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BamaBum Theatre Build

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bamabum build
65K views 288 replies 40 participants last post by  koldby 
#1 · (Edited)
EDIT - Finished Pics









The Beginning

Just starting on finishing the Theatre room in my house. The previous owner built it but didn't finish it out.

First things first. I have a large opening of 12 ft on right wall from viewing position to enable more flow to and from the game room adjacent.

the room is 25 deep x 15 wide x 10 tall

Primary purpose: Watching football games and entertaining. Xbox Gaming. Movie watching.

Primary Equipment:
Epson 6010 UB Projector - Split screen hdmi source for watching multiple games or playing multiple xbox as well as parallel source to duplicate into game room.
Denon 3313ci Amp - For multi-zone audio for attached game room
Def Tech 8060 Floors and 8040 Center and Surrounds.
 
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#157 ·
Thx guys. We have been wearing it out. It really is awesome to have somewhat complete.

I did the lounge couch in the front for a less formal use and the seats in the couch recline so it is the best of both worlds. Audio wise, the best seats for a movie are the back row while TV is best in the front so it works out well.
 
#160 ·
Both rows are roughly 10' across. I planned the riser to have a solid 10' front drop in the middle and 2.5 ft steps on each side.

Pallisar had several options in the 120-127" range. I liked that they have many configurations and pieces to build what you want. It took about 10 weeks on the custom order.

I ordered from them so that I could get matching custom higher grade fabrics for both rows. It was a bit more than prefabbed leather options. It came to about 1k per seat for seating of 8. The cloth is much more comfortable and not as cold as the leather option I investigated.

Many other manufacturers use around 136 " for a 4 seater but I don't find these to be cramped at all. However if you sat 4 typical 250 lb large men it would be a little small.

Seating is easily one of the higher expenses and hardest to affordable change later so I would encourage anyone to pay for quality and research a lot.
 
#161 ·
Ok, its time I dust off the thread and do some work.

I'm tried of looking at a incomplete front wall.

I tell my friends this is where the such and such is going.

They laugh and say Ive been at this for a year.

I decided to frame in the front screen wall. Some of the cuts were a little time consuming such as the front corner walls where the ends are cut at angles.


rough fitting walls


step one, walls complete



in time for oyster shooters
 
#174 ·
So the fabric mate system arrived and its time to put it up.

Overall I give the product a 9 of 10 for looks and 5 of 10 for installation. The product shipped fast and protected. The checkout process was outdated. I ordered online and then had to verify via later after shipping was hand determined. At $3-4 / ft shipped I expected a great product. I read some reviews from others and I expected an easy time. NOT!

I ordered the 1/2 raised beveled edge.



The product is a hard plastic that is extruded incorrectly or stored poorly because it comes in 5' lengths with a 1" bow in the middle (see pic above). I also learned the ends are not cut at a 90 degree angle after I hung the first one. Its more of a 81-97 degree end cut depending on the piece.

So I watched their video and it stated to miter cut them. This is a hard plastic so there was no way I was making 100 cuts on my miter box with my hand saw. On to the power tools. I dawned all my safety equipment and put a piece under the compound saw.

Next a plastic bullet shot across the room!!



After many plastic bullets I determined the problem was the plastic it not strong enough for the pushing (Tensile) and vibrating (Sheer) force of the blade. So I reinforced with spare wood strips for cuts and then things were fine on the saw.



I was tired of compromising ladder positions so I rigged a ladder step. I put a larger base to keep from tipping and it seamed to work and I felt much safer reaching higher areas.



I started putting together the track and quickly learned the width tolerance in manufacturing needs some quality attention. in this pic you can see how a molded(extruded) pieces do not line up.



I affixed the track for 5 large panels and used the pneumatic stapler to secure. I learned on the first panel that you need staples very close such as the bottom piece in the pic below. Otherwise the cloth stretching process will pull the track right off the wood or drywall. I'm not even sure you can use with drywall effectively after this project.



The final look of the product is awesome. I would recommend doing panels but might look for an alternative supplier in the future.



More to come, but until then have some crawfish or crayfish or mudbugs....

 
#176 ·
Bama, thanks a lot for the detailed account and pics. I have to say I'm a little disappointed by all of the sloppiness you pointed out. You're exactly right that for the cost of this system, it should be much better. Did you have problems with the different width joints, or did they turn out alright?

I'm also a little scared about your note on drywall. Do you think this would be better suited to OSB walls or something to give the (many) staples more grip?
 
#178 ·
fchris, OSHA is for professionals. I'm more of a ******* kinda guy.

thx! BigT1

Owen, the different widths are no problem and even weird angle joints are ok. The material stretches so all you need is to join corners. For example two 15 degree cuts can be placed together to form most angles as long as the end points touch. The track that keeps the fabric in place is very small and on the outside of the track so it is easy to meet corners.

The worse part is anything around a corner wall. For example I had track 2 " away from the ceiling. Since you need to keep the pizza roller completely perpendicular I lost 2 knuckles rubbing against the ceiling because you need an extreme amount of pressure.



some early photos of panels





you can see on the far right panel where at the bottom left it pulled away from the wood. I will be replacing this panel soon.

I think it would be fine against OSB with many staples. Maybe one should put a staple every 6 inches. As for drywall I would stay clear. Maybe on the drywall you could place the track in place with a serious adhesive and use staples to hold in place until it drys. I would give it 2 days before I attached the cloth.

I used GOM cloth which is thick and has little stretch. Other fabrics may respond differently.
 
#181 ·
A hassle it was. Looking back this ended up being a days work. The backs are hollow and gave the effect I wanted. I would do cloth panels again but wouldn't even attempt this product unless there was a good wood backing or a very stretchable cloth. There was a competing product that seams better for the future if I tried it again. Instead of pushing the cloth in the track with a pizza cutter it works by a hinge system that stretches as it locks in place. It works much like a trailer strap.

Also, I could have built a wood frame and used a router to create the bevel edge and stretched the fabric. I think the wood frame would be cheaper, but take longer given the amount of angles I had.

Overall I am happy with the results but not necessary recommending the product to others. I would use this product again if I was building standard sound panels that are away from any wall corners.
 
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