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Going with Foam Board, need advice

6647 Views 17 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Ftoast, Mar 17, 2015

gonzo90017

Discussion Starter · Mar 16, 2015

I rent my apartment so theres not much I can do with the walls. Because of this I was wondering what you guys thought about using Foam Board. These are the ones that are available in my local HD: http://www.homedepot.com/b/Building...Z12kxZ12kyZ1z11605?NCNI-5&Ns=P_REP_PRC_MODE|0 (except for the pink one) Which one should I go with? I know Thrifty White is commonly recommended but since i'm renting I don't want to mess too much with the plaster wall.

I want to keep it simple so I would like to go with a neutral gray paint: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Glidden-Premium-1-qt-Flat-Interior-Paint-GLN9013-04/202241866
This will be used in my bedroom where I have some really shiny white walls. So i'm wondering what gray I should go with? How do I ask for it? And how much paint do I need for an 82" screen?

Also will I have to prime the surface? If so what primer would work best with this material?

My PJ is a Benq w1070 which i'll be using mostly at night.

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Ftoast

· #2 · Mar 16, 2015 (Edited)

I'm using this exact foam and have been for. ..I want to say a year.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corn...ared-Edge-Insulating-Sheathing-36L/100320356/
I rolled 2coats of plain flat/matte white paint directly onto its plastic covering without primer.
I suggest you buy a gallon (usually a gallon of flat paint is only about $2 more than a quart) and paint both sides.

When buying paint, you can either tell the clerk a specific brand or what you'd like to pay, and just let them know what size and gloss (flat or matte) and color you want.
For example; "I'd like a gallon of flat paint tinted "universal grey"..gimme something cheap, like $10 or 15."

I think "universal grey" would be a solid choice for a grey shade..it's about 0.7gain so it should still be plenty bright at that size.

Ftoast

· #3 · Mar 16, 2015

Here's what the hanging, painted foam board looks like.
Ignore the curve, that's because I'm an idiot and not the foams fault.

MississippiMan

· #4 · Mar 16, 2015

You'll have to prime each side or the Foam Board will bow when the paint drys and shrinks. But if you install the FB w/adhesive on a frame that can help defer that issue.

Is the wall actually Plaster? Most renters are not forbidden to hang at least a minimum amount of things onto a wall, and a lightweight Foam Board on a frame can be hung via a french cleat that is supported by two solidly anchored screws.

ftoast already knows that Foam will bow if only one side is painted and the board is not stiffened. Free hanging such a sheet just isn't feasible unless it is framed.

gonzo90017

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 16, 2015

I'm using this exact foam and have been for. ..I want to say a year.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corni...36L/100320356/

Unfortunately that is the one foam board that is not available in my local HD.

When buying paint, you can either tell the clerk a specific brand or what you'd like to pay, and just let them know what size and gloss (flat or matte) and color you want.
For example; "I'd like a gallon of flat paint tinted "universal grey"..gimme something cheap, like $10 or 15."

Correct me if i'm wrong but after doing a lot of reading I thought you had to go to HD and give them the actual paint code?:
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/110-d...imple-diy-painted-screens-2.html#post12107491
I was thinking of going with Granite Gray because of the shiny white side walls?

Is the wall actually Plaster? Most renters are not forbidden to hang at least a minimum amount of things onto a wall, and a lightweight Foam Board on a frame can be hung via a french cleat that is supported by two solidly anchored screws.

French cleat sounds perfect.

gonzo90017

Discussion Starter · #6 · Mar 16, 2015

I would like to add that another reason I want to go with a darker gray is because from what i've read. The Benq w1070's weakness is blacks. Add to that, that the projector has only 4hrs on it. And since the distance from the screen isn't much I will be getting 45fl which from what I understand is pretty bright?

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MississippiMan

· #7 · Mar 16, 2015

Your right as far as the Blacks go. As to if any adjustment in Gamma and such can be made to improve Whites without skewing brighter areas into a degree of wash-out, that will remain to be seen.

gonzo90017

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 16, 2015

So stick with "Universal Gray"?

MississippiMan

· #9 · Mar 16, 2015

I would......it is, as mentioned above, pretty fool proof for your situation

Ftoast

· #10 · Mar 17, 2015 (Edited)

The universal grey will allow you to run the w1070 in eco-lamp (quietest and very long lamp-life) and cinema+Brilliantcolor OFF (most accurate picture) AND STILL reach 16ftL after several thousand hours worth of use.

That means you could probably go darker if you'd like, but means UniversalGrey is never going to be too dim. ..if you do decide later on to try something a little darker, rolling more paint over the original flat-grey should be perfectly fine and only cost another ~$7. ..a quart should be fine for that, though I'd get the gallon for whatever you use first to make sure you have plenty for both sides.

I'm sure there are other materials that work just as well or even better, I was just excited to see the exact same stuff that's been working well for me. You might ask them if they have 4x8 foamular just for curiosity.

narhic_fd

· #11 · Mar 17, 2015

MississippiMan said:
You'll have to prime each side or the Foam Board will bow when the paint drys and shrinks. But if you install the FB w/adhesive on a frame that can help defer that issue.

Is the wall actually Plaster? Most renters are not forbidden to hang at least a minimum amount of things onto a wall, and a lightweight Foam Board on a frame can be hung via a french cleat that is supported by two solidly anchored screws.

ftoast already knows that Foam will bow if only one side is painted and the board is not stiffened. Free hanging such a sheet just isn't feasible unless it is framed.

How does priming the board first keep it from bending? Does primer not shrink up like paint does when it dries?

Ftoast

· #12 · Mar 17, 2015 (Edited)

narhic_fd said:
How does priming the board first keep it from bending? Does primer not shrink up like paint does when it dries?

^^^ I'm curious about that too. I could understand the primer stopping paint from over-soaking if you were painting a papery or otherwise super absorbent material and I know those suffer the worst bowing, but mdf, closed-cell foam and other materials I can't really imagine gaining anything from priming unless they really need help holding paint in the first place.

Not that priming could hurt anything besides adding an extra step and ~$15..but I'm still curious.

gonzo90017

Discussion Starter · #13 · Mar 17, 2015

I'm already running the projector in Eco+Cinema Mode. So I should turn Brilliant color OFF?

Ftoast

· #14 · Mar 17, 2015

gonzo90017 said:
I'm already running the projector in Eco+Cinema Mode. So I should turn Brilliant color OFF?

That's completely up to you. The w1070 doesn't usually look bad either way; it'll be a little brighter with BC on and a little more accurate with BC off...so it's your choice which you prefer.

ahajr143

· #15 · Mar 17, 2015

narhic_fd said:
How does priming the board first keep it from bending? Does primer not shrink up like paint does when it dries?

Primer does shrink like paint. That is why you need to prime both sides, so the primer does not shrink on one side only and cause bowing.

Ftoast

· #16 · Mar 17, 2015

ahajr143 said:
Primer does shrink like paint. That is why you need to prime both sides, so the primer does not shrink on one side only and cause bowing.

That makes sense, I was confused by the switch in wording from primer to paint and thought MM was saying the primer would somehow prevent the paint itself from warping the material. ..so it's still a case where primer is just helping materials that are particularly bad at holding paint.?

MississippiMan

· #17 · Mar 17, 2015

Of course Priming the side that will receive the paint for viewing on with Glidden Gripper Primer will help that paint adhere and stay adhered.

But as far as the opposite side, you wouldn't want to use the more expensive Paint just to coat the unused side, hence the recommendation to use Primer.

I will say this....spraying on the paint will mean the material will receive far less thick a coat, and that means less overall shrinkage. Also, when using a material as flexible as Foam board, there is always a chance that some uneven shrinkage between front and rear will occur.

Priming / Painting both sides is a good equalizer, but that does not necessarily mean the sides would be perfectly equalized. It would certainly be preferable to "not" doing anything to the rear side, that's for certain.

That said, I think it would be ill advised to use Foam Board unless it is either attached to a lightweight Frame, or attached to a surface using at least a Foam-Safe adhesive. Do either, and no coating of the rear surface would / should be required if the material is adequately supported.

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Ftoast

· #18 · Mar 17, 2015

The 1/2" foamular (where I was dumb and only painted one side) didn't hardly curve at all for the first several days until I left it hanging without supporting the middle. ..then it bowed over several weeks. If I had painted both sides and not hung it so carelessly it would be in good shape. That said, it's a water-resistant outdoor/indoor insulation that I've seen handling ridiculous amounts of wind and rain so it might be more exception than rule.

Flat paint (at $7 or $8 a gallon) is so inexpensive that I haven't bothered using primer to save paint, but I can see it becoming a concern for anyone favoring an expensive brand or painting something other than a screen that may use a higher gloss.

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