[MRinkunas]

OK,


I've been reading up on the DO-Able boards and really wanted to try one out, however I'm located in the Lehigh Valley, PA (bout an hour north of philadephia), and needless to say neither lowes or HD has it.


They do have something called Thirfty White Board. Has anyone played with that item, and if so how does it compare? It does look like it is more like a dry-erase marker board then a possible screen, however i haven't seen a sheet of Do-Able so i don't know what that looks like either.


Any ideas?


~Mike

 

[BlakeN]

Shine a flashlight at it from about 4 feet away and see if it hotspots. I would also take a piece of white paper in and place it up next to it as a refrence. Some times you eye will get confused as to what looks white when there isn't anything else that looks white arround.

 

[Teeh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRinkunas ...They do have something called Thirfty White Board. Has anyone played with that item, and if so how does it compare? It does look like it is more like a dry-erase marker board then a possible screen, however i haven't seen a sheet of Do-Able so i don't know what that looks like either. Any ideas? ~Mike

I don't know whether it is the same as the board you've seen at HD, but I have 48x96" sheets of what's called Thrifty White Tileboard I got from a local building materials outlet warehouse ($5.99/sheet). The material has promise. It is very white and produces very true colors in almost total darkness. Being a 1/8" medium or light density fiberboard, it is very lightweight and easy to cut. It can be hung on the wall using mirror hanging clips at the top and bottom, two each.


But, it hotspots aplenty due to the glossy surface. One has to find a way to get rid of the gloss or just use it as a substrate for a painted screen. I didn't work at it long, but wet sanding a little didn't reduce hotspotting much. The white coating seems to be thick enough to withstand substantial sanding.


Since I need plenty ambient light rejection and this stuff is plentiful and cheap here, I was planning to use the glossy front or nice smooth brown back for experimenting with various paint mixes.


TH

 

[MRinkunas]

Teeh,


Yeah that's the stuff i saw at HD. Have you purchased it and used it yet?

~Mike

 

[Rahl]

Real Do-able has no hotspotting. It actually disperses high intensity lighting producing glare without lossing the actual brightness. it's hard to explain. When I was at HD looking at it under the lights it was playing tricks with my eyes. It's wierd. Definitely not like a dry erase board.

 

[jonesedw]

MRinkunas,


Have you tried the HD & Lowes over in P'burg? I too live in the valley and have begun the hunt for Do-Able or Parkland. I've tried Bethlehem, and Easton so far with similar luck. No way I'm going anywhere near Whitehall until Xmas. After my usual desperate late Xmas shopping, I intend to look in P'burg too. My folks live in Reading. I may have them look down there. Good luck.


Have a good Holiday.

 

[juser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRinkunas ... They do have something called Thirfty White Board. Has anyone played with that item, and if so how does it compare? It does look like it is more like a dry-erase marker board then a possible screen, however i haven't seen a sheet of Do-Able so i don't know what that looks like either. Any ideas? ~Mike

I believe I bought the same product from Home Depot. It is tile board, looks like melamine with a white coating on one side. The surface is super smooth and very even. It also hot spots like crazy.


For grins I painted a small section with some left over Kilz water-based primer and it provided a very nice finish. Given how shiny the board is, I am surprised how well i the primer stuck.


So that is going to be my 1st attempt at a DYI screen. Given my track record on home improvement projects, it is likely to be my last.

 

[juser]

The screen is "complete". For some reason the 2nd coat of primer didn't come out very well. All I can think of is that 1.5 hour wasn't enough time for the 2nd coat.


I ended up buying some Floetrol an adding it to some leftover Behr Pure White celing paint. The end result is almost blinding. I ran out of time putting up a frame, so I just used drywall screws and mounted it to the wall. Not elegant, but very effective.


For $10 it is a good solution since the do-able isn't available in my area.

 

[TAllen01]

I have the white tileboard, and yes, mine has a huge hotspot in a controlled light environment. I am looking for the best paint mix, and would be interested to know what others have done. Currently thinking of applying the LL maxx mix. Any thoughts? (AE900U onnto 97" diagonal).

 

[mission313]

Lightly sand the tile board before applying any paint...trust me....


Oh, also I painted the tile board with CCPM and had decent results as well. It provides slightly improved contrast. but nothin in the gain dept.


If you are not going to mount it directly to a wall and you have humidity problems I would not recoment it as it warped really bad on me.


Just FYI,


313

 

[jake14mw]

Yes, I'm wondering about warping too. I plan on attaching it to a frame, and directly attaching the frame to the wall, but that tileboard seems very wavy. I don't want to go through the painting trouble only for it to start developing wavyness?

 

[jake14mw]

just a quick update here. I went to HD last night to pick up the board for my new screen, and I just did not like how bendable/wavy it was. So I went over to Lowes and picked up the equivalent product from them. It is more stiff and should lay flat on the wall much better.

 

[Teeh]

Mission313.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mission313 Lightly sand the tile board before applying any paint...trust me....

Yes...well...er... I trust you....but... I want to know why. Also, what grit # sandpaper or what do you recommend for sanding?


TH

 

[mission313]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teeh Mission313. Yes...well...er... I trust you....but... I want to know why. Also, what grit # sandpaper or what do you recommend for sanding? TH

lol...The paint will not bond to the glossy surface. I could peel it with my finger nail. I would reccomend a fine grit 400 to 800 just enough to take the sheen off which will allow for better adhesion of the paint.

 

[Teeh]

Mission313,

Well...almost everyone knows that some paints (but not all paints) are challenged by slick surfaces. However, you could have said this in the first place rather than adding mystique by saying ...trust me. This led me to wonder whether there was some other reason that is known only to you...trust me.


TH

 

[ChrisKen]

I picked up some of this at HD as well, it sounds like it will have to be painted. I have another thread going but its not getting much looks. Can anyone recommend what paints I should try ? I'll sand first, and PJ will be 4805 (hopefully, when I get one).


So I already have Behr SilverScreen, some Behr UPW, Behr Matte Accent, and Pearlesecnce.


How about after sanding I put a coat of Silver MEtallic or two down as a base then cover with a 1:1:1 coat of UPW/Accent/Pealessence ?