when I took them off to ensure I put them back in the right spot. I used a sharpie on the back of the hinge. Not sure it makes a huge difference, but I found that some hinges were cut a slightly different and had a hard time getting the door back on the hinge when reinstalling.

11. Expect to take longer than you think for getting it done, since you have at least 5 coats plus dry time (1 prestain, 2 stain, 2 poly). Dry and do an bunch of pieces at once when you start prestain or stain, etc, this way you have less cleanup.

12. Get the right type of brush. The water based stains used a nylon or synthetic brush. I believe oil based stains use a natural bristle brush (HD guy said this, but think I read it on the Minwax site or on the back of the can).

13. Go in the direction of the grain!

That's it for now. Hope that helped.

Bud

You missed one Bud

14. Drink plenty of coors light.


Ronnie

Coors light? For a guy named Bud?

Actually, I stick to those heavy German beers, supplemented with a few Guinness of course.

Bud

Hope you guys are enjoying these exciting door pictures!

My door to the concession area is now complete and installed. Here are a few shots. I did some preliminary testing on reflection (video, not audio) to see if there was any distraction and it was minimal from the opposite side wall. I was looking for it as well. I think it'll be fine. Even with the flash on in the first picture, you can see minimal reflections.

http://images16.fotki.com/v300/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0996-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v301/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0997-vi.jpg

You can really see how thick the jamb is in this shot after extending it to support the furring for the GOM.
http://images16.fotki.com/v300/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1000-vi.jpg

Weird thing here. On the back of the door, it rippled. I thought about sanding it down, but wasn't sure what caused it and what was behind it, so I just left it. Its on the concession area side and the door open into that room, so no big deal really. You really have to look for it to see it (and be int he concession area with the door closed). In the second picture, its between the top and middle panels on the right. You need to look pretty close to see it.
http://images17.fotki.com/v308/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_0999-vi.jpg

One more door to go!

Bud

Bud,

Are the doors solid yellow pine or are they some kind of composite wood material with a yellow pine veneer ? The bulges in the door look like veneer coming unglued due to moisture absorbtion. Based on your description of the waterbased stain you used, I think maybe you recoated with stain before the prior stain coat dried throughly.

Using a needle, make a tiny hole on one side of the bulge. With a syringe full of wood glue, poke a small hole on the oposite side of the first hole and squeeze some glue into the bulges. Using cowls and a clamp, slowly apply pressure to the bulges and glue the veneer back to the substrate material. MAke sure you clean the excess glue with a damp cloth (not wet). Let it set for 24 - 48 hours before refinishing.

Ivan

Coors light? For a guy named Bud?

Actually, I stick to those heavy German beers, supplemented with a few Guinness of course.

Bud


Good man !! Nothing like a Franziskaner after a day of staining. :D

Bud,

Are the doors solid yellow pine or are they some kind of composite wood material with a yellow pine veneer ? The bulges in the door look like veneer coming unglued due to moisture absorbtion. Based on your description of the waterbased stain you used, I think maybe you recoated with stain before the prior stain coat dried throughly.

Using a needle, make a tiny hole on one side of the bulge. With a syringe full of wood glue, poke a small hole on the oposite side of the first hole and squeeze some glue into the bulges. Using cowls and a clamp, slowly apply pressure to the bulges and glue the veneer back to the substrate material. MAke sure you clean the excess glue with a damp cloth (not wet). Let it set for 24 - 48 hours before refinishing.

Ivan

Thanks Ivan!

They're suppose to be solid pine, not veneered. Pretty sure at least. Should be for 200.00 a door. It's possible, but I thought I let it dry completely. I think they recommend between 15-30 minutes wait time before sanding any raised grain. It showed up with the first coat of stain. It's not nearly as big as the picture makes it look and I've got two coats of poly on now, so not sure I'll go back. BUT, I may try it in the last door if if the problem comes up.

Bud

Ivan, double checked, definitely not veneer. Not sure if I left too much prestain on in that spot and maybe there is a hole behind it (termites!). Who knows. I can live with it.

Bud

Looking good and I think you might beat me to the finish line.

On that door I think it was a hidden defect that only became apparent as a result of the change in temp/humidity in your location and/or finishing process caused the one area to swell. I think I would take that picture to the store manager and see if they stand behind their product.

At $200 a door it should survive the finishing process intact. They may give you a replacement. Then you don't have to "live with it".

Ivan, doubled checked, definitely not veneer. Not sure if I left too much prestain on in that spot and maybe there is a hole behind it (termites!). Who knows. I can live with it.

Bud

Cool ! By the way great job on the staining :) It is possible there is a defect on the door. The only reason I assumed veneer was the bubble look of the bulge, and I've never seen solid wood bubble up :confused:

Oh well, the doors look awsome...

Thanks guys. I should have the last one done tomorrow. I have to pick up one more quart of stain.

Good idea Big, I'll have to print it off and check with the gu tomorrow when I go to get the stain.

Bud

Good man !! Nothing like a Franziskaner after a day of staining. :D


Ah now that's a beer!! :) :) Had my first one several years ago and have been hooked. It was also my first hefeweizen. Have not found one better.

Bud - Some questions on your Sonance install

1 - Where they installed in a double layer of drywall and did you have any issues with the clamps?

2 - Did you make a back box (if No ignore the following q's)

3 - What was the volume?

4 - Any treatment within the box (insulation, cotton wadding?)

Thanks,
Mark

Mark,

The boxes are available for purchase or you can build them out of MDF. I'll try and find the info for you. I didn't use the boxes, thought about it, but considering isolation was not a real concern in my setup, I didn't go through the same process. I didn't double drywall either.

BUT, I will add though that the clamps won't be an issue. Because I was going to use Linacoustic under the soffits, I wanted to ensure that the speakers were at the same depth, so I pulled down that section of drywall between the studs and used two half inch pieces of drywall to build it out. There's plenty of room for the clamps, I would expect you have 4-5 inches of depth for the clamps.

Bud

Bud,
You're HT continues to inspire me. You're doing amazing work. Couple of quick questions:
1. You talked about getting the Pioneer VX2600, how do you like it?
2. Are you still very happy with the Ascend SE340's?
3. How is your sound isolation considering you didn't use DD or GG?
4. I know you stated somewhere already, but which sub did you go with and are you pleased with that also?

I've been following multiple construction threads and your equipment choices seem to be very popular, so I'm considering several of them.

Bud,
You're HT continues to inspire me. You're doing amazing work. Couple of quick questions:
1. You talked about getting the Pioneer VX2600, how do you like it?
2. Are you still very happy with the Ascend SE340's?
3. How is your sound isolation considering you didn't use DD or GG?
4. I know you stated somewhere already, but which sub did you go with and are you pleased with that also?

I've been following multiple construction threads and your equipment choices seem to be very popular, so I'm considering several of them.

Thanks. Glad someone else enjoys it besides me!

1. It's a Yamaha RXV-2600. I really enjoy it. I think its a great receiver, once I got everything setup correctly. I think some of first ones that rolled out had a few manufacturing problems (heat issues), but haven't really heard of anything recently. I've had it for about 5 months I think. The HDMI switching is a nice feature. There is a discussion on it here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=601996

2. Love the Ascends. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat. Great speakers for the money, which is why they're backordered now. That apparently is being address though. I hear things are now shipping. I was lucky to get one the wait list in December (number 25 to order the SEs) and waiting only a few weeks. I wasn't ready for them anyway, so it worked out well.

3. On the isolation, its not bad, but if you crank it, you can definitely here the sub. I used R19 and solid doors, which helped, but if you're looking to isolate, you really need to consider the other techniques. We don't have any bedrooms on the first floor and my office is directly above the HT room, so its not like I'd be disturbed, since I'd be the the HT room anyway.

4. The sub is a Hsu VTF2 MK2 (http://www.hsustore.com/vtf2.html) and I've very happy with it. Glad I held on to it and modified the screen design to incorporate it in the system. Another bang for the buck!

Bud

Bud - Some questions on your Sonance install

1 - Where they installed in a double layer of drywall and did you have any issues with the clamps?

2 - Did you make a back box (if No ignore the following q's)

3 - What was the volume?

4 - Any treatment within the box (insulation, cotton wadding?)

Thanks,
Mark

Mark,

Still looking for the MDF box info, but here is some info. First, on page 3 of the following PDF, you'll see that the RotoLock system will accommodate ceiling thicknesses of up to 1 3/8". I think it'll do better than that. Also, look at the lifetime warranty info while you're there.

http://www.sonance.com/image_data/downloads/newsym_ic_im.pdf

There retro boxes (and part number) are mentioned in this document:

http://www.sonance.com/image_data/downloads/04symic_ds.pdf

and can be seen here:

http://www.sonance.com/subs/product_details.php?product_id=321

Bud

Hey Bud, did you consider the Pioneer Elite 72/74 as well? What made you select the Yamaha? Does it have room EQ and auto setup?

Mark,

Here is the info on the MDF boxes:

http://www.sonance.com/subs/products.php?category_id=47&option=get_category&thread_one_cat_id=30&thread_one_cat_name=Accessories&thread_two_cat_id=40&thread_two_cat_name=Acoustic%20Enclosures

Bud

Looking great Bud! The staining really came out great.

Hey Bud, did you consider the Pioneer Elite 72/74 as well? What made you select the Yamaha? Does it have room EQ and auto setup?

Hey Eric,

No, did not consider the Pioneer Elites. I looked at some Denon receivers, not sure of the models at this point though. I expected the Elite stuff to be expensive, so I didn't even look. I've had some good experience with Yamaha in the past, which was one reason I looked in that direction.

I was originally looking at the Yamaha RXV-1500, then the 2500 came out with its scaling/HDMI switching and that was the main reason for the decision. It does have the auto (YAO) setup, many DSP settings as well as manual EQ setup, reveberation delay/time setups and whole bunch of other tweaks and bells/whistles that are beyond my comprehension! I also got it for about 400.00 off MSRP.

Here is the highlevel info:
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/receivers/RXV2600.htm

And the guts/details are in the manual:
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/customer/manuals/PDFs/RX-V2600_e(U).pdf

Bud

Hey Mike, thanks. No updates to your thread?

Bud

Thanks for the links. I've picked through them a bit (interesting that they don't even mention the auto EQ as a feature on the main spec sheet) but if you don't mind can I ask you a few details...? I've been thinking I'm going to get the Pio Elite 72TXV but I've uncovered quite a few people who say the Yammy sounds better. This may or may not matter to me as I won't be using the amps (have externals) but, anyway, if you don't mind a couple specific questions, here they are:

1) is the only diff between the 1600 and 2600 the amp section or is there more?

2) can the lip sync delay be adjusted for each input or is it global for all?

3) can you overlay DLPIIx on top of a 5.1 digital source? I'm pretty sure the manual says yes but I'm not sure exactly how to read that matrix

4) can you turn OFF the scaling/upconversion function in the receiver?

Thanks.

Bud - Thanks for all the links

I'm still not 100% sure what my speakers are going to be so I'm trying to be as universal as possible in the construction. Building my own boxes out of 3/4" MDF. Hopefully these will contain sound and if not I can always add the Retrofittable In-Ceiling Acoustic Enclosures later.

I'm desparatly trying to invent reasons for a business trip to Atlanta to hear your Ascends/Sonance :eek:

Only thing putting me off the Ascend uis the Side Surrounds are not that Asthetically pleasing to the eye (probably why you didn't use them either). Can't use In-ceiling sides like you or in-wall.......so look goes on. Anothetr Internet brand that gets good reviews in the Axioms, the side look good and trying to find out from them about compatable in-ceilings.

Cheers,
Mark

Mark - just FYI - I will have the Axiom QS8s matched up with the Ascend 340SEs for main L/R. I have a couple of the QS8s setup temporarily in my family room and I really like them for surrounds.

1) is the only diff between the 1600 and 2600 the amp section or is there more?

2) can the lip sync delay be adjusted for each input or is it global for all?

3) can you overlay DLPIIx on top of a 5.1 digital source? I'm pretty sure the manual says yes but I'm not sure exactly how to read that matrix

4) can you turn OFF the scaling/upconversion function in the receiver?

Thanks.

1. I believe there is more, although I haven't looked too close at the 1600. The 1600 came out when the 2600 came out. I was looking at the 1500 orignally. The thread I mentioned before for the Yamaha is also for the 1600, so you might want to look through that thread. I think one thing that was discussed for the 2600 was the GUI (on screen versus on receiver).

2. Not sure.

3. Not sure.

4. Yes, you can turn this off.

Bud

Only thing putting me off the Ascend uis the Side Surrounds are not that Asthetically pleasing to the eye (probably why you didn't use them either). Can't use In-ceiling sides like you or in-wall.......so look goes on. Anothetr Internet brand that gets good reviews in the Axioms, the side look good and trying to find out from them about compatable in-ceilings.


Mark, I didn't want to hang ANY speakers on the walls. I wanted them hidden and didn't really have enough room for columns.

I was thinking Axoims at one point based on some reviews I read, then discovered the Ascends.

Bud

stupid question and it wont let me delete, sorry.

-Matt

Mark - just FYI - I will have the Axiom QS8s matched up with the Ascend 340SEs for main L/R. I have a couple of the QS8s setup temporarily in my family room and I really like them for surrounds.

Ebr - thats worth thinking about - Thanks

- Ascend for Front
- Axiom for Side
- Sonance for rears

Sorry Bud - Hijack over :eek:

Have you thought about how to build columns when using the Axioms? They fire both to each side and up and down. I have a set, but am unsure how exactly I'm going to put them into columns. Awesome surround speakers though!

Have you thought about how to build columns when using the Axioms? They fire both to each side and up and down. I have a set, but am unsure how exactly I'm going to put them into columns. Awesome surround speakers though!

I'm not using columns - don't have the width.

Well that makes it easy! :)

Have you thought about how to build columns when using the Axioms? They fire both to each side and up and down. I have a set, but am unsure how exactly I'm going to put them into columns. Awesome surround speakers though!

Like this:

http://www.reedsplace.com/Theater/P4264491sm.jpg

(sorry Bud, now my hijack is over)

Just an update from the weekend. I stained and installed the final door. I actually did that Friday night. I've now got the HT room sealed off ... literally. I've got the door covered with painters tape and kraft paper from the outside. I'm working on the stairs and the area at the bottom of the stairs. Ceilings are done. I've got the walls primed and the crown/baseboard painted with an acrylic white paint that matched the rest of the house. I had a lot of work to do on the trim going down the stairs, lots of marks, gouges, holes, etc. Finally was able to get everything fixed and get it painted. I'm hoping to put the first coat on the walls today, then will move into the bathroom and prime everything.

On a side note, on Sunday, I spend half the day putting in concrete for my son's basketball pole. I should have the rest installed today. He's pretty pumped!

Bud

Just an update from the weekend. I stained and installed the final door. I actually did that Friday night. I've now got the HT room sealed off ... literally. I've got the door covered with painters tape and kraft paper from the outside. I'm working on the stairs and the area at the bottom of the stairs. Ceilings are done. I've got the walls primed and the crown/baseboard painted with an acrylic white paint that matched the rest of the house. I had a lot of work to do on the trim going down the stairs, lots of marks, gouges, holes, etc. Finally was able to get everything fixed and get it painted. I'm hoping to put the first coat on the walls today, then will move into the bathroom and prime everything.

On a side note, on Sunday, I spend half the day putting in concrete for my son's basketball pole. I should have the rest installed today. He's pretty pumped!

Bud

Nice.....keep up the good work man, you're almost there....

Looking great!!!!

Gary

You working Bud? It's been 14+ hours since your last onslaught of pics and updates.

You slacker! :D

Thats because he has.....

got the HT room sealed off ... literally. I've got the door covered with painters tape and kraft paper from the outside. I'm working on the stairs and the area at the bottom of the stairs.
Bud

It won't be long before he has withdrawel symptoms just like us :D

LOL, its pretty funny how we all depend on each other for fixes. Good thing there are several of these things going so we never cease to have some excitement. When it comes to posting though, Bud is the man. I think he is trying to catch up with SandmanX's thread. :D

Ronnie

Gents,

Will post some pictures tomorrow. I have the first one side of the stairwell and the whole bottom of the landing. The trim has been primed and has two coats already. I pulled off the handrail, but because its like 16 feet long, I had to pull off the craft paper on the door so I could get the railing in the back room. Plan on stained that the same color as the rest of the HT trim. Since I had the door open, I went ahead and watched Transporter 2 so I could ship it back to netflix.

Tomorrow night is the kids playoff game, so not likely any work tomorrow night. I should have the stairs done before the weeks out, then I'll prime the bathroom this weekend. I think I may take Thurs/Fri of next week so I can start tiling.... been putting that off.

Bud

Jon and Gary...

Thanks. Not quite there... been not far off.

Bud

You working Bud? It's been 14+ hours since your last onslaught of pics and updates.

You slacker! :D

Not slacking, just working! :)

Bud

I think he is trying to catch up with SandmanX's thread. :D

Not even close! He's got his own cult following. Now he's starting his on board! I think people are have serious withdrawals from his posts.

Mine are mostly filler! :D

Bud

Not even close! He's got his own cult following. Now he's starting his on board! I think people are have serious withdrawals from his posts.

Mine are mostly filler! :D

Bud

True. So we NEED more pics! :p j/k

I'm having a very good time following your thread and can't help but wish it would be going faster! :D

But hey!, who am I to tell you to hurry up! :p
]
Keep up the good work Bud, you're nearly there! :)

To bad we dont all live in the same area. We could all join together and knock these out 1 by 1. Wouldnt that be fun! We could start our own show. Monster Theater :D

Ronnie

OK, so here are a few pictures of the area outside the theater for bbboza and just to prove to Jerrod that I'm actually still working....

All first coats. Painted around the HT door. I like the contrast. This is a darker paint that whats in the concession area, but looks almost the same with the flash.
http://images15.fotki.com/v268/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1005-vi.jpg
http://images17.fotki.com/v307/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1007-vi.jpg
http://images17.fotki.com/v311/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1010-vi.jpg

From HT room looking out towards the landing. Entrance to gameroom/bar on left, entrance to bathroom on right.
http://images15.fotki.com/v261/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1008-vi.jpg

Right side of the bathroom. Thinking a ticket booth may be in the near future.
http://images17.fotki.com/v313/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1009-vi.jpg

Here's the last door in that leads into the storage room off the concession area.
http://images17.fotki.com/v308/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1011-vi.jpg

Looking down the stairs, painted the wall on the left (still wet). I was amazed with the number of nail pops and dinks over the last three years on these walls going down the stairs. This was drywalled by the builder. I had a lot of repairs to do both on the walls and on the molding/wood on the sides of the steps.
http://images17.fotki.com/v312/photos/6/649633/3422362/100_1004-vi.jpg

Bud

Looking good bud!

Thanks man.. Got that deck done yet?

Bud

To bad we dont all live in the same area. We could all join together and knock these out 1 by 1. Wouldnt that be fun! We could start our own show. Monster Theater :D

Ronnie
Man, that wouldn't work. Whoever was the first to finish would have a completed HT and would most likely be "busy" in his spare time. Helping out the rest would be a lot tougher to do.... Plus, how would you figure out who was first? Better yet, who would be last? :D

Bud,

The contrast between the white molding and paint and doors looks great! A question.... why did you paint the crown white instead of staining it in some areas? I'm sure you have a reason, but I'm curious....

Man, that wouldn't work. Whoever was the first to finish would have a completed HT and would most likely be "busy" in his spare time. Helping out the rest would be a lot tougher to do.... Plus, how would you figure out who was first? Better yet, who would be last? :D
But being that they're nationally televised, there would be too much pressure to continue helping others build theirs, after yours is done, for fear of public retaliation. :)

Jerrod,

I thought about it for a while. The rest of the trim in the house is white. Outside of the HT room, I installed like 600 feet of crown, plus 100+ feet of baseboard. At some point, whether it was in the basement or at the top of the steps, I was going to have to transition to white. I didn't want to stain all that trim. Just the theater room took weeks. I would have had to buy three more solid pine doors and stain them as well.

I wanted the HT room door to really stand out. A prelude to what was behind it. Sort of peak people's interest. I really didn't want to paint one side of it either. I like it now, I've gotten used to it!

Bud

Bud,
Your theater and basement are looking great. I really like the color choice and contrast. I don't post on your thread much because I don't feel I have too much to add, but I check it every day. Thanks for the blow-by-blow narrative. I come here frequently to get my "fix" and to remotivate me to keep plugging away on my own basement.
- Scott

Hey Scott, thanks. Stay tuned. A lot more to come!

Bud

Here's some posters I picked up from someone here on AVS a while ago. He had ordered them, they showed up damaged, they sent new ones, again damaged. They got it right on the third try, but he didn't want to throw the old ones out, so I bought them for next to nothing. Can you see the damage? I little glue and some touch up and they'll be as good as new. I may put a blak trim around them.

Thinking about hanging them in the concession area. The first two above the based cabinets and the Casablanca one on the side wall by the rack.

http://images16.fotki.com/v299/photos/6/649633/3402899/100_1012-vi.jpg

Bud

As I mentioned, I'm really not doing a themed theater, but wanted to have a "old" feel to it, including the rest of the basement. Sort of like a TGI Fridays sort of look. I found another great ebay store for vintage reproduction signs & tins. The store is called "Pasttime Peddler".

You might like some of the items under the categories "Nostalgic Soda Pop Ad Signs", "Drive-In Movie & Snack Food " and "Bar & Tavern Signs". Here's the website. Replace the stars with "ebay".

http://stores.****.com/Pastime-Peddler_Drive-In-Movie-Snack-Food_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ18QQftidZ2QQtZkm

I especially like these
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/mitmaharg/driveingroup2.jpg
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/mitmaharg/beer1867sign.jpg
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/mitmaharg/smpops.jpg
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/mitmaharg/luckysbarsign.jpg

You get the idea...

Bud

I love those posters! They are gonna be killer in your concession area. I grew up watching Karloff!

HeyNow,

I think they'll look good. Colors go well with the walls and trim.

When I build my lightboxes, I plan on using older posters like those above to keep in line with everything else. I'll use the same stain to tie it all together. Same with the ticket booth. I think I posted pictures before of the clock outlets I installed for them. You can see one in the photo outside the bathroom. Still chewing on a marquee idea as well. Guess I better get the basement finished!

Bud

Thanks man.. Got that deck done yet?

Bud
Finally finished it. We are going to have a party on Memorial Day Weekend that you and the wife should come to. Now...time to get back to work on the basement for me... :cool:

Jason,

Hey, just checked your album. Looks great. Did you eliminate the stairs? Also, when you did your post lights, did you drill and run the wire through the bottom of the post or sneak it around the back? That's another thing on my list.

Bud

Bud,

I really like the doors. I've never seen Pine look so deep and rich -- nice job!

Hey Steve, welcome back.

I was sort of surprised myself. I guess you can stain any wood any color. Slap on some poly and your done. I guess it depends on your taste for hardness and grain. Me, I wanted to tie it all together with the same wood. Pine was abundant and cheap. The doors are pretty heavy too.

Bud

Thanks for the link on the signs! I definitely want a few of those for my bar/card table/pool area.

Thanks for the link on the signs! I definitely want a few of those for my bar/card table/pool area.

Pretty reasonable too.

Bud

Finished the first coat on one side of the stairs, then went back and started the second coat from the previous day. I worked my way around in a clockwise direction, then headed up the stairs the do the second coat on the other side. I finished up at the top, turned around and knocked into the five gallon bucket of paint which proceeds to go end over end down the stairs! :eek:

Of course I can't catch it. I use a screen in a bucket to paint instead of a paint tray, so I put only what I needed in the bucket from a gallon can. It was enough though, it leaked out on the stairs basically, but when it came to the bottom, to hit a halogen light I was working with and it splattered, getting some of the HT door. Luckily the stuff is pretty thick and it wasn't much. Also, luckily it was latex and cleanup with some water was easy.

Two close calls right in front of that door. Hmmmm.... maybe someone is trying to tell me something!

Bud

Man - that was a close call!

Glad you were able to clean up

Someone's trying to tell you to stop drinking while you're working with buckets full of liquid dye... ;)

I save my drinking when I plant my butt in my lawn chair and turn on a movie.... must be the fumes! :rolleyes:

Bud

China,

It sounds like you have to sacrifice a couple of DVDs for the HT Builders Gods. Pick two inconsequential movies and donate them to a local stranger. You will feel good about yourself while appeasing the HTBG. It is the only way to ward off the bad Mojo. :)

China,

It sounds like you have to sacrifice a couple of DVDs for the HT Builders Gods. Pick two inconsequential movies and donate them to a local stranger. You will feel good about yourself while appeasing the HTBG. It is the only way to ward off the bad Mojo. :)

I thought about burying a DVD upside down in the yard, maybe throwing in some popcorn and some leftover speaker wire. Think that'll work? :D

Bud

I thought about burying a DVD upside down in the yard, maybe throwing in some popcorn and some leftover speaker wire. Think that'll work? :D

Bud

I think you need a chicken foot with that. Make sure its the left foot. Don't want to think about what might happen if it was the right...

I think my wife used the last left chicken foot for her "Chicken Foot Soup", need to run out and get some more. Maybe I can get some online? :D

Recipe for chicken foot soup (http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Chicken%20foot%20soup)

Bud

After a few bowls of Chicken Foot soup (hope you guys know I was kidding about the soup), I went down and worked on my hand rail. I had to sand the whole thing down, since they used poly on it. Prestained and two coats of stain. I think it needs one more coat. I also painted some more trim and touched up the one side of the stair wall with some mud in preparation for a final coat of paint.

Turns out we had a playoff game tonight (and tomorrow night and probably Saturday), so not a lot is going to get done. I also have two pallets of Bermuda sod being delivered in the morning, so I'll be putting that down over the next day or so.

Bud

Turns out we had a playoff game tonight (and tomorrow night and probably Saturday), so not a lot is going to get done. I also have two pallets of Bermuda sod being delivered in the morning, so I'll be putting that down over the next day or so.

Bud

Sod is such fun. I did 9-10 pallets of sod in my yard 1.5 years ago, and it's promptly getting torn to heck right now by a landscaper building a patio and planting trees and stuff all over my yard. He's doing the sod at the end because I just have no desire to do that again. Your fingers will be stinging once you're done! Have fun! :D

Jerrod,

Great.... just found out they delivered the sod to the neightbors house (he got some too). My drive is like 200 feet long.... what a pain in the butt.

Bud

I think I'd call and say that you were expecting a delivery to your house today and nobody came... Followed by, "I ordered the sod to be delivered to my house, not my neighbors"...

Unless by "pain in the butt", you mean calling them... I hope you're not planning on hauling it over, are you? You must have very understanding and patient neighbors as well then...

Pain in the butt in general. My neightbor is a builder and ordered the sod for us. He gets stuff for us at his cost. It's not like I called the SOD store. They came sometime apparently pretty early and I don't expect they'll send a truck back to move it. Still need to talk to my neoghbor, but we'll figure it out.

Bud

Ah, not so bad then (except for moving it :()

On another note, I just noticed the signs.. Very cool, especially the popcorn one for your theater. Are you planning on showing an older movie, like Citizen Kane for your opener? :)

Haven't decided, but probably not. Still running around like a chicken with its head (not foot) cut off trying to get things done. No chance to even think about it!

Bud

Hey I'm laying sod today too, just took a break to see what you all are up to:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b393/bigmouthindc/DSCN3433.jpg

Jason,

Hey, just checked your album. Looks great. Did you eliminate the stairs? Also, when you did your post lights, did you drill and run the wire through the bottom of the post or sneak it around the back? That's another thing on my list.

Bud


Thanks Bud. Stairs are being added this weekend. This Picture (http://public.fotki.com/JikkJack/deck_pics/dscd31.html) is actually a picture of the gate to the future stairs. Lights were very easy as I just use a staple gun and kept the wires tight on the inside of each posts. You will have to come over and check it out.

Hey Bud, I wanted to regurgitate some info: You put the Panny 900 13' back from your 16:9 screen correct? What is the measurement from floor to PJ? You are using a 104" diagonal Carada Screen so your width is about 8'?

I am asking because my Pj should be here monday and I wanted to verify my placement. My plan is to be about 15-16' feet back from the screen and projecting onto a 9' wide screen. How long is your room again? I thought it was around 20' ? I am just trying to figure out all my calculations to make sure they are correct.

thanks

Drew

BIG,

The neighbors landscapers used ALL the sod, so I guess I'll get some more. Just got back from baseball and figured I'd start tomorrow, but no need.

Looks like the sod laid you!

Bud

You will have to come over and check it out.

Definately will!

Bud

Hey Bud, I wanted to regurgitate some info: You put the Panny 900 13' back from your 16:9 screen correct? What is the measurement from floor to PJ? You are using a 104" diagonal Carada Screen so your width is about 8'?

I am asking because my Pj should be here monday and I wanted to verify my placement. My plan is to be about 15-16' feet back from the screen and projecting onto a 9' wide screen. How long is your room again? I thought it was around 20' ? I am just trying to figure out all my calculations to make sure they are correct.

thanks

Drew

I'll give you some exact measurements tomorrow. I think its posted here somewhere, but will remeasure and repost. The bottom of the soffit was 96 inches from the floor, then subtract out about an inch for plywood to mount the mount to (two 1/2" pieces) and then the Chief mount. They say the closer to the middle of the screen the better. Mine is right at the top of my screen.

Correct on the Carada, the exact measurements for the 104 Criterion are on the website found here. (http://www.carada.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PROJECTION-SCREEN-H104C)

My room is like 11.5 by 19. I lost about 14 inches on the false wall, so closer to 18. I believe I'm at about 13 feet and I can go a lot bigger image-wise than the screen. I would expect at 15-16 feet, you're could go a lot bigger.

I used a 9' foot screen (108 width) and here are the results. You're in the range at 15-16 feet with a 1.0 gain. I'm sure you've looked at the AE900 throw distances on projectorcentral.com, but here it is:

http://images17.fotki.com/v309/photos/6/649633/2311872/AE900-vi.jpg

EDIT: Corrected diag/width what Chris mentioned below.

Bud

Hey Bud,
It looks like 108 lengthwise, not diagonal wise on the picture. Am i wrong?

Chris,

Yes, Drew said 9 feet wide in his post, which is why I went 108 in width. For 16:9, that's 124" in diag. That's one honkin' screen!

Bud

Thanks Bud. Yeah since I bought the SMX720 AT screen material from Sandman I was going to put my speakers behind the screen so I can go with a larger screen. I was just wondering about PJ positioning. I can look at calculations all day long but until I can see it I just don't trust it, that's why I asked you.

My plan was to do a large 16:9 screen and have a mask drop down about 1.2 feet to make a 2.35 screen. That way I can do HDTV for football and 2.35 for movies.

Drew

Bud, I forgot to ask and I am not sure you mentioned it in this thread...but did you insulate your entire basement to include the ceilings? I know you did in the HT but I was wondering about the rest. I am toying with the idea of not insulating the ceilings in the rest of my basement. The walls are already insulated.

Drew

Hey Bud, its looking good, your in the home stretch.

I have a trim staining question for you...

Did you cut the trim to length then stain, or stain the stock first, then cut to length?

Thanks Bud. Yeah since I bought the SMX720 AT screen material from Sandman I was going to put my speakers behind the screen so I can go with a larger screen. I was just wondering about PJ positioning. I can look at calculations all day long but until I can see it I just don't trust it, that's why I asked you.

My plan was to do a large 16:9 screen and have a mask drop down about 1.2 feet to make a 2.35 screen. That way I can do HDTV for football and 2.35 for movies.

Drew

I'm an advocate of getting the screen and projector and mounting them to figure out the final throw prior to drywall.

Long day. Will be back to work tomorrow and will post the measurements.

Bud

Bud, I forgot to ask and I am not sure you mentioned it in this thread...but did you insulate your entire basement to include the ceilings? I know you did in the HT but I was wondering about the rest. I am toying with the idea of not insulating the ceilings in the rest of my basement. The walls are already insulated.

Drew

I insulated the HT room and the concession area, including the ceilings with R19. I did not do the ceilings of the other rooms. not sure its really necessary.

Bud

Hey Bud, its looking good, your in the home stretch.

I have a trim staining question for you...

Did you cut the trim to length then stain, or stain the stock first, then cut to length?

I stained/polyed everything first, then cut it to length. Prior to installing, I went ahead and stained the cut (takes like 2 seconds), then installed. I used matching (or close to it) nail filler at that point.

Bud

Drew..

The top (OK, its inverted, but I'm still calling it the top) of the projector is about 92 inches and the projector is 13 feet away. The top of the visual portion of the screen is at 84.5 inches. This may be slightly different then before, I think I move the screen up a few inches from my initial placement.

Bud

Thanks Bud.

Drew

Weekend update....

Not a lot of time in the HT room, except for a movie or two with the kids. The SOD did come and I spent a few hours on Saturday putting it down. It was delivered to a new house on the street, so I had to make about 3-4 trips with my truck, load it on, run back to my house install it, go back, etc. Not bad, took a few hours. I also got my kids basketball hoop up, it's only been in the garage since November.

I did prime the bathroom walls and trim. I also managed to get the ceiling finished, as well as the first coat of trim paint. I should be able the trim up tonight, but need to figure out the wall color and the tile. I'm hoping to take Thursday and Friday off this week to tile the bathroom. Hopefully I'll get the painted completely before hand, then just worry about touchups.

Bud

Lets see....

Bathroom is as far as I can take it paint-wise. Still need to make a final decision on color. Plan on getting out today and getting the tile so I can work on that the next few days. I'm hoping by the end of the weekend the tile will be installed and grouted.

Also been priming the gameroom at night. The ceilings are done and all the crown is done. Did a few walls, but need to pick up like two more gallons of primer.

Bud

For you Atlanta area people.... I have some leftovers if you're hungry.

I'm trying to cleanup my area so I'm not constantly moving things when trying to paint. I have the following items that I need to get rid of. It's FREE if you come and get it. I'll also give you the Bud tour of the BR Cinema....

1. About 30 feet of Linacoustic
2. 1 roll of poly batting
3. Foil scrim
4. Almost one bag of acoustic cotton

Take it all, take some of it... just take it. PM me for directions.

First come, first served. I'd like it out of here ASAP.

Bud

Just bought the tile for the bathroom. What a pain the butt. Went to HD to look at what they had. Saw some nice stuff, but they had no bullnose pieces, couldn't find any different sizes in one tile, so I walked off POed. Drove to Lowes, went in and walked out. Just not a lot of in stock stuff. Drove to "Floor and Decor". Spent the first 20 minutes walking around the place. The had a bunch of corporate types walking around inspecting stuff. None of the floor people even said "Boo" to me. Found some OK stuff, but could not find matching floor tile. Tried to find someone, walked around for 5 minutes and found two employees talking to each other. Neither had a clue about tile. Finally, I found a floor tile that was pretty close to the wall tile I found. A nice lady finally came by and answered a bunch of questions. $400.00+ later, I was out of there, wondering if the tile would fall off the cart in the parking lot. I still need to get mortar and grout, but figured I'd go to HD in the morning. I had enough for one day. I'm loosing all confidence in these big box stores....

Picked up three more cans of primer. That should be it!

Bud

Here's the first of a few biggies..

Carpet will be installed on Tuesday!http://jm.g.free.fr/smileys/jupi.gif

They'll be doing the stairs and the HT room. I'll keep the rest of the biggies to myself ... for now!

Bud

I'm loosing all confidence in these big box stores....

Aren't you a shareholder @ big orange? Space looks great Bud, wish I was in Atlanta to scoop up the freebies.

Dave,

I wish I was a few years ago. Not so sure now. They've just been milking me these last few years. I did turn down a job at the corp office in the fall, so that makes up for it a little, I suppose...

Bud

I had enough for one day. I'm loosing all confidence in these big box stores....

Bud

I would agree that the big box stores are not like they use to be. It seams like they are now catering to the mass public, home improvement, and are no longer the contractor/DIY, building supply.

15 years ago when i first went to Home Club they were strictly a building supply house. they did not have any home decor etc. shure lkied the old busness model better.

Drove to "Floor and Decor". Spent the first 20 minutes walking around the place. The had a bunch of corporate types walking around inspecting stuff. None of the floor people even said "Boo" to me. Found some OK stuff, but could not find matching floor tile. Tried to find someone, walked around for 5 minutes and found two employees talking to each other. Neither had a clue about tile.

Pretty sad that this is the norm and even a small amount of service is considered to be above average. Sounds like HD's been dropping the ball for you lately (the lost bar plan also). HT really looks great. Can't wait to see the pics with the carpet down.

Scott

Pretty sad that this is the norm and even a small amount of service is considered to be above average. Sounds like HD's been dropping the ball for you lately (the lost bar plan also).
Scott,

I won't mention (OK, I will) the fact that I had to go 5 different times to finalize my flooring. The measurement gets sent to Addison, TX where they call you to finalize the deal (and try and sell you extra stuff). Unfortunately, the guys in TX screwed it up several times and it went back and forth between them and the store. Each time I went in to finalize, it was wrong. I went to their opinion site and made a real stink.

On top of that, I was ready to plunk down a bundle on cabinets for the bar, on one of those trips, but got so frustrated with the flooring and the fact that the cabinet people were no where to be found, I walked out. Although I had hoped to be installing cabinets soon, I'm now looking at other options, so that'll be another month or two probably. I'm not going through all that BS again with them.

Bud

I would agree that the big box stores are not like they use to be. It seams like they are now catering to the mass public, home improvement, and are no longer the contractor/DIY, building supply.

15 years ago when i first went to Home Club they were strictly a building supply house. they did not have any home decor etc. shure lkied the old busness model better.

Its pretty disappointing. 95% of the time I go in there with the soul purpose of finding what I need and getting the hell out of the there. I don't want to talk to the sales people, since most of them are not very helpful or experienced with the task in hand. They can point you to an aisle, but that's about it. I'd rather just go online.

My 2 cents.

Bud

Sad to hear about that whole mess. I must say that Lowe's near me has been great. It's a new store they opened less than a year ago and I've always received some good help. Electrical was a bit sketchy until I was able to track down the head guy one time..... The HD near me is older and has narrow isles and I just don't care for it.

Took the day off to work in the basement. Went to my favorite (NOT) place this morning and pick up some mortar, grout, spaces and some other stuff. I also rented a jamb saw.

I cut all the jambs in preparation for flooring. Worked like a jewel. It was 22.00 for 4 hours, or 30 for the day. I had quite a few jambs, would have taken me some time to cut those by hand. I have some minor sanding and touchup as a result, but no biggie.

Next, I tiled the bathroom floor. Going to wait until Saturday, then tile the shower surround. I'll grout on Sunday.

Later, I finished priming the walls in the gameroom. I only have to do the ceiling under the soffits now, which I'll do in the morning. I plan on doing the first coat on the ceilings after that, doing some touch up and sanding, then the second coat in the afternoon.

Bud

Sad to hear about that whole mess. I must say that Lowe's near me has been great. It's a new store they opened less than a year ago and I've always received some good help. Electrical was a bit sketchy until I was able to track down the head guy one time..... The HD near me is older and has narrow isles and I just don't care for it.
Sometimes I think they're happier to say "hello' than help you. I think they must have a quota.... :rolleyes: I'm told Nardelli rides his Harley to a few local stores here in Atlanta and walks around to check on things. He may, but I tell you, some of these people are like robots. Maybe I'll run into him sometime and tell him whats wrong with his stores!

Bud

For you Atlanta area people.... I have some leftovers if you're hungry.

I'm trying to cleanup my area so I'm not constantly moving things when trying to paint. I have the following items that I need to get rid of. It's FREE if you come and get it. I'll also give you the Bud tour of the BR Cinema....

1. About 30 feet of Linacoustic
2. 1 roll of poly batting
3. Foil scrim
4. Almost one bag of acoustic cotton

Take it all, take some of it... just take it. PM me for directions.

First come, first served. I'd like it out of here ASAP.

Bud

OFFER IS STILL AVAILABLE!!!!!

Bud

Next, I tiled the bathroom floor. Going to wait until Saturday, then tile the shower surround. I'll grout on Sunday.

Later, I finished priming the walls in the gameroom. I only have to do the ceiling under the soffits now, which I'll do in the morning. I plan on doing the first coat on the ceilings after that, doing some touch up and sanding, then the second coat in the afternoon.

Man...Tile and painting, my two most hated jobs! You're in the home stretch Bud, keep it going! Can you UPS beer? Because I would love to buy you a six pack when you're done so you can sit back and enjoy a few cold ones. If I get down to Augusta for the Masters next year, I would love to stop in Atlanta and see what you have done.

Scott

OFFER IS STILL AVAILABLE!!!!!

Bud

Bud-
Atlanta guy who's been watching this thread closely for some time - your offer has pulled me from the ranks of lurkers. I've got a large dedicated room which won't start for a few months, but I've got the storage and may take you up on the offer. I'm smack in the middle of Buckhead (just off Northside). What kind of trip am I looking at and how much room will I need? Can't wait to see the finished product. :)
-JB

And I'll bring the beer...

Bud-
Atlanta guy who's been watching this thread closely for some time - your offer has pulled me from the ranks of lurkers. I've got a large dedicated room which won't start for a few months, but I've got the storage and may take you up on the offer. I'm smack in the middle of Buckhead (just off Northside). What kind of trip am I looking at and how much room will I need? Can't wait to see the finished product. :)
-JB

jbinatl,

Great! Just north of Kennesaw and Marietta. In a subdivision called Bentwater. About 25 miles from the perimeter. If you want to make a trip on the weekend, let me know (a lot less traffic). If you prefer I meet you part way, we can work that out. Just let me know. Your choice.

Bud