New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Fabric Frames - Page 28

post #811 of 832
5/19/13 at 6:04pm
For those of you that have done it- would you recommend pre built frames or make them yourself ??

What's the difference in cost?

What is the difference in time ?

Would you do it different the second time ?
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #812 of 832
5/19/13 at 8:34pm
To do what I did (and most folks in this thread) you can't do with prefabricated panels, because the panels have to be sized exactly according to a layout based on the dimensions of the room (and columns, doors, ceiling height, working around risers and stage, etc. Plus with prefab you have limited choices on depth, mounting, and most of all fabrics.

For the "hang on the wall" type panels, it makes more sense to compare buying vs. building them yourself. I'd still do it myself though, because (1) I'm a cheap bastard, (2) I like woodworking, and (3) I want things "just so" in terms of fabrics and specific sizing.

It took me 2-3 weeks of a few hours a night on weekdays and at least a half day on weekend days to build the frames, and another week maybe to cover them with fabric. So definitely time consuming.
Reply
Reply
post #813 of 832
5/20/13 at 4:52am
Awesome reply. Thanks for advice makes perfect sense. I'm probably more like you
Reply
Reply
post #814 of 832
5/20/13 at 9:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

For those of you that have done it- would you recommend pre built frames or make them yourself ??

What's the difference in cost?

What is the difference in time ?

Would you do it different the second time ?

I spent maybe $2,000 on fabric and materials (plywood, batting, compressed fiberglass, staples, brads, glue, etc...) for the Fabric Frames. I have been told that to have the same thing done professionally would have been $15,000 to $20,000. That is a big difference.

Time wise, i built and installed all the fabric frames in a week and a half over Christmas vacation. Then there is the time to source and acquire all the materials. This happened over a period of 2 or 3 months while the theater was under construction. I would think a professional would take 2 to 3 weeks also to do the install.

I would build the frames again if I was building a theater. I would most likely mix it up with different size frames next time. Another thing I would look at is the plastic track systems, that are available now.
Reply
Reply
post #815 of 832
5/20/13 at 11:14am
I wanted fabric on the walls to help hide the acoustic treatments, minimize light reflections, etc. I looked at building frames... even built a test frame (god what a pain) and that experience left me looking for other solutions...

Eventually decided on the fabricmate track system... and since I didn't want to staple these directly to the drywall (wasn't sold on how well that would hold and wanted something that would be easy to remove later) I ended up using the 1/2" fabricmate track stapled to 1" wide 1/2" thick plywood strips. The combined 1/2" plywood and 1/2" fabricmate track strips I then screwed to the wall (horizontal strips screwed to the studs, vertical strips using anchors or screwed to the studs depending on where they ended up) in the pattern I wanted and then rolled in the fabric (GOM 701). After rolling in the fabric in the first "panel" I was very comfortable with the install of the fabric (it really is quite easy) and the whole project took only a couple of days with excellent results (much better than I think I could have achieved with the frames solution). You can lay out the "panels" nearly any way you want (working within the restrictions of the width and length of the fabric you buy). I guess it cost me a bit more than the frames (~$500) would have but the amount of work involved was much less.
Reply
Reply
post #816 of 832
5/20/13 at 11:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfm View Post

I wanted fabric on the walls to help hide the acoustic treatments, minimize light reflections, etc. I looked at building frames... even built a test frame (god what a pain) and that experience left me looking for other solutions...

Eventually decided on the fabricmate track system... and since I didn't want to staple these directly to the drywall (wasn't sold on how well that would hold and wanted something that would be easy to remove later) I ended up using the 1/2" fabricmate track stapled to 1" wide 1/2" thick plywood strips. The combined 1/2" plywood and 1/2" fabricmate track strips I then screwed to the wall (horizontal strips screwed to the studs, vertical strips using anchors or screwed to the studs depending on where they ended up) in the pattern I wanted and then rolled in the fabric (GOM 701). After rolling in the fabric in the first "panel" I was very comfortable with the install of the fabric (it really is quite easy) and the whole project took only a couple of days with excellent results (much better than I think I could have achieved with the frames solution). You can lay out the "panels" nearly any way you want (working within the restrictions of the width and length of the fabric you buy). I guess it cost me a bit more than the frames (~$500) would have but the amount of work involved was much less.

Picture ???
Reply
Reply
post #817 of 832
5/20/13 at 11:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GPowers View Post



I spent maybe $2,000 on fabric and materials (plywood, batting, compressed fiberglass, staples, brads, glue, etc...) for the Fabric Frames. I have been told that to have the same thing done professionally would have been $15,000 to $20,000. That is a big difference.

Time wise, i built and installed all the fabric frames in a week and a half over Christmas vacation. Then there is the time to source and acquire all the materials. This happened over a period of 2 or 3 months while the theater was under construction. I would think a professional would take 2 to 3 weeks also to do the install.

I would build the frames again if I was building a theater. I would most likely mix it up with different size frames next time. Another thing I would look at is the plastic track systems, that are available now.

Thank you for a really helpful and intelligent reply. What is the advantage/disavantage of the plasic track system ?
Reply
Reply
post #818 of 832
5/20/13 at 3:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

Picture ???

A quick crappy picture of the front corner of our theater to give you an idea of what I did with the fabricmate track... My approach was definitely plain Jane... basically a simple two-tone 2 panel outline (black on the bottom about 3 ft high with brown on top) that runs the length of the back and side walls with the front false wall all black snuggled up to the Carada Masquerade screen. The panel below the screen is removable so that I can get to the speakers and subs. The front corners are at a 45 degree angle. With the track you can pretty much do anything but the smaller your "panels" are the more costly it will be (because more track will be needed). Even with the larger "panels" I used (largest being 18 feet by 5 feet) I was able to install the correspondingly large fabric piece by myself in rather short order.


Reply
Reply
post #819 of 832
5/20/13 at 6:33pm
Can you make different size depth frames with the track system?
Reply
Reply
post #820 of 832
5/21/13 at 4:19pm
I'm leaning towards making wooden frames myself. Thanks for the helpful info posted in this thread !
Reply
Reply
post #821 of 832
5/21/13 at 4:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post

Thank you for a really helpful and intelligent reply. What is the advantage/disavantage of the plasic track system ?

Depends on the person budget and skill set.

If you are a skilled woodworker and have the tools, then Fabric Frames have the advantage. The flip side is you need the confidence to build the fabric frames, and the tools.

Plastic tracks offer more opportunity to do curves and more completed designs. Plastic Tracks also do not require woodworking skills or as many tools. But will cast more.
Reply
Reply
post #822 of 832
5/21/13 at 6:21pm
Anyone ever use the Acoustimac prebuilt frames?
Reply
Reply
post #823 of 832
5/22/13 at 9:41am
Depending on your complexity of frames it can be done very easily with minimal knowledge or something like a Fabricmate track might be a better option. For me the cost of the track was more than I wanted to spend and in hiding my windows I would have needed to build a frame for the track to go on anyway so....

I already needed a table saw and nail gun/compressor for the rest of my woodwork and I just used a speed square to line up the pieces and nailed them in.

One of the easier parts of my build IMO.
Reply
Reply
post #824 of 832
5/22/13 at 10:46am
Thread Starter 
+ 1 on the speed square for making things easier...
Edited by GPowers - 5/22/13 at 1:59pm
Reply
Reply
post #825 of 832
5/23/13 at 11:23am
Id guess a finish nail gun off an air compressor too ...
Reply
Reply
post #826 of 832
5/23/13 at 1:58pm
Yes, a pneumatic brad nailer and stapler is *almost* mandatory - I actually built my first 6-8 frames using a hammer and boxes of brad nails - way too slow, broke down and bought the brad nailer, and my next door neighbor gave me a spare compressor. biggrin.gif
Reply
Reply
post #827 of 832
5/23/13 at 3:35pm
My dad has a few brad nailers and I own a compressor. I've used it many times for other projects. smile.gif. Nice indeed.

It's too easy for some stuff. I always end up using twice as many nails as I should ... Lol
Reply
Reply
post #828 of 832
5/23/13 at 3:57pm
Wait til you start stapling fabric! I think I used somewhere north of 30,000 staples
Reply
Reply
post #829 of 832
5/23/13 at 6:26pm
Lol holycrap!
Reply
Reply
post #830 of 832
5/24/13 at 12:41pm
So last night I began wrapping the frames around my screen wall in FR701 (Black) ... horrible. Don't get me wrong, they turned out great; however I forgot how horrible FR701 is to work with. Difficult to cut, ravels, dulls razors quickly .. just not a user friendly product. Thankfully I'm only using it on my screen wall which is nearly complete.

My father started and ran a large(ish) upholstery business for 30+ yrs, so you would think I would have an advantage; however after making a mistake and having to pull stables out I remember why I hated working there ... biggrin.gif

Warning .. do not buy the cheap surebonder staple gun from amazon for ~$25. Its jammed no less than 20 times on 4 frames. I just ordered a good one to finish the room.
Reply
Reply
post #831 of 832
5/24/13 at 5:55pm
I used a rotary cutter and a straight edge and it worked well for me. Of course I didn't use GOM so you mileage may vary.
Reply
Reply
post #832 of 832
5/24/13 at 6:10pm
+1 on the rotary cutter.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

AVS Top Picks