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DIY Homemade Backlight Projection Screen

Some home theatre enthusiasts collect thousands of DVDs and purchase the latest, and most expensive, DVD and Blu-ray players to play those films. A vintage theatre enthusiast, however, might prefer to set up a projector and screen at home. Walls often have too much texture to play films accurately, so you will need to build your own screen. A homemade projector screen only requires a few inexpensive materials.

Things You'll Need

  • Wood planks measuring 2-by-1 inch
  • Small wood squares
  • 20 nails
  • LED lights
  • Hammer
  • Screen material
  • Drill
  • Screwdriver
  • Glue
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Instructions

    • 1

      Start by creating the frame for the screen. Go to your local hardware store and ask for four pieces of wood measuring 2-by-1 inch. These pieces need to be approximately 3 feet long.

    • 2

      Ask for four small wooden squares to serve as brackets on the outside of the corners of the frame. These squares should be an inch or two wider than the wooden pieces.

    • 3

      Drill one hole in the wall. Place one piece of the wood against the wall and drill through the wood and into the wall. Then use a screwdriver to screw a nail through the wood and into the wall.

    • 4

      Ask a friend or family member to hold a second piece of wood against the wall to make the second side of your square frame. Making sure that the wood is straight, repeat the process of nailing this piece of wood to the wall. Do the same with the other two sides of the frame.

    • 5

      Hold the smaller wooden squares at each corner of the frame. Nail the squares to the corners using four nails per square to hold your wooden frame in place more securely.

    • 6

      Wrap your LED lights--these should come in a tube or as holiday lights--around the perimeter of your wooden frame. Tie the lights to the frame at regular intervals using small pieces of wire. The LED lights will serve as your backlighting.

    • 7

      Go to your local fabric store and inquire about materials suitable to make a projector screen. You need a material that is fairly matted and does not let a large amount of light through; otherwise, the colors being shown on the screen will be washed out. Seamless roll paper is a good material to use.

    • 8

      Ask the fabric store clerk to cut your material into a size fitting the frame that you already built at home.

    • 9

      Take the material home and secure one edge along the top of your frame. A strong glue is best for attaching the material, as nails are difficult to screw through fabric without distorting the fabric.

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