What Are newcomers Looking For

I can only speak for myself. What I was looking for when I first came here was options and information. To be honest, I thought white was best but to get a great picture you needed a mfg screen.

I over heard a salesman telling a customer there was a paint you could buy to make your own screen out of and it was just as good as the manufactured screens out there, but he couldn't remember the name. I went home and immediately found Goo when I did a search, but some of the other hits were links to the AVS forums, so naturally I came here.

I was amazed, overwhelmed, and confused all at the same time. What I wanted was something as good as Goo (now I know Goo is good but not worth the $200) but I knew there had to be something less expensive to experiment with. So what I wanted was a good introduction method and information to learn from. What I found were incredible screens and information that was all over the place. A thread would start out one way then shift to a totally different screen mix and topic 3-4 pages into it, after that it was really confusing at first keeping all the mixes and techniques separated. It literally took me a month of reading before I started to sort things out.

So if I was new on here all over again, what I would like to see is the KISS method... Keep it Simple Stupid (the Stupid part doesn't mean the teachers are stupid, usually the doers are the ones that need it simple... at least at first) Simple instructions, pictures if possible and don't stray from the topic. That's KISS...

Yeah I voted

And yes that's all I was looking for when I first came here, but learned there is so much that can be done...

Goo Paint is worth the money. A proven DIY product at a fair market price. Not the cheapest solution, but high on the KISS scale.

I'll be fair and honest and say since I have never used it and have only seen pictures online, I probably was hard on it as far as what I said. Goo may be a good choice but I would say only after painting a few screens with cheaper paint. It's better to make mistakes with $10-20 worth of paint than $200 worth.

Sorry that was off topic Tiddler, I just wanted to be fair and acknowledge what Tedd wrote...

As a newcomer I was looking for a very good AT do it yourself screen I think I found it with the Smx thread on here. That option is not in your poll so I did not vote.

I've been looking here for a while, and finally got some "old formula"" Parkland. I really like the idea that light scuffs could be sanded off, and the whole thing could be painted if desired. Good, cheap, easy & fast sounds great to me. If it wasn't for these forums, there is about a 0% chance that I'd even being working with this stuff.

Being a newcomer myself not so long ago I have to honestly say I surfed in here looking for information and ideas. And I still haven't figured out if there wasn't enough information or too much sometime.

I believed in the concept you should walk before you run and I took that approach in my methodology. I see too many people come in here and within a very short time frame announce there undertaking to build the most recent highly discussed experimental screen.

I watched a bed sheet for several months read a lot commented very little and tried to sort the few small grains of pepper out of the very large piles of fly dung. I my have arrived at DIY at the worst possible time because at that time there was a lot personality conflicts and endless debate over unproven claims of this and that.
At several times I gave up totally on what I was reading.

A big part of any forum like this is trust and when I didn't feel there was a trust factor high enough I began my own quest. I did receive some fantastic information from several members here that saved me many steps in what I was trying to do. And at such a time I felt I had suitable new information and also combinations of older ideas that worked together I posted my findings. Trying to do so in a way that both made it simple to follow and gave credit where due. I believe forums such as these follow the Pay it forward ideal.

The other point I would like to make as I'm a fairly frequent poster is that most people are not. Always keep in mind the vast number of people coming here never utter a word, and wont even post to a poll such as this one. The thing like the guide you are writing will be read and reread tens of thousands of times. The photo link I have in my signature every week gets at least 1500 views. There is lots of people interested in what goes on here.

I didn't answer the poll because actually I was interested in all the topics you listed.

Have to say the obvious... new comers for the most part are looking for easy inexpensive, and what works. I think it's safe to say most new people here didn't come because of Light Fusion, Black Flame, Parkland, Do-Able, Silver Screen, or MSmudd... infact they never heard if any of those before coming here.

Most see mfg screens online and on ebay and just don't know what is good and what isn't so they type in a search engine and low and behold there will be a link to AVS somewhere in their hits. They may start out in the main screen forum researching comercial screens, but that DIY link is sitting there so sooner or later they click it. Fast and easy with perfomance as good as a mfg screen is what they are looking and hoping for. What they are unprepared for is the thousands of threads that await them, most saying they have the best solution out there.

If anyone thinks there aren't those that spend a week on here, never post a word, and just gave up and bought a screen because there was too much information all over the place... well you're not accepting reality. For every one of us DIYers, there are hundreds, probably thousands out there that say to hell with sorting all this out they and they go out and buy a screen. Don't think they are cheap either... I'm sure some came on here and saw some of the screens, then read some of the bickering and childish behavior and went out and dropped a grand on a comercial screen. THAT is a shame...

At one time or another, I've considered each a possibility. I'm new to DIY screens but not to front projection. I've had an Infocus X1 for over 3 years and have enjoyed it immensely with my Draper pull down screen.

I decided to upgrade (Optoma HD72) and get a larger fixed screen. My 4:3 Draper is 92" wide and I would like to go to a 120" wide, 16:9 screen. So I naturally came here for advice.

I agree with some other posters that it can be quite confusing. Since I have a working system, I'm not in the same rush as many may be, so I've taken my time, asked a few questions and narrowed down my choices.

I have a recess in my wall that was designed like a proscenium. Right now my speakers are in the recess and the screen, (mounted at the leading edge of the recess) when down, allows the sound to radiate out at the ends. However, when I go with a fixed screen that option won't work so it's either a fabric (choice 1) acoustically transparent screen or a solid painted screen (choices 2 through 5) with my speakers mounted outside the proscenium, a choice I really didn't want to make but, cela est vie.

I thought I was all set with the Dazian CCC fabric that was highly touted by many, but when I received a sample, I was very disappointed. Too dull and too soft - darn. As with any forum, many members with little practical experience simply overstate their kudos for a particular product as the best find out there without truly making an effort to compare and state observed facts without the histrionics. Fortunately, there are also many members that take the time to give solid and practical advice, and to them I am eternally grateful. It's just very time consuming to differentiate the fact from the fiction.

I, like many, am looking for a solution that works, is relatively inexpensive and is an easy weekend project (that eliminates options 4 & 5). I'm basically looking for the sweet spot - the best possible solution for the time and money expended. Perfection is not required, although I admire those that can spend the energy to try to achieve this elusive goal.

I haven't given up on option 1, I'm just waiting for a sample of the SMX material and if that doesn't meet my very simple standards then a solid painted surface will have to do. My option here is to build a drywall surface and paint. If that turns out to be my choice then I'll certainly be reading further for the best paint solution that can meet my personal goals.

I am NOT a fan of Dazian. Some people have sprayed the Dazian with Goo. Wastes lots of paint though.... If one wants simple and cheap, why not some Behr 00000 white as a starter screen?

If anyone is interested in Goo, they have an extensive website worth checking out. And today, I picked up the Fall 2006 issue of Digital TV & Sound which conviently happens to have a review of Goo.

I am a big fan of Goo Paint as it creates a high quality screen at a very attractive price point.

Audible, I look forward to hearing to your opinion on SMX. Never seen it.

Actually I couldnt vote, being newish I can't really totally state one of the choices in the list. Although I would argue for a scaled approach.

a. low/medium skill level(or first timers) Screen options. Very affordable.

b. Medium skill, cost effective options with arguably better results.

c. Medium/high skill, medium cost level, but results giving results up with high cost screens.

A scaled appoach may not scare off new DIY users.

I guessing, but I assume alot of the users who read and post here are looking to do better than their first time attempt. Like me. I just painted a MDF board with a light grey and achived rewarding results for the money. Now with viewing time under my belt I see the faults/flaws and wish to address them.
The first issue I see from here is deciding on how and what path to take.
Then what will the result be, without actually seeing an example first.(will it be better than what I have?)
Then , can I actually make this screen without completely wasting my time and money.
If I do get it wrong will the partner ever allow me back here again.

Thanks Tidler, as a newbie; the diy screen forum is overwhelming, The beginner increment step is great. Can you ad part number to the Paint? I will be trying my first paint screen this weekend. I have a media room (no lights at all) 4805 projector and a flat white wall. I will watch movies, of course and play x-box. the movies will show in 16:9, but not the x-box, so i guess ??? (just not sure). The beginners guide has been very helpful.

Yes i do have a complete dark room with black material on the wall. the carpet is light brown and the ceiling is white. Do you suggest i paint the ceiling black. My pj is setting on a stand about 20ft away, i will mount it to the ceiling next week or so. Any flat white primer? Behr or kilz. What about the frame around the screen, should i paint a black border or should i build one out of molding and paint it black, what is best. thanks sorry for dumb questions.

thanks tiddler, this has been extremely helpful. I will paint it this weekend and let you know.

Yeah Tiddler I did have a read through your other guide stuff. The latest comparisons and guide look good.
Is there features of the mud mix that don't come out in photos though?

I'm in the process of collecting testpots of Dulux that match the mixes, just waiting on the colour mix for the grey to be updated to get them. Although I'm not convinced that that a mix of LB and yellow oxide and green won't be as good as a mix of red ,green ,blue and yellow. Being as these are usually created colours themselves.

Unfortunately today I found out that Dulux are dropping pearlustre and matt clear from their range. Might have to corner the market in the last pots of the stuff to do this.

I voted #3 but 2 or 3 would have applied.

Of particular interest to myself (and maybe others?) is the best painting solution for an entire wall. Being married and getting lucky enough to navigate the waters with the wife to get this far, I am trying to determine what color/mix is best for:

18x22 room - painting one of the 18' walls as screen
Controlled light - no windows/basement & zoned lights as needed
white ceiling (I can still decide to paint this darker/room color)
darker walls

I don't mind mixing paints but would prefer not to have to spray it on although I could if I had to.

I have read through a number of the threads but didn't see any distinction for an entire wall versus a space within a wall or a separate built screen. I am looking to paint one entire wall without black/borders (wife...) BTW, this information is incredibly helpful and I certainly appreciate the time and effort you have put into organizing all this for the newbies like me!!

Any recommendations are appreciated - please PM.

tiddler has saved me again.

My sheetrock project will begin friday or saturday.
I thought I had it worked out, but the guide may have saved me lots of trial/error.

To a novice like me, my picture looked great on grasscloth (not really, lol).
I was just going to try the Behr paint suggestion.
However, I like the idea of a slight silver tone.........from what I've seen here, it looks more like a real screen when you're not using it.

I Also found that I should try for more gain.
Well, I'll be doing lots of reading the next few days.

As mentioned, I'm sure there's a lot of folks that are afraid to post or just lurk to find out what they need and never make a post.

Thanks for all the help, you guys.

I can only speak for myself. when I came to this forum I was very uneducated about screens in general. All I knew was that buying a screen would be very expensive, and that there were DIY options available. I was interested in learning as much as I could about all of the available options - their cost as well as the amount of effort and experience it took to get a good working screen.

The sticky FAQ post was invaluable in that regard.

Hi, I've been lurking around for a month or so. I just bought an Epson PowerLight Home 20 in June. It came with a pull-up screen. The thing that bugged me about the pull-up screen was that it was 'sparkly'--I could see sparkles in light colored areas of the projection, and that drive me nuts.

So, I bought some blackout cloth and stretched it around a square-aluminum tube frame (which is a cinch to make, very sturdy and very light). I use the plastic side of the BOC. Stretched BOC is currently my reference. It doesn't seem to do anything wrong--I like the picture--has no sparklys. But... I've been experimenting with other options.

I don't have a vehicle large enough to fit a 4x8 sheet of anything solid, so I've been limited to stretched fabric on a frame solutions. But I do own a Harbor Freight turbine 'hvlp' spray gun that I got several years ago. So, I've been trying to paint a stretched fabric screen. I have learned not to paint the 'fabric' side of BOC--it gets all nappy. I haven't tried painting the plastic side, but I'm thinking that should work better.

I build a second frame, stretched more BOC, and sprayed on several coats of max mud. The painting went fine once I got the paint thinned down enough to spray well (with the exception of the BOC nap problem described above). But the max mud screen has the same sparkle problem that my original screen had!

I'm thinking me next move is to mix up some neutral gray, maybe with a bit of poly, and see how that works.

THanks to twiddler and all the others that have contributed so much to the diy screen forum!

Pardon my poor spelling-- I meant MaxxMudd.

As a newcomer I was looking for basic but open to something simple that I felt comfrotable undertaking. I ended up voting "simple".

I had been a regular reader of the theatre construction forums for sometime and several months ago started on a modest one. I had never considered a DIY sccreen mostly because I did not know you could paint a quality one. That is, until I saw a post from Joe South. As I was close to the point where I was ready to get a screen I came over here to get some ideas on whether I could build a screen at low cost that provides a lot of value. It was also a win because I have a 2 year old who like touching things and I wanted to avoid a costly boo-boo. A third objective was to save some $ as my project is already 20% over budget.

A local dealer would have charged me $4500 for the low-end Runco and a 92" Steward screen. But I am extremely satisfied at what I saw last week with my DIY 95" RS-MaxxMudd screen, Pan AE900u and DIY velvet wrapped frame which cost me about $1600. Then the satisfaction of saying I did it myself is priceless.

To find I could get all of the above was a real blessing to me.

Here is the formula I used for ther MaxxMudd that I mixed up. I made a 'half-batch'.

8 Delta Silver Metallic #02603
8 Delta Pearl Metallic #02601
4 UPW
2 Delta Pale Metallic Gold #02624
7 Minwax Polycrylic - Satin finish
5 distilled/tap water

I attributed the sparklies to the metallic paints. If you look closely at the screen in normal light, you can see little tiny mirror-like flecks distributed evenly across the screen. I reasoned that some of these metallic flecks ended up oriented so that they reflect light from the PJ almost directly into my eyes--hence the sparkly effect. Intuitively, I don't think that the sparkly problem is related to the nap problem, but I'll turn the BOC around this weekend and try spraying the plastic side.

Well, the results are *much* better painting the smooth side of the BOC. The MaxxMudd does in fact manage to make the whites noticeably whiter and the blacks subtly blacker. Compared to MaxxMudd, whites on my unpainted BOC screen look a bit yellow.

When painted on the smooth plastic side, I don't notice sparkles. Actually the difference in sparklies is striking just looking at the fabric side (very sparkly) vs. the plastic side (not sparkly at all--appears a light gray) in normal light (both are painted with the exact same mix of paint). So, one take-home message is don't paint the fabric side of BOC--the plastic smooth side takes paint lots lots better.

One negative to the MaxxMudd screen I've noticed so far is that the screen surface is not as absolutely uniform as the plain BOC--I can see slight local variations if I look closely enough. However, I don't think the lack of strict uniformity going to bug me. I need to mount the MaxxMudd screen and watch a few movies on it to be sure. I should also note that while the plastic side of the BOC cloth takes paint much better than the fabric side, the plastic side doesn't take as smooth a finish as a solid substrate would. So, I think my next experiment will probably involve one of the laminates discussed in other threads. Finally, I never could get the MaxxMudd paint to atomize through my cheap aprayer as uniformly and as finely as I'd like. For some unknown reason, no matter how thick or thin the consistency, the MaxxMudd paint comes out slightly 'gloppier' than other latex paints I've sprayed. I don't understand paint well enough to know why that would be, but I thought I might try some Flowtrol next time.

But those caveats aside, this screen is the first actual improvement I've been able to make over plain old BOC. This might become my new screen-to-beat.

Uh... probably 5-6 very light coats. I wasn't counting.

Im looking for something that is AT or near AT, My theater is going to be limited to 10' wide, but I would still love to get 110"+ screen or something close. I dont want to have to put my speakers next to the wall, but if i go with option A (blackout cloth) then i will have less than a foot on either side of the screen for the speakers.

But im also lookng for that solution that is close to AT but not breaking the bank ($500 for SMX, sorry im a cheap *******)