Slaughter House Cinemas (Project Thread)

**smile711** · **08-04-08, 08:08 PM**

One possible way to get some very comfortable seating is to go to Office Depot (Staples, too?). You'll find those "stackable" chairs used in a doctor's waiting room. Mine have chrome legs, black arm rests, and grayish fabric. They stack nicely, and now we use them for overflow for big dinners (they fit up to our folding banquet tables and card tables great.

Our HT seats were a big project (5 years): I found some wonderful used theater seats, complete with cushions, metal supports, hardware, and of course---chewing gum. I had them shipped from Iowa from a theater they were remodeling. Research shows they were made in 1930-31! I had all the metal cleaned and powder coated, then had all the cushions redone in hypoallergenic materials and gorgeous fabric that was on sale. Altogether, we have 20 seats, and they work nicely with our "retro" look in our HT. They are extremely comfortable, and will last for years and years.

Back to the stackable chairs: They may seem austere for now, but because they have armrests, people can sit in them easily for a 2 hr. film. And the backs and seats are padded, so they really beat the Costco folding chairs (no armrests) all to pieces. If you have no need for them later, donate them to a club or church, etc. For under $40 a piece, they worked well for the 5 years we needed them in our HT. In actuality, our 4 FRONT seats were actually an old couch... the stackable chairs were arranged behind the couch.

I just Googled, and it looks like those stackable chairs w/ armrests are now closer to $60 with shipping.

**carls64** · **08-05-08, 02:02 PM**

Thanks for the information smile711! My contractor had two words for me when I was talking about Home Theater Seating, "Lawn Chairs!"

The office/side chair things is a good idea, but we have a couch for now. I am looking into some refurbished "real" theater seats for the second row, or maybe the first row. They have to be anchored to the floor, but maybe I can carpet a piece of 3/4 plywood or MDF to mount them to so I can move them around.

**carls64** · **08-05-08, 03:07 PM**

Anyone know how to rename the master thread of my post, I would like to change it now to: Slaughter House Cinemas (Project Thread)

:raped:

**salvasol** · **08-05-08, 03:09 PM**

Quote:

carls64 wrote:

Anyone know how to rename the master thread of my post, I would like to change it now to: Slaughter House Cinemas (Project Thread)

:raped:

My suggestion ... send a PM to the boss (Sonnie)

**carls64** · **08-05-08, 03:12 PM**

More pictures posted:

Wednesday July 30, 2008
Sunday August 3, 2008
Sunday August 4, 2008

I made my speaker stands in about 2 hours! I have to fill them with sand yet and paint them but their construction is complete, I am particularity proud of those. Total cost of construction $27

Here is the link where I got the idea.

Once they are painted they should work out well!

**salvasol** · **08-05-08, 03:49 PM**

Quote:

carls64 wrote:

Once they are painted they should work out well!

Nice job!!!

Question about your front speakers: Is that the final placement (as seen on the picture)??? ... I read that speakers sound better when not in the corner; try placing them near the edge of the screen and see how they sound ... Did you find the best place for the sub???

**carls64** · **08-05-08, 04:16 PM**

Quote:

salvasol wrote:

Nice job!!!

Thank you! Its been a lot of work, and to think I didn't do all the framing/insulation/drywall/painting!

Quote:

salvasol wrote:

Question about your front speakers: Is that the final placement (as seen on the picture)??? ... I read that speakers sound better when not in the corner; try placing them near the edge of the screen and see how they sound ... Did you find the best place for the sub???

Well at 15' from the screen, the THX specs say place the speakers at 45 deg, and that puts them right in the corner, however I just set them there I have not begun any serious calibrating. One nice thing is that my Yamaha 663 has self calibration on all 7.1 channels. Same for the sub, just sitting there, I have the speaker cables and sub line level cables coming out the the wall in that general location :-(

**salvasol** · **08-05-08, 06:26 PM**

Quote:

carls64 wrote:

... I have not begun any serious calibrating. One nice thing is that my Yamaha 663 has self calibration on all 7.1 channels. Same for the sub, just sitting there,

I'm sure you anxious to get to that step ... Right???

I see that the thread name was changed ... Did you do it or the Boss did it???

**smile711** · **08-05-08, 10:37 PM**

Anchoring your chairs to a sturdy base is the route we took with 20 of our restored theater seats. We mounted 2 to each "platform." It took a great deal of experimentation, and I utilized a great friend who's a mechanical engineer. It turns out there is a "rocking vs. tipping" issue you MUST contend with. If the seats are not positioned correctly on the base---i.e., the rearmost support for the seat is too far BACK, the chair can rock BACK when they sit down. It'll tip FORWARD if the seat is mounted too far forward on the base. So that's why you have to make a test jig.

One other matter which requires thought: Most commercial theater chairs have supports whose feet are NOT flat. Rather, they are angled slightly since most theaters are sloped towards the front of the theater. That said, if you just bolt most supports down, the seat will not be "plumb," and safety issues will cause it to tip, no matter how well you've positioned the seat on the base. We devised hardwood shims/wedges that are placed under the chair support's feet. They are cut to the precise angle to which the feet are manufactured. In our case, it was 3.5 degrees. Sounds complicated, but maybe the chairs you'll be buying will be like some soldiers in the Army----flat feet! Then you won't have the above issue.

My base is what I call "chip board," 3/4" thick. I asked and did research, and settled on that as my base for a couple of reasons: per square foot, it is by far the densest and heaviest material. Also, it drills nicely because it is not a laminated product. It also will not delaminate over time like plywood can. MDF is different of course, and I have some fine a/v equipment shelving done with that. As I recall, it is also VERY dense and heavy, but WOW! It would be extremely costly for the sort of platform (3/4") you're considering.

I used nice gray carpeting on the platforms (used adhesives), and attached some Teflon plastic slides on the bottom to assist with the occasional scooting around to vacuum, etc. I tried 3 chairs to each base, and wow, that's heavy and hard to move! 2 chairs/unit worked for us.

I'm excited for your project, and you're thinking through things well. Like I said, we used an old sofa/couch for a long time in the FRONT row, and the stackable chairs for the remaining seats.

Have fun.

**carls64** · **08-06-08, 03:08 PM**

Quote:

salvasol wrote:

I'm sure you anxious to get to that step ... Right???

Oh Ya!

Quote:

salvasol wrote:

I see that the thread name was changed ... Did you do it or the Boss did it???

We talked about naming it, as it seems to be the thing to do. I originally wanted this room to be my photo studio but it seemed impractical being that it was on the opposite side of the basement and you had to walk down the steps and through another work room then in to this one. So our last name is Slaughter so it seemed appropriate, if not a bit morbid ;-)

**carls64** · **08-06-08, 03:18 PM**

Thanks again smile711 for your input, I am going to be ordering at least 4 of the theater seating today. I will ask if they are on a slight slant or if they mount flat. That is a good point.

Next I need to consider a riser now that I will have a couch and the theater seating. I wonder if I should place the theater seating in the front row or the rear row, I like the idea of sitting in the theater seating, so they may go up front, and they might be a little lower than sitting in the couch, that would help with the height of my riser.

Speaking of risers, my thoughts are to build using 2x12 pressure treated for the perimeter, and then some 2x6's for the interior bracing, for cost. I am not going to anchor it to the walls, but should I use uboats? And insulate with pink stuff. I need to go CHEAP! I have some carpet left that should cover it, or I may have to take up the carpet where the riser is to use on top of that, and use what I left for the sides. Any help there would be appreciated. Also somewhere I was reading you should cuts slots in the top for using as a bass trap?

**carls64** · **08-06-08, 04:22 PM**

Oh and also can I put the joists at 16" so I can put standard inhalation unfaced in it? Based on my measurements I should be able to build this for under $200 ;-)

**salvasol** · **08-06-08, 04:23 PM**

Quote:

carls64 wrote:

... to build using 2x12 pressure treated for the perimeter, and then some 2x6's for the interior bracing, for cost. I am not going to anchor it to the walls, but should I use uboats? And insulate with pink stuff. I need to go CHEAP! I have some carpet left that should cover it, or I may have to take up the carpet where the riser is to use on top of that, and use what I left for the sides. Any help there would be appreciated. Also somewhere I was reading you should cuts slots in the top for using as a bass trap?

Have you compared the savings if you use two 2"x6" instead of one 2"x12"??? ... I remember that I went that route (use two) because it was cheaper, all my riser was build that way (not just the perimeter).

I remember someone who used the black felt paper (roofing paper) under the riser to help with the moisture; I'm sure that's what you mean with the Uboats, Right???

Pink insulation will help you with the accoustic ... check for prices too, I remember somebody filled the riser with pillows from Walmart because they were cheaper that using the pink stuff ...

You don't need to brace the riser to walls (I didn't) ... I think is better that way, specially if you'll add a pair of buttkickers in the future

The holes can be in the front of the riser; and I remember Bryan mentioned something about leaving the back of the riser open ... hopefully he will answer that better than me

**bpape** · **08-06-08, 05:01 PM**

You can certainly do 2x6's in a short span like that (assuming front to back span). How the spacing goes will depend on the total weight.

You can do U-Boats to get it up off the floor and then save the cost of treated lumber if you want. Standard fluffy pink insulation is fine but you need to fill it so it will be R-30. You don't need to jam it in there but it should be full.

You can cut holes in the front to provide a little bass control directly behind the front row if you want - just watch the weight/strength.

Bryan

**carls64** · **08-06-08, 05:07 PM**

Sounds like a plan! I called about my theater seats and I am getting 8 for the price I was going to pay for 4! Sounds like a deal, these are real theater seats but will need to be bolted to the floor and riser but that don;t seem to be too bad. It will be nice to have all the same seats in there. I am sure the leather stuff would be more comfy but sitting in these for 2 hours or less at a time should be OK, this way I can seat 8 people comfortably and the appearance will be nice, and add to the "theater" appearance ;-)

**carls64** · **08-07-08, 11:55 AM**

Well my theater seats are ordered! I got them from http://www.seatsandchairs.com I spoke with Becky there and she was very helpful. The service was exceptional!

Here are the seats I ordered: (Removed link as it appears I bought most that they had of them)

I ended up getting 2 rows of 4 seats. Based on the dimensions and their figured they will span 92" total so if I wanted I could mount them on a 4x8 surface. They recommend a 1 1/2" base thickness, so I will probably anchor the front row to the floor (concrete) and the other row to the riser, with 2 sheets of 3/4" material.

I am having issues with that riser calculator, it keeps telling me I am going to need a 14" riser, holy cow!

Here is the specs on the seats: http://www.seatsandchairs.com/Install-marquee.pdf

My first row viewing is 15', my room is 24' 2" so I am figuring that my first row is going to be at about 18" forward of the 15" mark to place the viewers head at 15'. Using that measurement and the fact that the screen is at 22" from the floor (I only have about 3" from the ceiling, not sure if I want it right against the ceiling with the 3" border that would give me an extra 3", to have 25" from the floor)

I think (I am going to do a mock up height with seating so I can make sure) I will need about a 10-12" riser if I use 2x8 (7 3/4"?) and 2 sheets 3/4 surface (3/4 + 3/4 = 1.5") I will have a 9 1/4" riser, or if I go with a 2x10's I should end up at about 11 1/4", what do you think?

I am very excited

about my seating, some may say they will not be comfortable, but I go to the movies a lot and I never complain about the seats, do you?

I suppose while I am doing the riser I will go ahead and build my stage and side walls to conceal my speakers and such.

**salvasol** · **08-07-08, 02:45 PM**

Quote:

carls64 wrote:

I am having issues with that riser calculator, it keeps telling me I am going to need a 14" riser, holy cow!

I think (I am going to do a mock up height with seating so I can make sure) I will need about a 10-12"...

I am very excited

about my seating, some may say they will not be comfortable, but I go to the movies a lot and I never complain about the seats, do you? ...

I suppose while I am doing the riser I will go ahead and build my stage and side walls to conceal my speakers and such.

Congratulations ... they look nice

I use the calculator and I got 9 3/4" (I used 23", 42", 36", 180" and 216") ... remember to measure the start of the screen, don't include the frame

Is been a long time that I visited a theater ... the only difference between your seats and others is the foot rest, but if you don't need them ... you'll be okay

If you can wait for your seats before starting the riser will be excellent ... that way you can really measure and see what size you'll need

**thewire** · **08-07-08, 03:05 PM**

Those seats look slick. Do they lean back slightly? I always thought that those kind were comfortable. I would always ask that we went to certain theaters just to have them. If not, still a nice looking seat.

**carls64** · **08-07-08, 05:21 PM**

Quote:

thewire wrote:

Those seats look slick. Do they lean back slightly? I always thought that those kind were comfortable. I would always ask that we went to certain theaters just to have them. If not, still a nice looking seat.

The are fixed but you can adjust the angle to a certain degree, you might be referring the the "rocker" style where the seat leans back when you sit in them. They have those as well but they are more expensive. I have been in a few theaters where they had them, but no these do not.

**carls64** · **08-07-08, 05:26 PM**

Ok I believe I have my mind made up I am going to build a stage and columns on either side of the screen to conceal the speakers and sound / bass traps. I do not believe I will be able to create much of a valance above/front of the scree due to the fact it is so close to the ceiling, any thoughts on a design? To accommodate the subs it is going to have to be pretty far out like 2' or more so I may need to angle it slightly out so it does not confine the screen too much. What are your thoughts on the placement of the subs, I will eventually hook two up right now the one is just hooked up. My original thought was to have it up front to the left and right of the screen however space there is not at a premium there:

**carls64** · **08-07-08, 05:31 PM**

Quote:

salvasol wrote:

If you can wait for your seats before starting the riser will be excellent ... that way you can really measure and see what size you'll need

You might be right, I can do some work elsewhere before starting that project :-( Maybe start on the stage area.

I need simple though, I am thinking of framing it up with 1x2 or 2x2's and using drywall as the sides and then cover the front with acoustically visible cloth.

You think a 2x4 height stage is big enough, again space is not at a premium there, it is a big screen though

**bpape** · **08-07-08, 05:58 PM**

I'd strongly recommend skipping the drywall on the sides and make both the sides and front just cloth. Otherwise, you'll have all kinds of nasty resonances in there and block a lot of the waves hitting the bass absorbers from other angles rather than straight on.

Bryan

**salvasol** · **08-07-08, 06:03 PM**

Quote:

carls64 wrote:

... I am thinking of framing it up with 1x2 or 2x2's and using drywall as the sides and then cover the front with acoustically visible cloth...

I remember Bryan suggested to another member to do a regular frame and then cover everything else with cloth ... (if I recall correctly is in this thread http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...gn-thread.html)

I also stoled this pictures for you (from same thread) ... maybe you can make some changes and use the design

Name: ht%20wall%201.jpg
Views: 103
Size: 52.3 KB

Name: ht%20wall%202.jpg
Views: 102
Size: 49.0 KB

**carls64** · **08-07-08, 06:04 PM**

Quote:

bpape wrote:

I'd strongly recommend skipping the drywall on the sides and make both the sides and front just cloth. Otherwise, you'll have all kinds of nasty resonances in there and block a lot of the waves hitting the bass absorbers from other angles rather than straight on.

Will do!

I will make them in the corner isolated slightly from the way you think? So they will have fabric on 2 sides.

I had the volume turned up a bit last night on the sound system, listening to the radio and went up stairs and realized I mad a big mistake. The supply and return air vents, are directly above the supply vent to the kitchen, I can here everything perfectly in the kitchen right above the vent

Any ideas, now that the room is finished that I can reduce that?

**carls64** · **08-07-08, 06:06 PM**

Quote:

salvasol wrote:

I remember Bryan suggested to another member to do a regular frame and then cover everything else with cloth ... (if I recall correctly is in this thread http://www.hometheatershack.com/foru...gn-thread.html)

I also stoled this pictures for you (from same thread) ... maybe you can make some changes and use the design

Looks good! however my screen is MUCH lower to the ground, so I would have to change that part. Anyone know of an good place to find reasonably price for fabric would be?

Advertisement