Home Theater installation

As we decided on a house we agreed that we should build out a theater room. After months of research while waiting for our house to close, we decided on a 7.1 surround system, and a 720P native LCD projector.

Since we were building the house, we went ahead and made some modifications to the great room including adding 7.1 wiring, an electrical outlet in the ceiling for the projector, as well as a PVC chase pipe that runs from the projector area down to where the Dish receiver and DVD player sit in front of the screen.

Once we moved in, we ordered all of the parts for the job including a 100" screen from DA-Lite. All the parts came in at various times, and I was installing them pretty much as they arrived. Once we hung the screen, we realized that we wanted more than 100" and that the DA-Lite
high contrast screen didn't really do much in that room so we decided to return it.

One afternoon we agreed that we needed something different, so we set out to find something better to do with the wall. A few days went by, and I spent most of it researching the best approach to have a 120" or better projection on this wall. We ended up deciding that paint was the best option, and after looking at theater goo, and several home grown approaches like "mississippi mud" we figured we'd start with pure white and see how that worked out.

The next day, we headed off to home depot where I bought a can of Behr primer, and a can of Behr premium ultra white flat. We also picked up sandpaper, a pole sander head, painters tape, painting paper, 1/4" nap rollers, etc. While we were there we hit the molding section, and picked up all the wood we needed for the frame. After finding wood for the frame, we picked out another color of paint for the frame (dark so that it "pops") and set off home to begin painting the wall the next day.

Sunday morning, I rolled out of bed and I started painting the molding before I even had coffee! I was pretty stoked to get my project completed. Once I taped off the wall (118" long, 66" tall, 135" diagonal) I sanded, and that took FOREVER! Once I had a smooth surface, I wiped it down to remove any left over dust and I applied a coat of primer. The primer took about 2 hours to dry, but once it was done I had to sand it again. After sanding, I applied the first coat of ultra white paint. That took another 3-4 hours before I could sand it. While I waited I applied another coat of paint to the moulding. Once the paint dried, I sanded it again and applied the final coat. After the final coat dried, I started assembling the frame which once completed was approximately 132" diagonal. The whole project took about 13 hours, but it's so well worth it! The pictures just don't do it justice. It's got to be the single coolest thing I've ever put together.

Update: We've added blackout panels and have found the ideal entertainment shelf. I've also updated the article with more information on what I did during each step for those that would like to build their own frame.


Taping off the wall, be sure that you measure out the anticipated widths, and add about an inch total (1/2 inch on each side of overlap, so the paint lines will be hidden behind the moulding.

Sand the wall using a pole sander, and 180 grit wallpaper,try to make the wall as smooth as possible. Wipe off access sand with a slightly damp cloth.


Prime the wall with a 1/4" nap roller. When the paint dries (about 4 hours) re-sand the wall and apply a coat of paint while still using a 1/4" nap roller. Allow this coat to dry, then sand down and apply a final coat.

When dry, gently remove the painters tape by pulling it straight tearing the paint. Do not pull it quickly, as it could peal paint off of the wall. Apply the moulding (pre-paint and allow to dry before starting the wall), the moulding should cover around 1/2" of the paint. This will allow you to hide any paint problems from removing the painters tape.

Tack the moulding to the wall using finish nails, be sure to fill the holes and touch up with a small brush.

This is what the theater looked like when the frame was completed.

We later added blackout curtains. We used 4 panels, and attaching them in pairs, and using velcro to hold them together.

This is the theater at 9AM, as you can see it looks just as good as it would at night.

Updated pictures (June 08):

Added fake plants to hide the wall sockets, a Wii, and the HTPC. Playing Wii on this thing with 4 people is insane.

Lowered the Projector, and eliminated the -2 keystone. This also allowed the image to be projected without software scaling internal to the projector, this sharpened the projection noticably especially in HD resolutions.