I built myself a screen frame last night, using some 2x1 i had in my garage. It was sturdy... but rather warped. So I went to home depot to get some good 2x1 when i read that on the inside edge of the 2x1 where the screen isnt supported, there will be a visible crease/line... Arggg

Then I wandered into the styrofoam panel insolation section, thinking i could glue a large peice of that over the frame, to create a nice flat surface for the blackout cloth to be held on. However, then the screen would be rather thick, and vulnerable to attack from cats, friends, fast moving objects...

Then i thought... Why not just eliminate the frame! I realised there would be no way to stretch the blackout cloth over the screen...

So, im kinda stuck and getting depressed about the whole thing... No way im forking over the $ for a commercial screen. If anyone could help me with a good screen/frame design.

I'd like it to be fairly light, its hanging off my wall, and 48x86" (16:9)

Thanks!

I built mine out of some poplar 1x2s and there are no visible crease lines from them. I have the center support recessed slightly to prevent it being visible in the center, but the outer frame doesnt cause any creases.

You might want to go to Menards or Home Depot and buy a sheet of Polywall. It is a thin flat matte white plastic wall liner for bathrooms. It comes in 4'x8' sheets and is reported to give a very good image. At Menards it costs about $15.

You can simply cut this to size and hang it against the wall.

If you want to stick with the blackout cloth you could oversize your frame and build a border that would cover up any potential creases by overlapping them. You could use 1X4's painted black or maybe black felt or velvet velcroed to the edge.

Center support eh...? Would you mind sketching your frame design up really quick in paint or photoshop for me?

yes, i saw it at home depot and read about it at AVS. Going to pickup two of them. One to use right away, and the other to experiment with. $30 for two is very reasonable imho.

I'm going to divide the experimental one into four zones, and spread different concoctions into every zone. It might sound funny but one so-called concoction i'm going to try is Elmer's glue evenly spread . If i get poor results then i'll use it as a "frame" for blackout cloth and experiment some more. Lastly i'll use it to frame some mylar i picked up at some department store ($3 emergency blanket)

Is this the same as melamine board?

This is the method I used. One by four common lumber with 1/2 inch quarter round. No sags, wrinkels or seams.

http://www.eldamar.net/house/ht/screenHowTo.html

Hey man! My screen is EXACTLY the dimensions you want! Here are some images from my PLOG. It's fairly light, and hangs off my wall on three drywall screws.

Heh. Seems you can only add five image links at a time.





And the finished screen with black tapered edges!


The screen is constructed out of blackout cloth from Joannes. Less than a $100 bucks for the entire construction. About 40 for the cloth and about 50-60 for the wood and hardware.

Hmm, i know its manufactured by parkland plastics, i know its the showerwall replacement liner, don't think its the same stuff chalkboard comes from.

not 100% sure about melamine, can't remember anyways

I'm reading more and more about results with parkland plastics/Polywall. All users seem to agree that its better than blackout cloth. Only one way to find out