What is a cheap rigid board that I can buy at Home Depot to glue my Parkland to?

Originally Posted by MississippiMan 

This is a blast from the past. Every once in a while someone needs to build a backer board to support / flatten out a thin material Some parkland sheets were a full 3/8" thick and were self supporting as far a laying them against a vertical surface. The 1/8" Parkland is a floopy bit of business.

Backer Boards 101

So you have a "old" piece of the original Parkland Plastics sheeting? Or the newer variety?

Treating the Parkland as you would a Mirror used for Light Fusion, there is a "Best' way to do this and at the same time improve the Parkland's Contrast, It's gotta get glued....and that is tricky as the Parkland is actually Translucent. And adhesive used must at once have low volatility, and be troweled out very flat.

And to do it cheaply, it ( Backer Board) will have to be at least two pieces, more likely more. I will return this PM with line drawings and actual images of 122" screens on Backer Boards.....w/2.5" overage on all sides, and who after being hung onto walls via screws into the 2.5' perimeter, received wrapped Black Velvet Trim over MDF Base that both framed the screen and covered up the Screw heads.

I would continue on............

But.......Patience is a virtue, and the Builder + Client I most go see now have very little virtue today.

I'll get back on this tonight.

Hey....where at in Colorado? I have some 122" DIY Screens in Denver that you might like to go see.

Originally Posted by MississippiMan 

Last night would have been pushing it a bit.

I'm concerned about about your using any adhesive that is not a white color. Unless your painting the surface, the darker Tan adhesive can...and will show through. I know, having been an advocate of Parkland "away back yonder"The Parkland you have is the thinner variety, and any surface irregularity from adhesive not spread thinly enough will translate into a Bump or Ridge.

Constructing a framework of perimeter timber might seem a solution, but unless you use 1x6, the edges will not offer enough support to prevent bowing inward past the leading edge.

I suggest that you assemble a grid of 1x6s onto the wall,(...with at least three spaced between each side...) check carefully to see if they are all laying flat, then use a re-positional spray Contact adhesive to attach the Parkland. (...sand and wipe clean the 1x6s before applying the adhesive...)

So....this seems to be a "I gotta do it quickly" thing....and that leaves a lot of potential issues to crop up. With your decision to finally employ the Parkland, I only hope that you don;t make anything happen to render it worthless because your under time restraints.

Originally Posted by MississippiMan 

Well actually, you have it pretty much wrong.

Look at the illustration on the left. In the center you see a 4' x 8' sheet. That sheet is overlaying the three sections, binding them together. Each sheet cost $12.00. Using the Trimmings you make all the side inserts. They don't need to stretch the entire perimeter....but they should overlap all the sectional joints by as much as possible.

And absolutely....if you can make a decision to just spend for another 5' x 10' sheet of something, then there you have your answer.

Not too terribly far from where you live, in Denver there is a company called :

Piedmont Plastics.
Denver-Littleton, CO 80120
303-794-9823

...................and there they sell Sintra / Komotex in 5' x 10' x 6mm sheets for between $96.00 and $110.00.

6mm won't roll up....but it will bend. And Piedmont can cut it down for you to the size you want. (60" x 107")

At 6mm, all you'd need to do is either hang it with adhesive directly onto the wall (...use a Silicone Adhesive Caulk and it can be pulled down if ever it needs to be...)
...............or build a Frame from the 1x5 as earlier suggested and hang it via the French Cleat method.

Unfortunately, unless you paint onto a wall, there is no your escaping spending some money. DIY can be inexpensive....even downright cheap. But free? No. I know you realize that...and we all feel the same way about saving all we can. But when your trying to create a large screen, there certain things to be considered mandatory. Your time with Do-able has basically spoiled you rotten as to the "Hang and Shoot" syndrome. And don't you already know full well how so many others have not had that opportunity given Do-Able's limited distribution.

The Backer Board as illustrated was made so that two 1/8" thick layers of MDF Hardboard could be sectional-ized and assembled into one reasonable lightweight and rigid sheet to support flimsy material such as 3mm laminates, 3mm plastic sheeting, even 1/8" acrylic Mirrors. 1/2" MDF Boards at 5' x 10' can be had...but they too cost more than a little chump change, and are TERRIBLY heavy.

Sintra then is your best bet...not because it's free or even cheap, but because it's readily available, sized as you want it to be, and will be easier by a mile to work with. Why....you could even just use it for the Screen itself of your will ing to paint a high performance coating onto it, and then you'd realize a screen surface that would be almost an order pf magnitude better than any "Hang and Shoot" option out there.

Lastly, you could get Sintra in it's 3 mm version (cheaper by half - ) and laminate the Parkland to it. Then you'd have 1/4" thick material. But it would still need support to be able to "hang". Unless....., you cut back on the size of your screen just enough to allow for a 2" wide area outside the Screen area that would allow you to screw the Sintra / Parkland combo tp the wall with screws set into the 2" border area. Trim is then applied over that area to cover the Screws.

Originally Posted by MississippiMan 

Sheesh......now your relating a whole 'nother set of variables.

Dude.....Just get the Sintra....paint it a simple N7.5 Gray, Trim it well with Mdf Base wrapped in Velvet. The 8200 will be glad to use it's brightness and the Gray surface to both attenuate light and deepen Blacks. Hand the Sintra with Screws and cover the Screws with the Trim.

I'm going to go make me a Turkey Omelet.

Originally Posted by MississippiMan 

Painting is essential if you want the 8200 to perform like a Epson 6020 or Panny 8000 and really give you satisfying Black levels without your having to reduce color and white dynamics via attenuation of actual lumen ouput.

They actually do make Sintra in 12'ers, but I personally have never come across any stock where I've looked.

6mm Sintra can bend around a Corner (carefully) without breaking or creasing. if laid against a Flat surface and screwed around the perimeter it will usually lay flat....but applying flattened daubs of Adhesive Caulk can get that concern out of the way.

Laminate is just too thin, and will require a substantial Framework...and a good job on one will cost enough to matter, and through the whole process of receiving / cutting...and mointing there is a decided risk of breakage. The WA-DW also has "Sheen" issues with brighter PJs so that effectually dooms that....unless you get it solely because you can get it in a 12' length and you plan to paint onto it.

Your other option would be a Millskin Silver Spandex Screen, with the Spandex stretched across a lightweight Frame. The Silver Spandex will be JUST under 1.0 gain, and it's gray hue will make the 8200 look as good as possible. In reality, most recent DIY'ers on here will relate it's not at all a difficult or expensive build. In fact, recently so many have been delving into Spandex on this Forum, you'd think this was the DIY School of Modern Dance or sumthin'.

Hey.....everything I personally do is centered around PERFECTLY matching up a PJ to a Screen to the Room. What I cannot do is force DIY'ers to follow suit....for a myriad of varied reasons....and not all of then center around cost as much as they do around the DIY'ers "ability" or willingness to take things to a level where they get more than they ever expected.

No matter what else can be said, ain't no way no how a 122" High Contrast / 1.0+ Gain Mfg "Fixed" Screen will cost anywhere near as little to make, nor be as ideally suited to a particular job, as a well made DIY Screen of the same design.

Originally Posted by MississippiMan 

Going BF Shopping.

Read the Threads....it's all there.

PS.

It ain't very expensive.

Silver Millskin or Moleskin Over White.

www.spandexworld.com

Consume....Digest.....Make the decision and we'll take getting you detailed info from that point forward.