Ideas for Removable Ceiling Treatments

[Hoser59]

In my quest to turn my living room into a theater without impacting the space beyond my wife's approval I am now looking into what can be done to improve contrast and limit light reflections off the white ceiling from the projector.

Since I am a renter and my wife and/or landlord would probably kill me I cannot paint the ceiling black. I am also hesitant to drill anymore holes in the ceiling that I will later have to repair. Has anyone experimented with or seen someone elses set up that used a temporary ceiling covering that was only brought out when the projector was in use? I am imagining some type of light weight black fabric which could easily be stretched (maybe a lycra or spandex). Maybe with a dowel attached to each end so it could be rolled up and stored somewhere.



I thought that some light weight dowels inserted through a hem at each end and then one side attached to the screen mounts (eye bolts in my case) and another perhaps attached to the projector mount. Obviously I do not want to put much strain on either system.

Any ideas, thoughts, concerns, suggestions? Am I in need of psychological treatment for even considering such a thing? Would the benefits even be worth it??

My wife is leaving on Saturday for 12 days so I am looking for a project

[JJ]

My idea that I have yet to execute -

1. Construct wooden frame of preferred size with plywood.
2. Make it look nice with matching-colored molding, stained or painted
3. Spray-on foam panels to it in whatever manner you desire
4. Connect to ceiling in some manner.

I rent too, and the trickiest part is connecting it to the ceiling in a manner that will prevent it from collapsing.

[Mr. Joshua]

I would measure the ceiling get fabric cut to measurements and use some sort of tacking to put in place when you want to put it up. Something easy up and easy down.

[Hoser59]

Originally Posted by wsciv123

I would measure the ceiling get fabric cut to measurements and use some sort of tacking to put in place when you want to put it up. Something easy up and easy down.

That is what I am thinking. I don't want to have it up all the time, only when a movie is being played. I think a tracking system would require new holes in the ceiling but if I used dowels I could roll it up much like my screen and could probably even hang it from the same hooks my screen is mounted on at the one end and find some way of attaching it to my projector mount at the other. I am thinking of buy a cheap black sheet and tacking it to the ceiling to see if the results are worth the effort. When I'm watching a movie my ceiling lights up like the 4th of july

[Beta Man]

paint the ceiling with a flat white...... that should be good enough........ and it won't change the look of the room

[vega2K]

At one point I had thought about draping a non reflective fabric (velvet maybe?) something like the post below. The beauty would be that you can do it with minimal damage to the ceiling, i.e., three curtain rods (one at the middle and two at the ends). I am still leaning towards black velvet covered panels though.

Originally Posted by vega2K

While the DIY AL simmers, here's what I am thinking about as far as additional treatments to reduce reflections and covering-up things:



I didn't want to go with the usual ceiling coverings and instead I am thinking of draped material that will hang slightly, giving it a more modern look, while darkening-up the ceiling. I am thinking of a dark burgandy color (If I can find it). Also, I like how the screen enclosures would be covered by using a sort of valance, but instead I am thinking of using some of the same same material I used for the Star Ceiling, namely, the rigid insulation covered by velvet material. It is like a black hole when it comes to light absorption. What do you think?

[Hoser59]

Have you experimented at all to see if the benefits are worth the effort?

[jomari]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

paint the ceiling with a flat white...... that should be good enough........ and it won't change the look of the room

not a bad idea beta man, touche on this one!

im assuming your trying to address 'reflection' from the pj?

heres a good way of doing it...

1. you can use these panels, depending on how big the area you need to cover, use thumbtacks (easiest trick in the book for renters)...

anno tupplur... the closest thing to black i can see..



2. Ikea Tupplur Roller Blinds...

Tupplur



These are used as a
- DIY projector screens (they work for some people)
- Screen Mask (for those who cannot purchase PJ anamorphic lens)

[Hoser59]

Originally Posted by jomari

im assuming your trying to address 'reflection' from the pj?

Ya, I'm looking into ways I can improve contrast. I will look into those Ikea options you posted, but the nearest Ikea to me is 3 hours away. I never though of thumb tacks, thanks for the tip!

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by Hoser59

Ya, I'm looking into ways I can improve contrast. I will look into those Ikea options you posted, but the nearest Ikea to me is 3 hours away. I never though of thumb tacks, thanks for the tip!

I use the Ikea Tupplur Roller Blinds to block out the two windows in my set-up. They do a great job of blocking out light, but they have the stupidest system to retract them. The supports are white and use a white ball-type plastic chain which you pull to raise or lower - just really cheap and obvious with the white versus black. I thought about using it on the ceiling, but I couldn't find one that extended as far and I could figure out how to support it. But it would work and maybe you can figure something out.

[Hoser59]

I've been doing some research and now I think maybe velcro is the way to go. You can buy white velcro strips with an adhesive on the back. If I stuck one side to the ceiling and stuck (or sewed) the other side to the fabric it could be easily removed when the projector wasn't in use. I would think that the white velcro would be barely noticable against the popcorn ceiling. The real test would be whether or not the adhesive is strong enough to hold it to the ceiling.

Wrapping something study like card board would help reduce wrinkles and make it easier to hang but it would also be hard to store when not in use.

My real concern at this point is if it will make a difference. There is definitely a large amount of light reflecting off the ceiling, not only in front of the screen, but also some light spill from the lense on the projector as well. I think I need to experiment with some different sizes and placements to see how they work. I am wondering now if I can pick up some cheapo king size satin sheets that might to the trick....hmmm....

[jomari]

if you are going the velcro route, you can ultimately try to see if it would stick or not. if i may suggest using the 'hook' section for the wall/ceiling, and the soft area for the material.

another suggestion is probably using a small screw with a flat head (those that go flush if you screw it in something), onto the velcro, into the wall...

to put it clearly,

Ceiling ------
Velcro xxxxxx
Screw ^

To hold 'heavier' material if you choose to.

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by jomari

if you are going the velcro route, you can ultimately try to see if it would stick or not. if i may suggest using the 'hook' section for the wall/ceiling, and the soft area for the material.

another suggestion is probably using a small screw with a flat head (those that go flush if you screw it in something), onto the velcro, into the wall...

to put it clearly,

Ceiling ------
Velcro xxxxxx
Screw ^

To hold 'heavier' material if you choose to.

+1 on th velcro support. I am using industrial strength velcro strips to hold-up my projector screens valance and used staples to help hold the strips. As long as they don't unglue, these things can hold-up a truck!

[jomari]

if ever you are worried about damages, its quiet simple to actually 'replace' or 'patch' the damages on the popcorn ceiling.

as long as its white, and give you a little time to 'darken' it out, you shouldnt have any challenges.

[Hoser59]

Originally Posted by vega2K

+1 on th velcro support. I am using industrial strength velcro strips to hold-up my projector screens valance and used staples to help hold the strips. As long as they don't unglue, these things can hold-up a truck!

If you look in my gallery you will see that I also used a screw through some velcro cable ties to hold up the cables running to my projector and they do indeed hold great!

I think I will purchase some of the adhesive zelcro and do some tests to see what kind of weight they will support. An eight foot by 6 foot peice of fabric can't weigh much.

I'm not really worried about putting holes into the ceiling, I have already done that and repaired them in the past. I guess what I really want is something that will be nearly "invisible" when the fabric is not in place (ie: the mounting hardware will not be visible unless you are looking for it)

[Hoser59]

After doing some additional research I have realized that I do not need to cover the entire ceiling between the screen and the projector to see benefits. I am now planning on covering some stiff card board with a black velvet and using the self adhesive velcro to attach it to the ceiling. I still need to do some figuring but I think 80" long (same as my screen) by about 3 feet wide should do it. Ideally I would like to be able to fold it up and store it in an ottoman when not in use, but I'm not sure if that is possible. Stay tuned, I should be able to get started this weekend.

[Hoser59]

I appear to be talking to myself at this point but I found something that might be the quickest, cheapest and easiest solution if anyone is looking to do something similar to me.

Three of these (would be 90" x 20")
http://www.staples.com/Black-Foam-Bo...?cmArea=SEARCH

and one package of these
http://www.staples.com/VELCRO-Brand-...?cmArea=SEARCH

One side of the foam boards also includes an adhesive backing so wrapping velvet around it should be a snap

[PPW350]

Yes, I'm also thinking about doing the same near the screen to help with the contrast. Yes it will make a big difference even if it's just 2 feet wide near the screen. Those links that you attached don't seem to pull up anything on staples. This was the route that I was going to go with, maybe it will help you as well. My ceiling as the speckled or popcorned texture, so there is no way I can use velcro on that surface texture. I was going to get some really thin plywood and screw or nail it onto the ceiling joists, and then put black or dark grey acoustic foam on the plywood. It will run along the screen wall about 2 feet wide. It will be a bit more expensive this route, since the foam isn't cheap, but it should help deaden the front sound stage a bit, if you don't have any acoustic treatments in the room currently. My only concern is that I can make the front stage too dead, because my front wall is pretty much completely covered in this foam already.
Another option that I was thinking would be the simply cut the plywood into panel sizes and spray paint it black and screw it onto the ceiling. I think the first option might still be better. Let me know what you decide to do and post a pic of the finished result if possible. thanks.

[PPW350]

Just another thought, here's another product that I found that could help you too, but it's made to attach things that are a bit more rigid like fiberglass insulation(slightly more rigid than styrofoam boards), and you can make a acoustic cloud with them.
http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Ro...ast-cloud.html
http://www.atsacoustics.com/item--Ro...-rotofast.html
good luck and have fun with the project.

[Hoser59]

I fixed the links so hopefully they will work now.

I also have the popcorn ceilings but I was just planning on 'shaving' off the texture in there spots where I would be putting the velco.

My plan right now (keeping in mind I haven't gone to seen any of the products yet) is to buy some of the black foam board and cover it with velvet. One side of the foam board has an adhesive so I should be able to stick it right to the velvet and then wrap the fabric around and secure it to the back. I am planing on either a fabric glue or even a duct tape. I will then put a peice of velcro on each corner and use that to secure it to the ceiling. The foam board should be very light weight, but also rigid enough that it won't sag or bow.

At this point I'm planing on two rows of the boards in front of the screen and one board in front of the projector for light spill from the lense. I am imagining a stagered pattern with three boards in front of the screen and two boards in front of that (like a pyramid).

I'm just going to buy one foam board at first and see how the finished product looks. My projector is also in my living room so I am hoping for a nice professional look. I hope to be able to work on it this weekend and get some pics up.