Just Another Guy Just Another Home Theater......Version 2.0 - Page 24

Actually more like when I got hit with the carpet install bill The septic was more than the carpet however I anticipated it would be higher than it turned out to be.

As for columns I took an idea someone posted here and basically am working on making a "base" for each column to sit in raising it up about 5" or so. It may not be "ideal" but in reality we all have to sacrifice in some aspects of our build. Basically I had the columns roughly framed out with 1/2" ply supported by 2x3's in the rear. I then took some left over MDF and made "boxes" that will fit around the bottom of the columns but stick out the 3/4" to give the columns some character. This saved me from making ALL new columns as all I will have to do now is cut down the tops to get the proper height. For reference I made 2 columns for each column (a bottom and a top) that will mount to 2x4s secured to the wall. What I need to figure out now is the covers that will go over the opening where the speakers sit. What to frame those out of that will be sturdy enough to handle the tension of the fabric that will be wrapped over them. Any suggestions?

Thanks my man I appreciate the support.

RT I agree Painter scares me (and most people), heck he wasn't even good @ Purdue. That said though I am a Colts fan I am a Bears fan first. When they played one another in the Superbowl I rooted for the Bears (my son for the Colts) but any other week I root for the Colts. In fact we took him to the Colts/Chiefs game last year @ Lucas Oil and DAMN what a great stadium. We even splurged a little (more like ALOT)since it was his birthday and got front row seats. It was a memory to last a lifetime. I remember going to Colts games as a young kid but we always sat upstairs. Heck I remember one game we were in the next to last row of the old stadium. And for those that have ever been that high in that stadium know you constantly feel like you are going to fall out of your seat.

As for progress it has slowed a bit but did you really think I could keep up this insane pace? Really?!?! I have been mocking/building/test fitting some column ideas/designs as well as researching some other things. I did order a new router and gigabit switch so that I can upgrade my home network as I have one of the first wireless N routers. Things have changed as well as my needs for networking so I got a Netgear wndr3700 as well as a Netgear GS605AV (switch). I have yet to hook anything up but now I have enough connections to do so. I also ordered 20 yards of black GOM FR701. I hope this will be enough but either way it is a start and I can get the columns wrapped of course after they are built...

Please dont pressure me as I CANT handle it. There isnt a bunch to report on as I have spent my time cleaning the pool, partying with friends at their pool , prepping for my son to start high school (in 5 days) , and a few odds and ends things.

I have been doing some things in the old theater/new family room though. We painted it a lighter color (gone is the dark brown)since you were here. I am trying to push myself to finish up that side of the basement as well. I still need to pour the envirotex on the half wall bar and hang all my ND memorabilia up. We also are getting a new sectional for in there (think MORE comfort for XBOX) and planning to pick that up in the next day or so. None of this is probably picture worthy though.

As for the theater I have been building my 4 columns for my surrounds and they are done (not trimmed out yet)and wrapped in GOM but I am not sure that I really like them. I have pics that I need to upload of those but they arent the most impressive part of my build thats for sure. I have spent a good amount of time searching for a place locally to purchase OC 703...(any thoughts since we are local to one another?)so I could work on my screen wall. Oh and the most important thing I have been doing is planning our big trip to Ann Arbor for a "weekend" (Friday-Sunday)FULL of tailgating while my Irish beat down those pesky Wolverines. This trip should be EPIC to say the least.

Thanks for the heads up but I think I am going to let my new 3312 power the surrounds for "now".

You my friend are my hero. I placed an order for this within an hour of seeing this post. I am glad someone stepped up to send their unit to middle atlantic

Well I have been super busy over the past few weeks tackling several projects. I built my surround columns out of 1/2" ply then covered in GOM FR701 only to decide after that I absolutely HATE them. I have since decided to build new ones. I mean I am only out lumber and fabric (alot of it)and thats only $$$ right?!?! So I decided to steal Brad's design. The only differences will be that mine will not taper inward at the bottom and I am wrapping mine entirely in GOM (no vinyl). Thanks Brad..! I have started framing the new ones out and will add some pictures shortly of where I am at. The crappy part is I WAS done with these pesky columns...oh well.

On a side note I have decided to tackle the bar/family room side of the basement. This has been the dumping ground for ALL the tools I have been using in the theater as well as just about everything else you could imagine and has not been "clean/clear" for the past 3 years. I also have got to un-box and hang all my Notre Dame memorabilia that has been in boxes the last 3 years. I have all that stuff done and only have a couple things to do in there to be able to call the room "complete". I need to install some trim on the laminate floor that I put in there as well as pour envirotex on the half wall bar. I will post updates of that in the old bar thread that I have which is the first link in my signature if anyone is interested. I am pushing as football season is here and I need a great place to watch my Irish.

Mini-update (Major update in my book)time. As some of you may know I built my 4 speaker columns, wrapped them with GOM FR701 only to decide AFTER the fact that I absolutely hated them. So like this build (Theater version 2.0)I have built Column version 2.0 as well. The original ones were 1/2" plywood and 3 sided. The problem I had was they would not line up well and the ply had a bit of a warp to it so all in all they were UGLY. I wont share ANY pics of those and will more than likely destroy all evidence. The material waste (ply, 2x4s etc)wasn't a big deal however the waste of GOM was the killer. I guesstimate about 10 yards (maybe more)were wasted.......at $14.95/yard that SUCKS. I may be able to save "some" of the old off the columns but removing ALL those damn staples may not be worth the headache we will have to see.

So as I stated in my last post I hijacked/stole Brad's column idea a bit. I used 1"x2" select pine. This is the straightest lumber I have seen at any of the box stores and extremely smooth on all sides. I basically framed the entire thing similar to the way Brad did with the exception of the tapered bottom's he has. Mine are the same width floor to ceiling. I also hijacked his idea for removable speaker grills on the front. I used the speaker ball and sockets from Parts-express just like he did. These things have worked like a charm though I thought I ordered more than enough but upon further review I actually shorted myself about 12 pair.......Huh math how does it work?!?!?!

Anyway I have all 4 columns framed and painted black and the socket cups all in place. I also have all the speaker grill covers (12 total) in built, sanded and painted black and the ball connectors in place on those. Today I wrapped the first column and thats where I stand. Hopefully I will get to the other 3 in the next few days but we will see. We have a busy weekend starting tonight with High School football, as well as tomorrow night, then an all day canoe trip Saturday followed by his birthday party on Sunday so they may have to wait.

Framed laying down...





Here is a shot of where a speaker grill will rest. I used scrap 1/2" ply as a spacer so the grilles would be "inset" just slightly....


This is where the bottom of one panel and the top of another meet...

And all the grilles ready for paint....


One of the few shots I took of them painted black


A close up of the socket cup for the grilles....


Back of one of the grilles showing the ball connector....


And the first column wrapped an in the theater. This has the top panel/grille removed. Note it is just sitting on the riser and not in place or secured to the wall just yet




Closeup showing the "inset" a bit




And that's progress for today. In the next few days I will be working on the other 3 columns as well as figuring out speaker counting solutions for inside these columns. I also have 3 of my Middle Atlantic custom shelf/faceplates as well as some blank spacer panels here so I can get to work at installing some components in my rack. More pics to follow.......Also when I get a chance to set the tripod back up I will get some "better" pictures of the columns and the room in its current state. The flash definitely shows the wood frame of the grilles but with it painted black behind the fabric you cant see it all......weird.

Yea I am going to attempt to do just that.


I am much happier therefore there is proof I just wish I hadn't wasted all that GOM. About 10 yards ($150 + Shipping)doesn't seem like much but $ is $.

Steal away my friend. Instead of columns we will now refer to them as "Brolumns".

Got a bit of work done on the columns after all this weekend. Didn't think I would get any time with them with all the other things we had going on but I have all 4 wrapped and all the removable panels covered except 3 (12 total). I ran out of the ball and socket connectors and had to order more from parts-express. What a bummer but I totally miscalculated. I also ran out of GOM which REALLY sucks. That was the fastest 20 yards ever. It just irritates me of the screw up with the first column build as it cost me 10 yards of fabric. Once I get the connectors I will finish them up and get them installed/secured to the walls and try to get some better pictures of them all in place. Its crazy how much darker its getting in there with 4 big, black columns to absorb even more light. I cant wait to see the darkness once the screen wall is black and not the white that it is now.

Need some suggestions. I am looking for a fabric pull to use on my columns. Basically what I have in mind (and I dont sew or know anyone that does)is a fabric/nylon type loop that I can attach to the back of my top panels and use to pop the top panel off the columns when I need access. I am having a hard time searching for these on google or even figuring out the technical name for them but I am sure they are out there.

I actually solved my problem about 15 minutes after posting that. I took the strap off an old soft sided cooler that we never use. Its basically 1/2"-3/4" wide black strapping that is reinforced. I am going to cut it to the lengths I need and staple it to the back side of my panels. I tried your method but I think I made my panels a bit too snug so getting an allen wrench in there and being able to pull it outward isnt easy.

So after building columns out of 1/2" plywood then covering in GOM FR701 I decided I hated them and decided to trash them AND the 10 yards of fabric (@ $15/yard)which was a bit hard to swallow but hey its only money and in the grand scheme of this build and its cost the $150 really isnt a big deal.

So I rebuilt my columns as you saw above completely out of 1" x 2" select pine and I am VERY happy with the results. I built 3 removable grilles for each column (an idea stolen from a smarter fella than I). I painted all wood black then covered in the same black GOM FR701. The results as shown above are much better. Since posting those pics I have filled all 4 columns from the floor to the bottom of the speaker shelf with Roxul Safe N Sound. I just cut and stacked the Roxul to act as bass traps in the room since I will be lacking in that area. Here are some more pics of the columns which are "finished" as far as I am concerned.

Rear columns attached to the wall with chunks of Roxul waiting to be installed.


Rear columns filled



Front left filled


Front right and right rear




So I then needed a method to easily remove the panels to access the speakers. For this I cut the strap off an old soft side cooler bag we had lying around. I cut 4" loops and simply stapled to the top of each top panel.



A picture of a panel in place. Sorry my little point n shoot is making it hard to get good pictures in a room that is getting darker by the day


Some more finished column pics







And thats the columns in a nutshell. Two takes, wasted material and fabric but at the end the result is exactly as I envisioned it. Thanks Brad. I also finished the shelves for the movie storage that is directly inside the front closet. I cut some mdf to size painted it black and added some minimal molding painted to match the rest of the room and attached it to the front of the shelves.




Not sure why some of my pictures are tilted slightly, I swear I wasn't drinking. I've also got most of my RSH shelves from Middle Atlantic so I can rearrange my rack closer to its final setup. I will post pictures in a few days to show where its at currently. I had to wait for MA to get the specs for my new Denon AVR-3312ci as its brand new but that is here and life is MUCH better. I still need to decide on a bluray player for the theater as well as start researching power conditioners and/or surge protection that will fit in the rack as this is a subject I dont know much of anything about.

I am getting close to deciding/ordering my projector. I was on board with the Panasonic PT-ae4000u then the 7000 was announced but the price tag ($3499 msrp)is a bit steeper than I preferred to pay. Good news Panny announced recently another new unit (PT-AR100u)though I dont know if it even compares to the 4000u. So decisions will have to be made soon as baseboards and screen wall are my main projects ahead.