Budget screen solution for basements  

I've been trying to decide whether or not to post this, wondering how ridiculous many would think it is, but I finally decided that there are probably many here who can't afford a high dollar real screen or may be in a situation that prevents them from drywalling, etc.

This was my solution for a concrete block basement wall which I feel is a a better solution than blackout cloth or similar make-shift screen.

I am not currently ready/able to drywall in the basement. There is much more work to be done before I can take that step and the rest of the house requires more attention than this particular project.

I purchased 4 x 8 sheets of owens corning styrofoam house sheathing. I wanted an even larger area, so I purchased two sheets. They are a little over 8 bucks each. They are tongue in groove and lock together and I attached them to concrete block wall w/ liquid nails. I used a full sheet in the middle of the screen area and then cut the second sheet to fill the sides, top and bottom (in case my seams showed, I'd still have a roughly 48" x 96" solid area to work with without any defects that was centered, this was basically a planned strategy in case of my plan failing)

I then used latex caulk on the seams to fill them then taped, mudded and sanded the seams just like drywall after slightly roughing the seam areas w/ fine grit sandpaper I went through the usual sanding process on the taped seams then primed and painted w/ a version of the ultra pure white paint with the opalescent glaze mixed in. It is an awesome screen for under $50.00. Black curtains to finish it off and it is the best looking thing in the room for now....
My seams are invisible and there hasn't been anyone to date who could tell that it wasn't a perfect sheetrock wall.

It may not be for everyone, but it is a good solution for those on a budget or a tough area to work with.

Lori

Edit: These sheets have a plastic film/vapor barrier attached to both sides. For better adhesion, I removed the plastic film. Also, try to find a styrofoam safe version of the liquid nails. The regular version can eat through styrofoam, but generally won't work it's way all the way through this thickness.

I will post photos tonight. I am on lunch hour and don't have time right now. Sheetrock would be just a tad cheaper, but this is so much lighter to transport, carry and is easier to attach to a concrete wall with adhesive rather than trying to anchor sheetrock to concrete block. I filled in the entire wall area with it so I could enlarge the screen size in the future if I ever upgraded the projector. Right now I'm projecting at about 90 inches wide.

Ok, I may not be such a good photographer. I made notes on some of the photos, but I don't think they are so good. Some I used a flash, some not. The ones I made notations on are in the main directory and there is a subdirectory of just misc. shots. Some are at high res and will need to be expanded to full size if your browser scales them down. Excuse the room - like I said it's ugly and a work in progress, but we still want to watch movies while we work on the room, so had to have the screen. I've tried to point out where the seams are.

I haven't done any projection screen shots, and probably won't until I get my doubler in a couple of days. It's just the behr ultra pure white with the opal pearlescent glaze mixed in and I think you all know what that looks like with a projected image.

http://www.lovemyoldhome.com/screen