Has anyone tried screen material sold on ebay?

[Scuba Diver]

I was just wondering if any of these screen materials work well. Or is a dyi laminate screen a better choice. It seems like the price is very competive. The screen material requires I build a frame but is only about 30 dollars. I have ordered the laminate for me. However, I am now helping my brother setup a room and I am working with a smaller budget.

[mechman]

I know of no one that has. What about paint? Paint would be a cheap alternative too.

mech

[Scuba Diver]

He has a strange texture on his walls. I guess we could sand it down or should I have said he could sand it down. I have read some promising things about the paint people have used on this site. If I can convince him to sand it might be the way to go.

[mechman]

Well you could get a piece of 1/8th inch Hardiboard at Home Depot or Lowes and paint that. How big of a screen? Will there be any ambient light? What projector are you using?

mech

[Scuba Diver]

You know I was just thinking about that. He will likely have some light. Approximately 8 ft. wide. He would like more. I am not sure it would be a good idea and the projector was not that bright. I don't remember what his projector is.

[wbassett]

Scuba Diver wrote:

He has a strange texture on his walls. I guess we could sand it down or should I have said he could sand it down. I have read some promising things about the paint people have used on this site. If I can convince him to sand it might be the way to go.

I have an old Victorian house, all lathe and plaster walls so none of them are smooth. They are fine for a wall, but not for a screen. If texture and surface imperfections are an issue, check out this thread dealing with rough walls.

As far as the eBay material, some at the other forum have used it. Some love it, some said it doesn't look to be anything different than regular Black Out Cloth. Do some reading here and check out some of the different options as well as the commercial screen reviews. Designer White really is a nice screen though.

[cynical2]

Scuba Diver wrote:

You know I was just thinking about that. He will likely have some light. Approximately 8 ft. wide. He would like more. I am not sure it would be a good idea and the projector was not that bright. I don't remember what his projector is.

If the projector isn't too bright, and there will be some ambient light, I'd think about a 96" diagonal (47x83.6) screen. That's as big as you're going to get if you use a 4x8 substrate, and the slightly smaller size will help with the brightness. The hardboard works just fine for any of the OTS neutrals that are well-documented in the forums (SW SW, SW GS, TV W Mtn, TV W Mist).

I am almost certain that my next screen will be a laminate screen. I think that your brother's projector paired with a sheet of Fashion Grey laminate may be a very nice solution. That's what mech has for his screen, and it tolerates ambient light better than white screens. While some (the estimate I've seen is < 1/2 of people) have had to put on a coat of poly to help with hot-spotting, I'd think that your chances of being able to use it "off-the-shelf" would be better than average given the moderate brightness level of your brother's pj. And, there's no arguing the image quality, durability, etc that you'd get from it. A touch more expensive (~$1.60/sq ft), but still a bargain compared to a commercial screen. You can also get it in 5x8, so he could be at the full 8' width that he desires at 16:9.

Maybe you were already planning on a 2:35 screen...if you were, obviously you can go 8' wide with a 4x8 substrate.

Anyway, good luck, and let us know if there are other questions!

[wbassett]

Right now the better gray would be Platinum. Fashion Grey is still a very nice screen, but Platinum has a better color balance to it and mech and I have agreed that is the recommended replacement for FG. It is slightly darker, but not enough that it's a drop to the next Munsell shade or anything like that.

For people that have a Fashion Grey screen, it is still a great screen and there is no reason to tear it down and get Platinum, but for new recommendations this is the one I will be backing.

[cynical2]

wbassett wrote:

Right now the better gray would be Platinum. Fashion Grey is still a very nice screen, but Platinum has a better color balance to it and mech and I have agreed that is the recommended replacement for FG. It is slightly darker, but not enough that it's a drop to the next Munsell shade or anything like that.

For people that have a Fashion Grey screen, it is still a great screen and there is no reason to tear it down and get Platinum, but for new recommendations this is the one I will be backing.

Wow, news to me...I knew that Platinum was a bit more neutral, but didn't know it had superseded FG as the grey of choice. It may be worth updating the 1st post of the laminate thread and noting the recommended WA laminates...??

[wbassett]

I thought I did, if not I'll be making that correction tonight.

[Scuba Diver]

Thanks. I think the platinum will be the screen type for him.

[Rex]

Scuba Diver wrote:

Thanks. I think the platinum will be the screen type for him.

Any photos to share of the project?

[Scuba Diver]

Sure I could do that. He lives about 79 miles from me. Next time I'm up there I will try to remember to shoot a few.