Home Theater Builder Tips and Suggestions.
14 Apr
Home Theater ConstructionWhen building your home
theater, you need to make sure you have a solid design. It is a lot
more expensive and usually much more difficult to make changes to your
plans during construction as an after thought than it is during the
design process. This section is geared towards construction tips as
a follow up to design.
The basic goal flow of this
section would be a simplified construction process from ground up.
Currently the following construction segments have information and
resources available to help you plan, build and understand some of
the techniques in regards to home theater, sound proofing and sound
construction. It is imperative that you follow local building codes
at all times and consult a specialists when necessary. This is by
no means an absolute guide but a resource for you to have an understanding
of Home Theater construction processes.
Room Construction
audioprices.com breaks
down construction into the following groups. We will add more as we
get more resources on each, but this should be a good starting point
for anyone who is looking to build or understand what they have been
recommended to build. Not every room is the same and not everyone
starts from the same foundations, so feel free to discuss in further
detail in our home theater forums – construction
& design. Again, as we build up resources these pages will
be expanded and reference more information! We love to hear user builder
stores and we love to publish your resources as well!
- Walls
- Ceiling
- Flooring
- Lighting/Power
- AC
- Painting/Decorating
Walls:
Our wall guide explains some of the walls types, construction
methods as well as a breakdown of ” STC” ratings
for each type.
Home Theater Ceiling:
While somewhat the same guidelines as walls, we dive more
into issues specific to ceilings and different environments
to consider when planning your home theater ceiling.
Home Theater Flooring:
Can’t forget your floors. Home Theater Floors play a critical role in room
balance from sound to visuals to comfort.
Lighting
Tips and Tricks to finding the best lights, installing
them and wiring your room. Keep in mind to use sealed recessed lighting
containers and other tips to help you keep those STC ratings you wish
to achieve!
Home Theater AC/Ventilation:
Keep cool in summer and warm in winter! Tips on keeping your home
theater experience from reverberating through your AC system as well!
Home Theater Doors:
Hey, don’t forget about DOORS! Remember, if you spend so much
effort on high STC rated walls, why let it all escape out
your door! Research Doors, Thresholds and hardware here!
Home Theater Construction: Ceilings
14 Apr
Home Theater
Construction: Ceilings
Every room has a ceiling, whether it is in your basement, your attic or any room in your house. Take into consideration y
our budget, your room location and the environment when choosing your ceiling type and construction methods.
Consider your rooms purpose and use when choosing a ceiling type. You probably shouldn’t use a highly reflective ceiling
if your using a front projection based system because it can cause your room to “glow” with reflective light and be distra
ctive.
Drywall Ceiling
The absolute most common ceiling construction method is Drywall. Drywall offers good acoustic control, easy to paint surf
aces and fairly easy installation. When installing a drywall ceiling you can install directly onto the surface, use resilient channe
l and even double up on drywall for sound proofing. Design your ceilings based on your needs – if you need access drywall isn’t the
easiest unless you design panels where necessary.
Tile Ceiling
Ceiling tiles are common in basement applications or rooms where you need access to the ceiling area for maintenance. Cei
ling tiles are often referred to as “drop ceilings” or “hanging ceilings” but they can be installed by stapling/
gluing them to existing drywall or firing strips/installation channels. Cost effective, easy access and availability of acoustic til
es are a good reason to consider tile ceilings.
Other Ceilings
The choices are plentiful and the for many reasons people choose alternate ceilings for aesthetic and acoustic reasons. T
in ceilings offer a beautiful and warm environment and i have even seen rooms with diamond plate, steel, aluminum and other metals.
The choice is yours as long as you take into the consideration the acoustic properties and even reflection properties of these mater
ials.
Home Theater Builder Tips
14 Apr
Home Theater Builder
Deciding to build your own
Home Theater is a tough but rewarding decision. hobbytheater is
here to help demystify the technology mumbo jumbo and give you pointers
to make the most out of your project. Even if you are hiring the Pro’s
to build your home theater, understanding the technology and materials
that go into the design will give you a better understanding and awareness
of your theater system and what it can do!
Our Home Theater Design and Building pages are
written as a top down approach – All of which folds into your home theater
plan. The construction area is mainly for construction ideas, wall types,
wallboard/plasterboard installation ideas and such but they are ultimately
part of your design. So remember that when your planning your home theater
that you should include your construction plans as well!
Home Theater Design
When designing your home theater you want to take several major factors
into consideration. Many of which we will cover throughout our Home Theater
builder section.
Home Theater Construction
This section helps provide tips on choosing your construction methods,
wall types as well as construction tips and techniques. These guides will
help you understand wall types, wallboard installation methods and more!
Home Theater Calibration
Sometimes difficult and often tedious,
home theater calibration is one of the final processes (and sometimes
most ignored) in setting up your theater. More in depth reviews will be
available on our Home Theater Guides – Calibration – Section.
Finished Product
hobbytheater is proud
to showcase your home theater! Please feel free to upload your home
theater photos to our Home Theater Gallery or
discuss your home theater setup & projects in our Forums.
These pages are not substitution
for professional help. You must contact your local building authority
and follow local code. This information is provided for reference only.
