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.