Newby Question

Well, I've started "Project Roxy" converting the family room (previously converted from a single car garage) into our very own FIRST home theatre.


The room, stripped to the concrete block walls is about 12'3 wide, 19'3"" deep and 8'3" inches, more or less high. The 72 inch wide screen will be centered between two custom built wall cabinets (already mounted) eventually containing audio gear and media storage. Below the cabinets will be the front speakers. The wall also has a fireplace (centered). The plan is to have screen slide vertically on tracks mounted to the cabinets so it can move up out of the way, hidden behind a panel when the fireplace is in use. A couple pins manually activated from the side cabinets will engage the screen to hold it in either the up or down position.


Weight is a problem so nice and flat 3/4 nch MDF or maybe even plywood might be a bit too heavy. Anything less might not be too flat and might warp. Using a thin surface would be a major construction project to make it rigid and flat with some sort of backing structure.


Search turned up a lot of good ideas but...


Has anybody tried a hollow core interior door for a screen? These seem to be light weight, very rigid, not prone to warping, very flat, and are designed to take a coat of latex.


Calls to Home Depot and Lowes turned up custom cut doors, in my case a 72" by 42" for $116, and just about any other reasonable size for under $200.


Good Golly Miss Molly, no measuring, cutting, hacking, gluing, clamping, sweating, cussing, no nothin but prime, paint, and mount. Too good to be true?



Thanks,


PS: Also, if anybody is interested, I've opted for an acoustical wall and ceiling treatment called LEDE -- "Live End -- Dead End" (see Audio mag, Dec 1986) and have wall and ceiling panels ready for installation. Although designed primarily to enhance stereo it will be fun to try with surround.