This thread will cover the basics of painting a screen using various brands of paint and complexity. I will try to include information on spraying screens too, but most do not have the equipment for that and there is a rule of diminishing gains that also comes into play. For some people, eeking out an extra .5 to 2% increase in performance means everything- to others the amount of work vs the small increase may not be worth it... it's not my position to tell anyone that they have to go a certain route, that's up to the individual to decide.
DIY Painted Screen Index - Why Paint?
- What Brand?
- What Color?
- Mixes or Simple?
- On the Wall or on a Substrate
- Tools and Supplies
- Prep and Painting
- Top Coats
- Spraying
Paint… an area and topic of much debate in some circles. Why is it such a debatable screen option? Paint is inexpensive and there are many manufacturers. Some people prefer one brand over another. Keep in mind though that what looks nice as a regular wall paint may not work all that great as a screen paint.
A couple of things to look for with paint is a good quality brand that does not contain a lot of clay or chalk in it, and good quality pigments are used for tinting the colors. Cheaper paint doesn’t cover as well and generally has a lot of impurities that can cause a projected image to look dull and washed out.
Color balance is also a very important factor. This topic is discussed in the Neutral Gray thread in great detail, so it won’t be rehashed again here.
There are two and only two types of screens as far as shade, those are white and gray. Now each of these shades have an almost infinite level of step shades within them (although anything other than pure white can technically be called a gray), but we really only need a certain few shades for most situations and projectors. A new buzz word and popular term people may be hearing is a ‘Black Screen’, but even these black screens are actually gray.
The first order of business is to get some information.
- Projector Lumen Rating
- Contrast Rating
- Screen Size
- Viewing Conditions
The above items will help determine what color and shade will work best for just about any given situation. The only remaining variable is user preference.