False wall questions

[jostenmeat]

I am starting to become very interested in trying the DIY Seymour material at $20 per linear foot. (I'll have to think about buying "extra" if I want to do the tilt for future proofing any moiré even if it's not an issue with LCOS.)

I recently had a conversation with a friend who will help me with this project, if and when the time comes. I have a bunch of random questions.

1. What would your recommendation be for the acoustically transparent black material that will surround the screen? GOM, or something else?

2. Would any of you adamantly prefer metal for a false wall, as basspig has done? My friend says the metal won't really cost much more than wood, but that it is much more labor intensive. This friend has some really large machines that we can use to plane for very straight wood, if need be. He's thinking 5/4 Douglas.

3. Is there a preferred method of mounting the screen to the false wall? I hope to place my monster Danley sub's mouth below the screen to reduce the chances of pushing the screen back and forth (and I remember basspig had to specially secure his own for his certifiably insane system). But, it is a very slight concern. OTOH, I don't want it so tightly fastened that any possible future warping of the false wall would twist my frame. Oh, I don't know, someone enlighten me.

4. Then, I will very likely need to raise the height of my LCR. (I would hope to do a vertical tower finally for center.) I foresee the mains being outside of the screen, behind GOM or whatever, with only the center directly behind the screen. What method would you guys recommend for both stability, lack of acoustic resonance, and low budget, for raising them, say, 1 ft (for conversation's sake).

5. I demand that I can access the speakers and sub if need be. How would you advise that I design it so I can? It does not at all need to be a "wall to wall" false wall, but I am not sure how to design "feet" that would be secure enough for a false wall to comfortably stand on.


I will surely have more questions later. Thanks for your time. I understand this is very far from rocket science, but on the other hand you may have noticed that I am not in my element either.

 

[highfigh]

I am starting to become very interested in trying the DIY Seymour material at $20 per linear foot. (I'll have to think about buying "extra" if I want to do the tilt for future proofing any moiré even if it's not an issue with LCOS.)

I recently had a conversation with a friend who will help me with this project, if and when the time comes. I have a bunch of random questions.

1. What would your recommendation be for the acoustically transparent black material that will surround the screen? GOM, or something else?

2. Would any of you adamantly prefer metal for a false wall, as basspig has done? My friend says the metal won't really cost much more than wood, but that it is much more labor intensive. This friend has some really large machines that we can use to plane for very straight wood, if need be. He's thinking 5/4 Douglas.

3. Is there a preferred method of mounting the screen to the false wall? I hope to place my monster Danley sub's mouth below the screen to reduce the chances of pushing the screen back and forth (and I remember basspig had to specially secure his own for his certifiably insane system). But, it is a very slight concern. OTOH, I don't want it so tightly fastened that any possible future warping of the false wall would twist my frame. Oh, I don't know, someone enlighten me.

4. Then, I will very likely need to raise the height of my LCR. (I would hope to do a vertical tower finally for center.) I foresee the mains being outside of the screen, behind GOM or whatever, with only the center directly behind the screen. What method would you guys recommend for both stability, lack of acoustic resonance, and low budget, for raising them, say, 1 ft (for conversation's sake).

5. I demand that I can access the speakers and sub if need be. How would you advise that I design it so I can? It does not at all need to be a "wall to wall" false wall, but I am not sure how to design "feet" that would be secure enough for a false wall to comfortably stand on.


I will surely have more questions later. Thanks for your time. I understand this is very far from rocket science, but on the other hand you may have noticed that I am not in my element either.

1) If you want a smoother black fabric, go to JoAnn fabrics- they have a grill cloth that's a lot more refined looking than that rough stuff that was so prevalent in the '90s. Also, Parts Express sells some but it's expensive compared with the stuff at JoAnn. What you really want right next to the screen is velvet. That reflects a lot less light than just about any other fabric and is what all of the fixed screens have on the frame.

2) Shop around- a good lumber yard will have dimensional lumber that's Douglas Fir but once you plane it, it will want to move because you're exposing new wood. It may be straight when you plane it but it won't be the next day. Just be selective when you buy your lumber- but the straightest pieces you can find. The cost of 5/4 Doug Fir will be prohibitive and working with metal studs isn't that bad. However, there are several grades of metal studs and the ones from Home Depot and the other big box stores are about as bad as they get. Metal walls can act as a good diaphragm, which means the bass response will suck unless you take measures to stiffen it as a unit. That part isn't hard and you'll be able to hear the results instantly just by pounding on it with your fist.

3) If you build the wall correctly, it CAN'T warp. Fasten the screen the way the instructions say and don't put the sub(s) directly behind it.

 

[Alex2507]

Now I see that you're talking about metal stud for the false wall as opposed to wood. Metal is not more labor intensive. There is no way anybody in there right mind could think that. Metal doesn't need to be planed. Metal won't warp. Metal is wonderful. Wood Peckers have bird brains.

 

[jostenmeat]

highfigh, I greatly appreciate your feedback, and I was hoping you would be one of the advisers.

1. I will definitely keep JoAnn in mind. I see here the most expensive PE product, at $25 per linear yard (64" wide).

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-332

I just skimmed the PDF instructions for the more advanced frame building (splined), and it recommends some Walmart Velveteen for the surrounding fabric. I will need to go over it more intently when I have more time. It appears he is using Hangman brackets (will have to google at some point), with 4x 2" brackets at the bottom. The example is using maple for the frame for its combination of rigidity and lightweight nature.

http://www.seymourav.com/articles/DIYFixedFrameGallo.pdf

2/3. I will stick with wood then, since it CAN'T warp as you say, if we can succeed in correctly building it. I didn't realize 5/4 was prohibitive, and will pick brains on a better value choice of wood. My friend does have some specific place to buy better lumber.

Thanks again, sir. Feel free to keep contributing when anything else comes to mind.

Doh, I see Alex has popped in here too. Ok Alex, I'll bother him about going with metal instead, and see what happens. The onus is really on me. I pretty much have to do most/all of the planning. He is going to instruct me, and watch me toil, for the most part, or at least that's his plan.

Have to leave in a couple of minutes, thanks guys . . .

 

[Alex2507]

I take it your false wall is there only to support your screen away from your real wall so that your center and mains can hide behind the plane of the screen. That right? How far away does the false wall need to be? Can your framing run floor to ceiling? ... and from left wall to right wall? I am very confused.

And you want to raise your speakers a foot?

I better let highfigh help you. Somehow it's like we're not speaking the same language.

 

[BMXTRIX]

See, now I just finished my basement and I was totally happy with using lumber. A bit of twisting isn't a big deal for the lumber unless something that can't move at all is connected to it, but I certainly would NEVER build a screen to permanently fix to my wall.

The one screen I did build I made from 1x3 poplar I believe, but oak would have been good. I made it 4 years ago (or so) and it's still in perfect shape. I followed instructions from AVS, then added a velvet border to the screen which I made by using 3" baseboard that I wrapped in true velvet. The screen hangs freely like a normal screen does.

The wall itself can be any design you really want it to be. Doors on the sides, acoustical paneling if you want on it, just acoustical fabric on it, whatever makes the most sense to you, but I would keep the screen as a separate item in case you do have issues or need to replace it at some point, you won't have to redo the wall to deal with the screen, and if the wall has issues, you just pull the screen down to deal with the wall issues.

A properly built DIY screen will last a long time made from wood as will the walls. Just not convinced that metal would be a better building material within a home. Especially if you ever wanted to hang something heavy on it.

 

[highfigh]

highfigh, I greatly appreciate your feedback, and I was hoping you would be one of the advisers.

1. I will definitely keep JoAnn in mind. I see here the most expensive PE product, at $25 per linear yard (64" wide).

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-332

I just skimmed the PDF instructions for the more advanced frame building (splined), and it recommends some Walmart Velveteen for the surrounding fabric. I will need to go over it more intently when I have more time. It appears he is using Hangman brackets (will have to google at some point), with 4x 2" brackets at the bottom. The example is using maple for the frame for its combination of rigidity and lightweight nature.

http://www.seymourav.com/articles/DIYFixedFrameGallo.pdf

2/3. I will stick with wood then, since it CAN'T warp as you say, if we can succeed in correctly building it. I didn't realize 5/4 was prohibitive, and will pick brains on a better value choice of wood. My friend does have some specific place to buy better lumber.

Thanks again, sir. Feel free to keep contributing when anything else comes to mind.

Doh, I see Alex has popped in here too. Ok Alex, I'll bother him about going with metal instead, and see what happens. The onus is really on me. I pretty much have to do most/all of the planning. He is going to instruct me, and watch me toil, for the most part, or at least that's his plan.

Have to leave in a couple of minutes, thanks guys . . .

I don't think the JoAnn grill cloth was more than $10/yard and it happened to be a good match for the cloth on the main in-wall speakers. The stuff that's normally sold just looks cheaper. It looks OK, just not as smooth and it's a much more coarse weave. I know JoAnn has velvet, too.

As far as using maple, poplar would work just as well and it's cheaper. Since it won't be finished and visible, it really doesn't matter what the wood specie is as long as it's dimensionally stable.

2/3- I never said it can't warp if it's wood, I meant that if it's constructed in the right way, it can't warp. That means it will have some way to keep it from racking and twisting. Good lumber is worth the price and it's what contractors use for high-end homes. The last time I bought studs at Home Depot, I left them in a neat stack so I could go back and build the ceiling panels I needed the next morning. I got back and saw a pile of skis. Just about all of them had warped or twisted and they were all unusable. If you have an independent yard that has been around for generations, go there- there's a reason they're surviving the big box stores. If you really want to use 5/4 Doug Fir, go ahead but be prepared for the price.

For Hangman brackets, look at Parts Express- pg 8 of their new sales flyer which is viewable on their website.

 

[jostenmeat]

I take it your false wall is there only to support your screen away from your real wall so that your center and mains can hide behind the plane of the screen. That right? How far away does the false wall need to be? Can your framing run floor to ceiling? ... and from left wall to right wall? I am very confused.

And you want to raise your speakers a foot?

Yes, correct, with the added benefit of hiding 3 speakers and a sub as well. Less reflections visually off of these things too. I may need to raise the speakers depending on the final screen size and placement. I do not want the screen frame to directly block any of the speaker drivers. This will take some planning for sure, viewing angle, height, etc.

EDIT: Sorry, I forgot to address your q's. I expect the wall to be at least 2 ft out, maybe even 3ft depending, for spacing, ability to get back there to tweak, bunch of bass traps, etc. The wall cannot go from sidewall to side wall, but can be attached to ceiling. Dunno what I should do.

See, now I just finished my basement and I was totally happy with using lumber. A bit of twisting isn't a big deal for the lumber unless something that can't move at all is connected to it, but I certainly would NEVER build a screen to permanently fix to my wall.

The one screen I did build I made from 1x3 poplar I believe, but oak would have been good. I made it 4 years ago (or so) and it's still in perfect shape. I followed instructions from AVS, then added a velvet border to the screen which I made by using 3" baseboard that I wrapped in true velvet. The screen hangs freely like a normal screen does.

The wall itself can be any design you really want it to be. Doors on the sides, acoustical paneling if you want on it, just acoustical fabric on it, whatever makes the most sense to you, but I would keep the screen as a separate item in case you do have issues or need to replace it at some point, you won't have to redo the wall to deal with the screen, and if the wall has issues, you just pull the screen down to deal with the wall issues.

A properly built DIY screen will last a long time made from wood as will the walls. Just not convinced that metal would be a better building material within a home. Especially if you ever wanted to hang something heavy on it.

Thanks. Yes, I want to keep the screen "separate", and my query was offered because I actually don't know what the "common" method of hanging one actually is. I will need to look around, and even if I didn't I'm sure we could probably figure it out, but I was curious what people offered here.

I am glad to hear that a bit of twisting will be ok (especially since screen is separate), and I hope that I have it in me to overbuild the screen, so to speak, with the spline. Your vote towards wood has been tallied. Thanks.

I don't think the JoAnn grill cloth was more than $10/yard and it happened to be a good match for the cloth on the main in-wall speakers. The stuff that's normally sold just looks cheaper. It looks OK, just not as smooth and it's a much more coarse weave. I know JoAnn has velvet, too.

As far as using maple, poplar would work just as well and it's cheaper. Since it won't be finished and visible, it really doesn't matter what the wood specie is as long as it's dimensionally stable.

Thanks for that pricing. I will offer poplar as an idea and see what my friend says. If the price difference is only marginal, I will take the stronger wood, but if it is significant, I will think about it. I wonder which is the lighter wood as well (may have said in the instructions, cannot recall).

2/3- I never said it can't warp if it's wood, I meant that if it's constructed in the right way, it can't warp. That means it will have some way to keep it from racking and twisting. Good lumber is worth the price and it's what contractors use for high-end homes. The last time I bought studs at Home Depot, I left them in a neat stack so I could go back and build the ceiling panels I needed the next morning. I got back and saw a pile of skis. Just about all of them had warped or twisted and they were all unusable. If you have an independent yard that has been around for generations, go there- there's a reason they're surviving the big box stores. If you really want to use 5/4 Doug Fir, go ahead but be prepared for the price.

For Hangman brackets, look at Parts Express- pg 8 of their new sales flyer which is viewable on their website.

That's how I was taking your advice, if it wasn't evident in my post. I will heed all of your advice above.

Cheers guys.

 

[BMXTRIX]

They build entire houses out of wood, and as long as it isn't getting left to extreme conditions all the time (like outdoors!) you are generally fine. You do need to have some framing tools to get it done, no matter what, but these can be suprisingly simple. Hit the local library and pick up a couple of framing books.

I can tell you when I framed my basement I had never done anything like that in my life, but after getting into it, the project was really fun and gave me the creative freedom to really think about how I would use my space, the way I wanted to. I used shots to fire nails through 2x4s into the concrete and I borrowed a framing nailer from a friend. In the past, I had built a ton of shelves using screws. Screws are better, but way more labor intensive. Framing nailers are scary powerful! Once the framing was done, I set all the electrical boxes myself, then had an electrician wire to them. I also put all the light fixtures in place, and once again had an electrician wire to them. In the future, I would do the wiring myself. A/V is way easier than residential high voltage.

I can see it, if you have a long wall, a section which kicks out from the wall on both sides at an angle to allow your false wall. Maybe a hidden door on one side, or a 'vent' which actually is large enough to get through. Big enough for service, out of the way enough for discretion. Maybe do some shelving on either side if you have the space.

The really fun part is that you do get to do it your way. It may take longer, but you really can do it really well. Use a good laser plumb and squares to really get everything absolutely perfect and your work will rival that of many builders for the framing. I had about half a dozen drywallers who were very suprised that the framing I did was based upon just reading some books. But, it's really easy once you've done some research.

 

[Alex2507]

Okay, I think I got the picture now. To frame the false wall I would use 3-5/8" 20 gauge metal framing (track on the top and bottom ... studs vertical) and then screw 2x4 wood studs to the 3-5/8" metal studs ( 2 #6 x 1-1/4" coarse thread drywall screws every 12" going through the metal into the wood). Screw the metal studs into the track top and bottom on all 4 sides with 7/16" framing screws. You can leave spaces in the studs to accommodate your center and maybe put in some horizontal bracing above the center. One of your sides could have a demountable frame w/ French cleat with fabric on it to allow access. Metal studs and 2x4's are pretty cheap and when they are put together like that they are straight and strong.

I'm very excited about this. Go to Home Depot now.

 

[basspig]

2. Would any of you adamantly prefer metal for a false wall, as basspig has done?

Just to set the record staight and prevent any confusion, I framed in my screen wall with doug fir 2x4s and the screen sub-frame is poplar, painted black.

I would never use metal studs, as they would make all sorts of ugly noises when vibrating. Damping that would be a major headache. I went through that with quieting my heating convectors, which would rattle like banshees when I was playing organ pedal tones.

Wood is acoustically a more sensible material to use for this.

 

[highfigh]

Just to set the record staight and prevent any confusion, I framed in my screen wall with doug fir 2x4s and the screen sub-frame is poplar, painted black.

I would never use metal studs, as they would make all sorts of ugly noises when vibrating. Damping that would be a major headache. I went through that with quieting my heating convectors, which would rattle like banshees when I was playing organ pedal tones.

Wood is acoustically a more sensible material to use for this.

I agree about the noise if the metal framing members are the thin gauge type but the heavy ones don't make noise. They're also more expensive than lumber. Also, the backside of the wall can be foamed- this ties the drywall to the frame and it WILL be dead. The problem, as I detailed in the Room Acoustics, System Design & Layout thread about the theater that had low end issues, is that the wall can act as a large diaphragm if it's not insulated with fiberglass after the foam goes on and there's nothing to stiffen it at mid-span. Once the fiberglass went in, it was very dead and the problem disappeared.

 

[jostenmeat]

Hey thanks a lot guys. I've already amassed an excellent team here behind me already.

BMX, I appreciate the time to make sure I really* think about what I will eventually build. And of course the encouragement too.

Alex, I didn't yet consider combining both metal and wood, thanks. The possible ugly vibrations that basspig brought up never really crossed my mind, but now that he has, I guess I would be most afraid of this where the wood meets metal. Maybe there is some material that can go between the two to kill vibration? However, I suppose if there was something, that it would be permanent. Lastly, do you think a big box store like Home Depot is just fine enough for me, even after what highfigh has been imparting to me?

Everyone, it looks like I'm going to want at least 3' after all from front wall.

I also finally realized that I think the false wall must be totally mobile (not built into any boundary, but on feet). The reason being is because I want to put my Danley behind there, and there will be no way to install or remove it with any kind of "permanently" attached false wall.

Any ideas on "feet" design? Or any other clever idea?

I also wonder if the Fidelio velvet is worth the price from the Seymour store. I'm guessing most of you might say just go to Joann's for the velvet border. How big of a border shall I do? The bigger the better?

Just to set the record staight and prevent any confusion, I framed in my screen wall with doug fir 2x4s and the screen sub-frame is poplar, painted black.

I would never use metal studs, as they would make all sorts of ugly noises when vibrating. Damping that would be a major headache. I went through that with quieting my heating convectors, which would rattle like banshees when I was playing organ pedal tones.

Wood is acoustically a more sensible material to use for this.

Ah, thanks for clearing that up!! While vibration issues will rear their heads much, much more quickly with your rig, thanks a lot for even bringing it up. I have a lot of questions for you, because you are using the material that I am considering (whether are you using XD, or the previous version). I know I will eventually need to pick Mr. Seymour's brain, but I'd like to at least do some basic research, searches, and have some small semblance of what will happen before I do so. Anyways, so here goes basspig!

1. Assuming that the screen subframe is the actual screen frame, can I also assume that you did not care to spline, since you fear metal's vibrations? No worry in the slightest of having to "overbuild" the frame? (We all know how accurate my assumptions have been so far with your um "metal" false wall.)

2. I will also assume you had no interest in the black backing, since you already have a veritably black wall behind the screen. Do you by chance happen to know if it's just as easy to DIY frame with two layers? (I'm "sure" it is, and I know, a dumb easy question that I was intending to search soon, but hey you're here.) More importantly, do you think some Joann fabric would be just as good at a lesser cost for the purpose of black backing? (Same pricing as the XD.) After some mulling over, I'm pretty sure I will use black backing, because I have a mix of both white and black traps, and my 5' tall sub is still unfinished.

3. After playing around with a couple of calculators, I am happy to see that the 63" wide fabric will likely be sufficient, at the lower cost of $13/ft. (Then I also understood why one of the descriptors said something like "good for LCD, LCOS, SXRD", since I don't have the horsepower of a DLP like yours.) Well, I think my target size is going to be about 126", but then that only leaves 0.5" of play at top and bottom. Is this enough to work with for DIY?

 

[lsiberian]

I know it would be ideal if you could put your sub behind the screen as far as aesthetics. If there is a way you could get the opening to come out on the wall that would be great.

 

[Alex2507]

The possible ugly vibrations that basspig brought up never really crossed my mind, but now that he has, I guess I would be most afraid of this where the wood meets metal.

In my view that would be the last place vibration would occur as the metal is fastened to and deadened by the wood ... kind if like a guitar string pressed against every other fret along the entire neck.

Lastly, do you think a big box store like Home Depot is just fine enough for me, even after what highfigh has been imparting to me?

A home Depot may or may not carry 20 gauge metal so a drywall supplier might be necessary. The lumber is a crap shoot as well. I've bought stuff from there long ago and it was okay but the quality from a lumber yard will be better. Consider that when you attach a 2x4 to a metal stud and lock that stud into a track system, that sh!t ain't going anywhere ... ever. That's what we do to make rough openings for wood doors in metal framed partitions. Then we hang 8' tall solid core doors in those openings if need be.

BMX talked about nails over screws in wood and honestly I'm not a fan of nails over screws but he has successfully built what ever it is that he needed and there are many ways to skin a cat. You could leave holes in the framing big enough to get your Danley out and with metal studs screwed into metal track you can always back the framing screws out and move the stud away and put it right later. The studs are the legs. I presume that you would cover everything (wall to wall and floor to ceiling with fabric). Jeff just painted everything black including the side walls and ceiling for about three feet coming off the back wall.

You can put a gasket* (weather strip material) above the top track and below the bottom track to reduced the vibrations picked up buy the studs from being transmitted to the structure. Let's be rational here. If you cranking out 17Hz organ notes at 130db you need your head examined and need not worry about much else. The transient peaks produced by movies shouldn't be of much concern either as they are transient. A concert BR's likelihood of resonating a metal stud strapped to a 2x4 securely fastened into a gasketted track system seems highly unlikely.

*available at drywall suppliers for just this application

I don't think construction materials agree with highfigh. His mud turns green.

 

[lsiberian]

there are many ways to skin a cat.

Glad I changed my avatar I wouldn't want to be skinned.

 

[highfigh]

In my view that would be the last place vibration would occur as the metal is fastened to and deadened by the wood ... kind if like a guitar string pressed against every other fret along the entire neck.



A home Depot may or may not carry 20 gauge metal so a drywall supplier might be necessary. The lumber is a crap shoot as well. I've bought stuff from there long ago and it was okay but the quality from a lumber yard will be better. Consider that when you attach a 2x4 to a metal stud and lock that stud into a track system, that sh!t ain't going anywhere ... ever. That's what we do to make rough openings for wood doors in metal framed partitions. Then we hang 8' tall solid core doors in those openings if need be.

BMX talked about nails over screws in wood and honestly I'm not a fan of nails over screws but he has successfully built what ever it is that he needed and there are many ways to skin a cat. You could leave holes in the framing big enough to get your Danley out and with metal studs screwed into metal track you can always back the framing screws out and move the stud away and put it right later. The studs are the legs. I presume that you would cover everything (wall to wall and floor to ceiling with fabric). Jeff just painted everything black including the side walls and ceiling for about three feet coming off the back wall.

You can put a gasket* (weather strip material) above the top track and below the bottom track to reduced the vibrations picked up buy the studs from being transmitted to the structure. Let's be rational here. If you cranking out 17Hz organ notes at 130db you need your head examined and need not worry about much else. The transient peaks produced by movies shouldn't be of much concern either as they are transient. A concert BR's likelihood of resonating a metal stud strapped to a 2x4 securely fastened into a gasketted track system seems highly unlikely.

*available at drywall suppliers for just this application

I don't think construction materials agree with highfigh. His mud turns green.

I don't have a problem with construction materials, I have a problem with crappy construction materials. We have a family-owned lumber company here and they also sell hardware. I have strong ties to them because my mom was the owner's secretary starting in '46 and he was very good to us. OTOH, if that wasn't the case, I would still buy from them because they carry really good materials and the prices are competitive. They also carry materials that aren't available anywhere else, like the door/window trim in my house.

My mud doesn't turn green but I had a bucket that turned black.

 

[jostenmeat]

Alex, if I am understanding your advise correctly, I'm not sure that you understand how huge my sub is, and how unwieldy it is to move, especially when I don't want to hurt anything nearby, whether the screen or the false wall itself. It's listed as 285 lbs (but since mine is the kit, I suppose a tad bit less, due to paint?), and is very roughly 5' tall, 4' wide, and 16" deep. I think it would be much easier to move the wall itself for access. No? I mean, I won't even have the space to rotate it (assuming I could have the physical forearm strength without much use of body strength to even pull it out). Unless I built the wall say 6' out. Oh yeah, I also believe I'm going to allocate/rearrange somewhere between 7-9 of my acoustic panels behind the front wall for corner trapping and SBIR, and a few of them are quite large.

The main reason to put the sub there is for my hope in improved acoustics, whereas the aesthetics are just a side bonus (hard to see much in a dark dedicated room, esp when the sub is behind you). Just like my reason to even get this screen: put a vertical center speaker behind it; aesthetics are just a side bonus.

BTW, the string on every other fret is probably a very bad analogy, but thanks for trying to get me to understand. I won't get into it much, but after all, frets are crowned for a reason, by far most guitar strings out there are metal, and both frets and strings are normally made of a rather soft metal at that (nickel). Ok, you can't depress "only" at every other fret, but if you could, something is very seriously wrong with the instrument, but nevermind that.

The more I research this screen, the more I see that it's always described as an extremely accurate material for video, besting many well known products that don't even have to deal with the compromise of AT.

At the moment, I am leaning towards the following:

-free standing wall, not wall to wall, nor floor to ceiling, but perhaps pretty close to it.

-buying the black backing for the screen itself, Joann for everything else.

-leaning towards 100% wood, but may put some metal in there for reinforcement.

-I was already intending to have the entire false wall as AT (does anyone ever do otherwise?), outside of the necessary framing, and I was also intending to have the horn mouth be entirely unobstructed (which hopefully I should be able to do at 16" height, in addition to velvet borders, screen height of 59-62" or more, with the limit of 96" available, if not a tad less.

-simply going with whatever my friend tells me to do. He has tons of experience doing a lot of nice stuff (it's what he does). My intent was to bounce questions off those who know a lot more about AV, so that I could hopefully catch something that he (and I) would have no idea about, such as the resonance of certain metal materials, or lack thereof.

-starting to lean away from splining of screen frame, due to pure laziness.

-buying my lumber at a specialty store at a small premium, particularly the store that my friend recommended. (It's not like I need to buy tons of wood, nor have it be beautiful wood).

 

[BMXTRIX]

BMX talked about nails over screws in wood and honestly I'm not a fan of nails over screws but he has successfully built what ever it is that he needed and there are many ways to skin a cat.

Just a clarification: I built a bunch of shelves using screws and I think screws are FAR better than nails for structural integrity, I am fairly certain the shelves can hold 1,000 pounds per pretty happily.

I used a nailer when I finished my entire basement because using screws is a serious investment in additional time and effort over using a nailer. Also, I'm not sure how easy it is to toe-in screws while a nailer makes the process a joke. I was amazed at how strong stuff was when using a nailer, but it was a 1,000 foot build out of my basement vs. 3 LARGE shevling units in my storage area. If I couldn't get a nailer, I would build a false wall using screws I expect. It's just tighter.

Josten - How about a drawing/layout of your basement and your thoughts on what you want to do in the existing space? I would definitely avoid making the entire wall movable, but might have a removable section of some sort where you need it. 'Modular' perhaps, but a lot of lumber is going to weigh hundreds and hundreds of pounds - it won't ever reall be 'movable', and if built right, you won't want it that way I would imagine.

 

[jostenmeat]

Josten - How about a drawing/layout of your basement and your thoughts on what you want to do in the existing space? I would definitely avoid making the entire wall movable, but might have a removable section of some sort where you need it. 'Modular' perhaps, but a lot of lumber is going to weigh hundreds and hundreds of pounds - it won't ever reall be 'movable', and if built right, you won't want it that way I would imagine.

It's not a basement, and I don't know if I'll get around to drawing something up that can be presentable here. I'll likely do some scrawling and scribbling in a notebook with a bunch of numbers. I am fine with the HT as it is in fact, outside of this new (maybe old in fact) desire for false wall + AT, so I likely won't touch anything else.

Yeah, I hear you. Should I just leave the sub at the back wall? Hm. There is no way that I can leave alone the false wall, and remove the thing. I guess as long as the sub works fine (and the amp for it remains in the rack in the back), I'll never need to touch it. But if I have to get to it, either the door is big as a fridge (not possible with the size of screen), or I have to disassemble the false wall. Maybe I'll consider leaving it at the back wall . . .

Hundreds of lbs? The only things the structure needs to support are itself, the screen, and some black fabric (perhaps only like 20 sq ft as a guess). I am willing to pay a small premium for a lighter wood that is just as structurally sound.

Thanks BMXTRIX for helping me find holes in my idea(s).