Quote:
Originally Posted by curttard /t/1420966/few-questions-about-wilsonart-dw#post_22292554
Painting is not out of the question for me.. The main hesitation there is the expense of the equipment plus paint with nothing approaching certainty of the results. Which mix would you recommend and what would its advantages be over BOC? Do you or anyone here have some painted samples I can check out in my room?
I would not even venture to say anything at all like "nothing approaching certainty" unless you restrict such a thing to your own determination, not to those who have both the experience and confidence to state otherwise. There is no way you would be given a course of action to take that would be considered to be anything but the correct path to take to satisfaction. How closely one follows that path is really what' determines the degree of "certainty. And you gotta realize, even accepting a Screen Mfg's claims and buying into supposed "certain results" in no way assures one that such will actually occur. Over on "Screens" the Board is littered with sordid tales of dissatisfaction....but granted, a good deal of such has to do with mismatches of PJs with Screen choices. It still amply illustrates the point that one has to educate himself, or rest in the arms of his fellow peer's own ad-judgements. That can be scary if you don't have enough input to go on though.....
There is a great many members who can through their own personal experience validate their own end results via postings, but even then you'd have to take a step toward accepting such. But more importantly, if you don't / won't / cannot take the time to search out Threads for the specific answers you seek...or in the least post a Thread asking for specific answers and then determine by your own reasoning as to if the posted commentary applies to your questions and concerns, then you at an impasse, and you have to make up your mind what seems most relevant to your circumstances.
As for using Small Samples to judge any Screen's performance, Mfg or DIY, smallish samples are not conclusive. They are used by some to make spot measurements, and even those can be and often are wholly misleading as far as what a particular application will do as a full sized example. And to illustrate that point, even those who used to beat the "Testing Drum" to extremes now have concluded that one must use specific (...and expensive...) specialized measuring Equipment and Software on a full sized Screen showing the exact type of light dispersion that is there in real life instances to get anything even close to definitive results.
Even then, some twist facts and procedures to try to mislead. Take the example where someone reverses an image to become a "negative" and then points out how the center of a projected image looks darker than the edges....and then states that's representative of "Hot Spotting". No...there isn't a single PJ on the Planet that produces 100% uniformity of dispersed light. It's the bane of any good reflective surface to highlight such disparities....only screens with sub-1.0 gain performance will reduce such an effect. And of course, such things are really only visible in the "negative" view. Even more consternating is the fact that whenever such example are show, you never, ever4 see any other Screen's performance represented....unless one is comparing a positive gain surface against a negative gain surface...and in that case, the comparison isn't really valid at all as far as being able to evoke criticisms.
As such, unless someone is willing and able to provide samples that are sized upward of 2' x 3', and then depend upon a layman's own approximation of what is actually being seen / accomplished, it all really boils down to being an exercise in appeasement....and that's about the extent of it. It's just not a logical or manageable thing to try to do considering the sheer numbers of individuals we attempt to help get projects accomplished. Really, only those with an agenda to prove feel such a need to comply, and usually, that's about all they do to help people....not supply effective and comprehensive assistance on any / every needed and requested front. And even then....whose to say what is valid and what is being purposefully misrepresented?
This Forum is based truly around "DIY-ism" and the published reports of End Users. Newcomers must accept that their thoughts on such matters are not a "first time" affair...literally thousands of such questions have been answered by the "doing" of other members.
Now then addressing costs. They are not at all excessive or out of line. "Virtually" assured results can be had by the purchase of a under $50.00 Electric HVLP Gun, and approx $35-$90.00 of paint. (depending on what needs to be addressed / considered. If one purchased a 5' x 10' sheet of Sintra for $100.00 and the auxiliary items needed
(Paint Can/s, Plastic Sheeting, Tape, Filters, Mixing Wand) one usually winds up spending about $225.00 - $250.00 total for a High Performance DIY "Fixed" Screen. Use a smaller Substrate or an existing wall and that cost can drop by $100.00. To that effect, your simplest solution would be one involving a DIY mix that has positive gain "and" a Moderate Gray surface. A high quality White Base Paint tinted to N8.5 would both resist modest ambient light and deliver a perceived boost in the depth of Black Levels. beyond that, anything substancially darker would require a Mix that contains Reflective elements that can boost actual gain to 1.2 - 1.4 to really deliver effective results.
That would be
Silver Fire 2.5 3.0 or above.
A good, correctly done "Fixed" DIY Screen should easily compare to or best a $2800.00+ Mfg Screen. It's those sort of numbers that make us who advocate "Get'tin' it done" feel that too much "time wasted" is the real issue at hand. We live...(or die) by the end results of those we help get a project underway.
So far, no Funeral dirges have been sounded.