Laminate Screen Material and Testing! - Page 95

My first attempt at a laminate screen ended in failure.


More my fault than anything else.

I'm going to drown my sorrows with my buddy sammy adams.

What happened?

Carrying it up the stairs negotiating 90 degree turn. Then lots of cussing. I ordered the "seamfil" kit. I am going to try that before I do anything else.

Ouch, hopefully the cussing was at oneself and not another.
Many here have built in room to avoid the issue of moving big screen around.
Good luck.

Yeah in retrospect that was the best option. I just did not want the fumes from the contact cement curing inside my house.

A previously experienced disaster, although only a few have managed to break a sheet "in half"...usually it's only a Corner or a "crack".

Tell me, if the sheet was already glued to the Frame, how / why was that Frame bent to such a degree to allow the attached WA-DW to crack? Was there no room in the Stairwell to stand the assembly upright as you negotiated the corner?

Well...I suppose those questions do amount to "salt in the wound'.

As for filling......unless you skim the entire sheet with something akin to Drywall compound, you'll not have much success in disguising the "repair". While such repairs might look OK under room lighting when they involve a horizontal Counter Top, it will not be the same case when the PJ's light illuminates the surface. Don't expect the crack to magically disappear. It won't.

To skim, first you'd need to coat the repaired surface with a adhesive primer like Glidden Gripper. Roll it on liberally....two coats, then lightly sand it smooth. Shoot an image. If you get lucky, you might be 'good to go" as far as panting on an applicable coating. Otherwise,, a couple light skims with Compound and a nice, light even sanding and you will be.

Yeah I was foolish. I tried to move it with my wife, so basically I was moving it by myself. Once it was to the top of the stairs it was no going back. Should have stopped, too late for that now. I ordered the seamfil, i know it won't be a perfect fix but for the short term I think it will help. I will test and of course I will report back.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning, it's like......victory"

Sorry I could not resist, yea when I use contact cement I bring out the fans and crack he windows.

I should take a picture in my Stetson next to te broken screen in honor of that great quote.

In the end, you remember these "issues" later on and laugh about them....and learn also.
Good luck.

Hello Everybody

I'm new here and looking to build a projection screen for my new home theater. Its in my basement with no outdoor light. I'm using a Panasonic PT-Ae3000 projector.

Can you give me your recommendations on fabric / laminate to use and also how to's on building a good frame?

Your help is greatly appretiated.

Having just built a screen with laminate let me give you the things I learned.

1. Build the screen in place. This is a brittle material and transporting it is not easy. The picture of the broken screen a few posts back is mine.

2. When using contact cement to mount to a backer board use in a well ventilated space. I'm serious on this one. I was in my garage with the door about half open and I could feel the effects of the fumes.

3. Order the free samples of wilsonart and see what works best with your settings. I used the wilsonart Fashion grey and it is a great match for my projector.

Other than having a large crack, which I am attempting to adddress after the holidays, I am very happy with results of using the laminate for my screen. Good luck

Thanks for the tips!

What kind of substrate did you glue it to?

Sorry to butt in, but I'll tell you how the pros did mine (a local laminate fabrication company). The best part is they only charged me $40 labor. They glued the laminate to 1/2" MDF with contact cement, and glued laminate "backer board" to the backside. They said this is essential to keep the laminate and MDF from distorting it's shape while drying. They then cut the laminate and MDF to it's final size. Once I got it home, I glued and screwed three 1X4 pine strips(with 45 deg. bevel cut) to the rear for french cleats. Then I screwed 3 french cleats to the wall studs with matching bevel cuts. The screen hangs on the 3 french cleats, and can be slid left to right for final adjustment. They also told me to use the iron-on 3/4" wide laminate edging to seal the edges against moisture. NO, I don't have any pics. Sorry. Mississippi Man was a lot of help to me with this project.

I'm very grateful for this thread as laminate has turned out to be a great idea for a screen. Ever since I left my old house, I've been wanting to get into front projection again. Now that I have that opportunity, I have to be somewhat economical in order to pass the WAF. I initially went with the Designer White for my 88" screen. Since I have a small room, that is about all that would fit.

But for my Epson 5020ube, it was just too bright. I couldn't knock down the brightness enough even in eco / cinema mode. However, it was just about perfect for 3d which was bright and beautiful. But for 2D viewing with such a small screen and a light canon, I found the Dove Grey color to perfect. It knocked down the brightness, no dingy whites, and the contrast is fantastic. One of the problems with the designer white was that the colors appeared washed out because they were so bright. With Dove Grey, the colors now are well saturated and deep, like they should be. I would think that with a much larger screen size, Platinum would be a better choice (which I also looked at and was halfway in between) because Dove Grey would probably to too dark. That said, the performance of the Dove Grey screen gave me better contrast and deeper blacks than my old DaLite HCCV screen. I have found no hot spotting problems with the Dove Grey and only a slight bit with the Platinum.

So here's what I did, in case this helps anyone else. I made a frame from 80/20 aluminum quick frame with 2 vertical supports. I then affixed one sheet of WilsonArt designer white on front side and one sheet of WilsonArt of dove grey on the reverse using 3M outdoor double sided tape. I then added a couple of loops to the top of the frame using some cheap drawer handles. This would allow the double sided frame to be hung from two flat hangers mounted to the wall. The design allows me to reverse the screen depending on whether I'm watching 2D or 3D. I spent $85 shipped on 80/20 aluminum quick frame from their Ebay store, $30 on two rolls of 3m double sided tape (the 440 inch rolls), $21 on 75' of 2" wide sticky backed black felt trim from Amazon, and two 4'x8' sheets of laminate from the Atlanta WilsonArt factory store ($25ea for DW and DG, Platinum was $75, btw). So for about $200, I have two screens that work perfectly for a small screen (88"), small room (11.5'x13.5') home theater with an ambient light problem that can easily be switched around using a very simple mounting method.

Oh, and I got a $27 laminate trim router and a $10 laminate bit from Harbor Freight. Not the greatest quality tools, but for something light duty like this, it was the easiest and fastest way to trim the laminate to fit the frame.

Seeing I have received no response on my "fiberglass thread" I figured I may as well try here...

I'm looking at using a thin sheet of fiberglass as a substrate. Seems light and very uniform...I would of be painting the rear, flat side of the sheet.

At $23 a sheet it's much less expensive than the wilsonart laminate...just wondering if anyone else has used it with success. Seems to me to be a very plausible, inexpensive option.

thanks!

James

Fiberglas can work very well. The 200" 3D SF Screens being made for Pub Use in the UK are all of Fiberglass construction.

Damnable heavy things they are though. Thin Fiberglas requires every bit as supportive a Frame as WA-DW. Takes a Lift and 4 men to place 'em.

^ ok thanks. hmmm, the 4x8 sheet I lifted at HD seemed quite light to me- at least as light as the thrifty board right next to it. ???

My next question was adhering it to the wood frame. Funny how the usual loctite construction adhesives do not specifially mention fiber glass on their labels. So I called them and the rep said he's very confident the PL premium will work well.

My biggest fear now is applying it and getting a uniform (read: not wavy) application around the outer edge. Thankfully, my small 84" screen should be very easy to work with. Perhaps I'll just stick to a thin amount and do one side at a time with a dozen clamps across the edge???

James

MMan may be thinking of a different product. What exactly are you talking about using?

I knew I should have take a quick pic of the damn stuff as I had never seen it brought up in any screen threads.

Pretty thin...I'd guess 3-4 mm's, but rigid and uniform with a back that looks like it would take paint very well. When I first drug a sheet out it it did seem awkward and heavy...but once out and in my hands, I'd guess it was no more than 20lbs and seeing my 84" screen will use about half that, I feel pretty good about it. I'm going to stop again tomorrow and check it out. I'm hoping this stuff I can score well and snap cleanly but I'm going to talk with a couple guys I know to e knowledgeable about it first.

James

I believe this is it:

http://m.homedepot.com/p/1-8-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-Plastic-Panel-63003/202090190/

Perhaps it's not fiberglas afterall but I swear I saw it labeled as such...ill confirm tomorrow.

Sounds like one bloke stapled it with success which of course would be marvelous.

Ill prolly take a shot with it.

James

Or this, lol...Ill stop now as I'm starting to look like a buffoon. But this looks like it with its textured front side.

http://m.homedepot.com/p/review/4%20ft.%20x%208%20ft.%20White%20.090%20FRP%20Wall%20Board/100389836/1

James

Mastermaybe, you should start a new thread. This is the laminate section anyway.

I think what you're referring to is a Plastex panel. Search for "PLASTEX" in this section and the threads will appear.

^ thanks, I started a thread. It received zero response. I will elsewhere.

James

Hello,
Could someone share some advise, how thick the laminate should be for building a 120" Wilsonart screen ??
I read about it should be vertical grade... , but i have any idea what this means.

1 5/16 in (33.338 mm)
15/16 in (23.813 mm)
1/16
1/32 ???

Thank you for your help!

Vertical Grade is thicker because it must be applied.....vertically. And still have the tendency to not sag or get wavy. WA-DW screens all require supportive bracing to prevent bowing or inward sagging....even when vertical Grade is used.

Horizontal Grade by it's described nature lies flat against a fully supportive surface. It can be used vertically if it is laminated onto a very smooth, solid surface using very thinly applied adhesive..

You are mistaken, vertical grade is thinner and used where impact resistance etc. is not as important.

If you aren't using a substrate then get the thickest available.

Thank you both for the information!
I am still trying to find the laminate here in Montreal. I would have the chance to order from Home Depot, but it is quite expensive... they would have the 1/32 and the 1/16.

Is 1/16 is reasonable thick ? , if mounting on a substrate and could it be rolled for transportation?

UPDATE: We ordered the 1/16 from Rona today, the boss offered us to deliver the laminate, if it is not rolled. Wow .. now i just need to find a suitable substrat for gluing...
Edited by reffy - 2/22/13 at 5:14pm

I just replaced my 60" x 120" Designer White screen. Its mounted to 1x3 pine and has been that way since 2007. PM me if you need one, right now its still FREE... I'm in SE PA