Things You Learn While Building Your Home Theater
It's surprising how many things home theater builders have in common.
We bang a finger or two with a hammer. We get paint exactly where we don't want it. We take so many trips to the hardware store, the cashiers start thinking we're contractors.
Here's a funny look at stuff most of us have done or can relate to during our quest for home theater goodness.
- Once you've built and mounted a soffit form, the chin-ups begin less than 10 minutes later.
- Somewhere, somehow, at least one of the 2x4's in the room has your blood on it.
- Another 14 have sweat drops from the end of your nose!
- As early as the framing stage, you build a full scale cardboard mock-up of a projector screen just to see what it will look like.
- Green or blue painter's tape on a wall causes you to pause, sit and stare at it for a minimum of 5 minutes per build session.
- True love is your significant other agreeing to paint ANY large household surface flat black.
- Even though you have no audio whatsoever hooked up, you will still turn on the projector and watch at least half of a movie.
- A regular upright household vacuum cleaner is the single most efficient way to blow drywall dust into every nook and cranny of your house.
- You will always buy about a half pound of screws less than what you really needed.
- While holding your power nailer, you will at least once gaze into the distance and whisper to yourself in a low voice "You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?"
- Fibreglass is way, way, waaaay itchier than mineral wool.
- You realize that virtually ANY drywall mistake can always be fixed with enough drywall compound.
- The drywall lift - makes you seriously wonder why you never asked for one for Christmas before now.
- On a regular interval, you seriously ponder as to how much of a gap there really is between "good" and "good enough".
- Drywall dust in coffee doesn't seriously affect the overall taste.
- AVS Forum somehow gets "accidentally" bookmarked on your work computer.
- A reciprocating saw really can be used to cut just about 'anything'.
- That 'anything' usually turns out to be the component you just finished building the week prior, before you found and read the forum post about how to do it the right way!
- Give your wife and friends a wildly overblown estimate so that when you're done in less time, they'll think of you as a Star Trek-style miracle worker.
Kudos to Tom (aka YW84U) at AVS Forum.
Other articles in this section
- Introduction to Wall Framing for Home Theater Builders
Are you putting your new media room in your basement? This easy tutorial shows you how to build new walls to turn that empty space into a cool get-away. - Things You Learn When Building Your Home Theater
A funny look at stuff most of us have done or can relate to during our quest for home theater goodness. - Mind the Gap: Improve the look of your home theater by fixing baseboard gaps
Uneven walls can cause small gaps in your baseboard trim that make your new home theater look unprofessional. Fix it with this handy tip. - Drywall 101
Even a do-it-yourselfer can hang and finish drywall like a pro. Here's some info to get you started. - Learn How To Build A Soffit
How can you hide piping and ductwork you just can't move or get rid of? Just build a soffit around it. Here's how... - How To Draw A Floor Plan
Even Bob Vila needs a plan. See how a floor plan can help you visualize your project and help save you time and money. - Get The Proper Building Permits
Building permits are the law. Protect your home's resale value with this important information. - Protect Your Gear By Controlling Humidity
Protect your expensive home theater gear from humidity with these easy tips. - Make Your Basement Home Theater A Comfortable Place With Proper Ventilation
Avoid making your new basement home theater an uncomfortable place by following these common sense ventilation ideas. - Ideas For Building A Media Closet
Add a degree of sophistication to your home theater by building a media closet. - Drywall Pros and Cons
Are you thinking of doing your own drywall? Find out the pros and cons before jumping into something you might regret later. - Tips On Building A Home Theater Stage
A home theater stage isn't just a wooden box covered with carpet. It has a specific function that can enhance your theater's speakers and sub woofer. It can also mess up your theater's acoustics if it isn't built right. Follow these easy tips and you'll build a great home theater stage.
