The Brown Family Cinema for beginners thread - Page 5

borrow away aaustin! your room is really coming along too.....the drywall is the worst part! i hope you have a shop vac around to get all that drywall dust when your finished, i'm still paying the price.

as for the weather, yes that is one of the benefits of living in Florida however gas prices are not a benefit, haha.

Here I am thinking Florida was the pioneer in astronomical gas prices. I would be walking to and from Home Depot if my truck bed wasn't a requirement!

Anyways, still working on some nice pictures of the stars, it is a nightmare trying to capture the glow of the stars with an iPhone!

So after much debate, I decided to incorporate a riser into my plans. Although the room is only 12x14 (less including the false wall), I've seen a few projects on this forum that squeezed in a riser with even less space to work with. The riser dimensions are 120" width x 48" depth x 10" height (the height is 9 inches due to using two layers of 3/4 plywood, thanks RT!) which makes my first row distance from the 105" screen a whopping 8 feet. Wish I had a bigger room but I'm making the best of it, anyways...on to the pics of the riser build.

Used a total of 6 2x8's for the project


The riser framed. I didn't like the thin baseboards so this gave me the perfect excuse to remove them, going with the taller baseboards.


Stuffed it with roxul that I had left over from the bass traps. Also added an outlet to the front for a powered seat option


used two layers of 3/4" thick plywood with green blue in between. This thing is solid as a rock!


The original idea was to decouple the riser from the walls but due to limited spacing that wasn't a realistic expectation. My master bedroom is on the other side of the rear wall (the AV Rack is actually in my closet). I think I'd have a major problem with sound transmission if I wasn't the sole occupant in the house. lol

There was an incredibly annoying line running around the perimeter of my room (no fault but my own). Had to remud the walls and repaint. I learned my lesson and had a professional make the walls smooth for me this time. I should make a tab of all the money wasted because of my mistakes during the project but my sanity prevents me from doing so....lol. Everything is repainted and ready to go.

Next up is the carpet, getting the frames built, painted star ceiling, and getting the remaining A/V equipment.

Thanks aaustin! I decided to go with full recline theater seats on the riser (WAF imposed decision really). The seats I purchased only have a 28" footprint so I figured I'd give it a go. I'm pretty sure the recline function for the rear row won't be an option due to space though. I'll wil give impressions when I test fit.

Thanks for the words. Can't wait For the finale!

I stand corrected RT! I was wrong with the thickness of plywood.....it was in fact 3/4 that was used. I have so many numbers bouncing around in my head coupled with the fact that I suck at math = inaccuracy at best! lol.



In regards to the depth of the riser, I too am concerned with the lack of leg room that will be available. However, I've come to terms with eliminating the use of full recline for the rear seats. The rear row will consist of a row of 3: a love seat on the left (for me and the lady) and a single seat on the right, (sucks to be that guy...lol). I will test fit the seats either today or tomorrow. Working on selecting some carpet presently. I've gathered some carpet samples and I will need some help selecting. Pics coming soon!

Ok fellow AVSer's. I need your advice. I have already chosen the colors of the room and the seats. I am struggling on whether or not to go with a light or dark colored carpet. Here are some of the samples that I've gotten over the past few weeks:


Option 1


Option 2


Option 3


Option 4


I'm definitely leaning towards option 4. That is a carpet made by Shaw called "backstage" the color is "mystical". I've seen this carpet floating around the AVS forum a few times. The only reason I like the light colored carpet is because I feel it creates more of a contrast in the room. I could be terribly wrong (as usual). Let me know!

Thank you RT! as a CCC, I must pick your brain as well. Would you normally want to lay carpet padding on the riser? I've gotten some quotes for install and some installers are reluctant to pad the riser because it won't look right. Is there any truth behind this?

ok, seems as if I may need to get a few more quotes. I plan on keeping it square, although WAF wants a bullnose so we can add rope lights underneath. Not completely sold on the idea though. Really appreciate the input as well, option 4 is pretty much a sealed deal!

Thanks for the remarks guys. Just a quick update, I ordered the carpet today. It should arrive some time early next week. Very excited to get the carpet in, seems like it will all be down hill from there (hopefully).

Thanks RT and Brad!

I found a carpet guy who is confident enough to do the padding on the riser (thankfully). He said it wouldn't be a problem. With regards to the bullnose, does it make for an easier install when there is a lip/bullnose on the riser? I may add an 1" extension to the riser if will help. Brad I guess you can add the carpet to the list of things I've stolen from your room, including the bass traps. lol.

Just waiting on the carpet at the moment. According to the tracking info, it should be at my front door some time between monday and thursday. can't stand the anxiety!

I know bro. It seems like the completion is so close yet so far away. I still have the bulk of the electronics to buy (i.e. surround speakers, blu ray player, receiver, sub, and anything else that makes noise). lol.

the carpet for the floor and riser came in yesterday! i purchased black carpet for the stage area from local store. i got the blackest mohawk carpet i could find. i will be picking that carpet up before saturday. all the carpet should be installed by monday of next week. meanwhile, i started working on the screen frame


screen dimensions are 105x44.6 (2:35:1 ratio). I used 1x4 poplar as recommended by Chris over at SeymourAV. I was going to use oak because it is super straight but it was waaaay too heavy.


beveled the edges 45 degrees and added biscuits. used the biscuit joiner and forgot to attach the bag to catch the shavings, so my car caught the shavings instead smh!!! live and you learn.


used 4 biscuits, i have about 196 left.......selling for 10 cents each. lol.


the frame is all done...needs to be wrapped (which i heard is the hard part) and attached.