What colour should I paint my home cinema

[paradox]

Hi,
I just bought myself a 50" panasonic plasma (TH-50PX70A). I'm going to eventually wall mount it and renovate the room adding speaker cables, etc. Now I don't know if this is a stupid question or not, but what color should I paint the wall behind the plasma? White? Grey? Does it make any difference at all?

Have you ever worn sunglasses with either a yellow or red tint? At first everything looks strange, but then your eyes adjust and the world looks normal, until you take them off again ... So, I would imagine that if I were to paint my home cinema, say, bright red, looking at the plasma in front of a red wall would make its colors appear weird.

 

[AVRat]

A darker, muted color of your choice will work well. Most people will recommend deeper shades of gray to black though.

 

[majorloser]

It's a plasma, not like a front projection screen. I would just suggest you stick with neutral subdued colors in a flat to eggshell finish (no gloss). Just don't pick something that draws your eye more to the paint than the plasma. You can still pick something that complements the rest of the room.

DEFINITELY DON'T DO BLACK!!!! I did on the ceiling and screen wall and it made the room a morgue. If you wanted to do a front projection they usually recommend a medium grey. I think they even call it Kodak grey.

 

[paradox]

Thanks for the help!

 

[Rob Babcock]

It's a plasma, not like a front projection screen. I would just suggest you stick with neutral subdued colors in a flat to eggshell finish (no gloss). Just don't pick something that draws your eye more to the paint than the plasma. You can still pick something that complements the rest of the room.

DEFINITELY DON'T DO BLACK!!!! I did on the ceiling and screen wall and it made the room a morgue. If you wanted to do a front projection they usually recommend a medium grey. I think they even call it Kodak grey.

I must respectfully disagree (in a sense). Yes, painting it black will, contrary to the Stone's song, make the room pretty dismal- but if the room is just for HT use it's well worth it!

 

[avliner]

IMO, by having the screen wall only painted in black (or another darker color), you'll have the "infinite stage effect", same as in commercial cinemas.

 

[Bryce_H]

I did my ceiling and projector wall a deep gray (Thunder Grey) with my walls a deep red and blue. All paint is a flat matte. This was based on numerous guides and advice from custom installers.

 

[majorloser]

I did my ceiling and projector wall a deep gray (Thunder Grey) with my walls a deep red and blue. All paint is a flat matte. This was based on numerous guides and advice from custom installers.

This is EXACTLY what I was suggesting!

Flat black is very tough to paint. It takes many coats to get full coverage. If you have any other color below IT WILL FADE THROUGH. Even with good primer. The slightest touch will show up as a scuff mark. If you want black around your screen, use curtains. They can tuck behind the screen. I painted the ceiling and the front wall flat black. Then hung black curtains around the screen.

Check out my theater for comparison:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22943

I also painted the inside of the component closet with flat black. Now this is something that I would suggest.

 

[avliner]

Major is absolutely right about the black painting issues.
Matter of fact - due to that issue - I didn't paint mine; instead what I've done was to cover only the back wall with a flat black carpet though.
Very simple, longlasting, practical and cost effective (all you need is the carpet itself, + a brush and the adhesive).

Another good suggestion from the Major is to have the components rack also in black. Im my case, the new rack were made in black MDF, so it blends pretty well with the back wall.

I'm just posting a shot for your evaluation anyway; hope it helps somehow.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Wow, some very nice work from all of you! I'm getting ready to build a theater in the basement of my new house and I'm gonna rip off several elements of all your HTs.

 

[Bryce_H]

No disagreement - I put 3 coats (plus the primer) on the ceiling and wall. Scuffs are not issue - the stage keeps people (and pets) away. You definately want something that is dark and flat. Bright or strong colors in a HT can actually change the colors displayed on the screen.


And I remembered the color is Tornado Grey (behr brand)

 

[Hutzal]

Just my 2 cents

I like a black front wall, and contrary to what others think, Black covers EVERYTHING, nothing will bleed though, even after 1 coat. I did 2 coats on mine with flat black, on brand new drywall, nothing bled through at all, 1 coat would have been enough except I am ACD.

I have a black front wall, a dark grey ceiling, and blue/green walls.

 

[Bryce_H]

As a clarification - the reason it took 3 coats on mine is due to the knockdown texture.

 

[Hutzal]

Ahh ok, that makes sense as I too did 3 coats of my "Lead Grey" colour (which is pretty dark) on my textured ceiling.

 

[mike c]

thanks for sharing your pics hutzal

 

[Hutzal]

it'll look alot nicer once I get the baseboards and doors in However, they have been on the back burner ever since the projector has been up...for over 2 months now