# Frogtown Hollow Theatre Build Thread



## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

I recently decided to turn my multi-use basement into a dedicated home theater, affectionately named "Frogtown Hollow Theatre" from the Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas special, I was fond of as a kid. This post will be dedicated to the latest photos of my progress. 

The original room had a soffit running through the middle, a perfect location to section of a theater. I'm sure it's going to cause plenty of frustration, but I intend to build the wall and door directly underneath the soffit. One good thing about doing it this way, the wall will be quite deep, allowing me to install some built-in shelving and rack.

Current Status: Building the wall frame.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Brown Paper Flooring: I came across a technique called "Brown Paper Flooring" which uses crumpled up brown paper, Elmers Glue, wood stain, and polyurethane.

The bare room. That was our "screen" for close to two years.


The soffit and column, where I'll be sectioning off the theater.
 

Crumple up irregular pieces of builders paper, soak them in a 3:1 ratio of water to Elmers Glue for a minute, then lay them down.
 

Detail of the wet paper laid down.


The dried paper floor.


First coat of wood stain. I was worried this was not going to turn out well.
 

Second coat of wood stain (only 3 hours later). I buffed it in with soaked and dry rags to get this effect. One interesting finding. Fresh wood stain will immediately dissolve partially dried stain. I did some splatters to give it a marbled look.
 

The final floor after 6 coats of polyurethane.
 

Up close detail of the floor. I love it!
 

Another up close to show how varied the pattern got.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Building the Frame:

I removed the soffit drywall, and have begun framing out the wall underneath. This is a slow process, because the original soffit frame is not level. I have to size each stud perfectly to get a correct fit. 
 

The original soffit and column frame. The door will be just to the left of the column.
 

You can see the beginnings of a built in shelf. I am going to frame out two shelves of identical size. The right one (framed here) will also be my rack. I'm going with a less traditional landscape rack so that I can match shelving for movie memorabilia. 
 

Front side of theater from front left corner.


Rear side of theater from front left corner.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Now this is quite funny - I have been humming a couple of the tunes from that to myself this past week!

"Look at the birds up in the trees"
"We're not birds - we're a jug band!"

Subscribed and looking forward to following another build thread!


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks. I'm trying to upload some photos for the 2nd and third posts. I'm stuck in the 5 post limbo, just waiting for my account to be updated.


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## jgourlie (Jun 16, 2012)

Dang that floor is awesome. I would be really proud to show that off.....

Keep us updated on the progress I am excited to see how this turns out for you!!


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

xm41907 said:


> Brown Paper Flooring: I came across a technique called "Brown Paper Flooring" which uses crumpled up brown paper, Elmers Glue, wood stain, and polyurethane.
> 
> The bare room. That was our "screen" for close to two years.
> 
> ...


That floor looks very nice! :T
I've never heard of that before! Is there any particular reason for using that brown paper covering other than the effect? Did that go over concrete?


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

It went over concrete. I first primered the concrete because I read some instances of it not holding. Mainly, I tried it because it was cheap. Under $175 total for about 450 square feet. It came off so well, I'm going to repeat the method to cover our floating stairs. I recently removed old carpet and was going to sand and stain them, but this much easier and looks cooler.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Wow! that is a massive saving and the result is quite unique!
It's something that I will bare in mind for a future covering should I need it!


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

No kidding - that floor turned out simply amazing!


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks. Now if only the rest of it comes off so well. Currently, I'm having difficulty framing out the door. I've had to cut part of the existing soffit out, fight with nailing a 9 inch section to the floor, and now I'm finding it difficult to even everything up. The door will get framed right, but it's going to look ugly as hell. 

My goal for the weekend is to simply finish framing everything out. If all goes well, I might start installing the recessed lights. Speaking of, I'm probably going with ten lights. Three up front, three above the seating, and two on each side. The part I'm not sure of is how to switch them. I'm thinking of two switches. One for the front three and two each side. The other for the three above the seating area. I could make the front three independent too, but I don't see the benefit.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

More work done on the frame. I finished the exterior side. It took some work to build into the existing soffit, but I did it. I ended up having to use three studs on the left side door jam, oh well, that just means it's even more sturdy. The soffit studs are not measured correctly, and much of it was not level. I'm going to have to get creative to make this wall look good. 

You can see the studs don't line up with the soffit studs. I'm going to have to use smaller sections of drywall, and probably a ton of putty!
 

That new horizontal stud is level. That's how far off the original framing was. The door is only slid in place, it's not level nor affixed yet.
 

View from inside the theater. 
 

This is going to take some creative building. The metal support and affixed board are lower than the top of the door. Originally, I was considering cutting the door down, but since it's only about 1.5 inches, and the door will swing out, I opted to work around it. I'll likely just slant the ceiling drywall down. Any suggestions?


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

Are you going to finish the walls/ceiling in that space? Seems like you'll need some space for molding, you might be better off cutting the botton of the door to height.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

I'm debating how I'm going to do the trim. It was a pre-hung door with trim, so I've already got it, and it does fit. I could go with the full trim, then drywall directly on top of the trim horizontally over to the I beam, then vertical drywall next to the beam with another piece underneath. That will give a about a 4 inch protrusion from the "ceiling". Another option is to cut down the molding to only cover the door jam, then I can slant a piece of drywall to the bottom of the beam. I'm thinking option B will be better. Or option C, forgo the included trim, and grab some quarter round to cover the door jam, with drywall slanted. Thoughts?


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Oh, and if I wasn't clear, the door will not open into this space, I'm making it open outward, so door clearance isn't an issue, only finishing the walls/ceiling.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I would forgo the existing trim and do your own. I took the original trim off my door and did my own - it turned out just fine.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

ALMFamiy wrote:



> I would forgo the existing trim and do your own. I took the original trim off my door and did my own - it turned out just fine.


Can you post a pic of the finished work? Pics are always worth a thousand watts .


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

I was looking at recessed light kits and I came across this one at Lowes.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_289427-53058-9205201_4294857050__?productId=1241367&Ntt=recessed+lighting

I'm wondering if this might be enough lighting for my theater. Here is the configuration I'm looking to do.

 

And here is how I'm hoping the lights look on the walls. 



Do you think these lights will work as the primary light sources? I may do a rope light hidden by crown molding around the ceiling too, but I haven't decided on that just yet.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

You will be able to choose the wattage of the bulbs, they will be provide plenty of light. Have you considered a dimmable, remote controlled switch to operate them.

http://www.destinationlighting.com/storeitem.jhtml?iid=4167&utm_source=NexTag&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=Dimmers&Controls

I got mine @ Home Depot, universal remotes can operate them as well.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Tonto said:


> You will be able to choose the wattage of the bulbs, they will be provide plenty of light. Have you considered a dimmable, remote controlled switch to operate them.
> 
> http://www.destinationlighting.com/storeitem.jhtml?iid=4167&utm_source=NexTag&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=Dimmers&Controls
> 
> I got mine @ Home Depot, universal remotes can operate them as well.


The sets I've been looking at, both Lowes and Home Depot, all take the same bulb (GU10, 50-Watt bulb). I plan to start with a standard dimmer switch for now. I'm probably going to do two circuits, the front and side lights on one, the ones over seating on the other. Later this year, my HTPC will be replaced. If I think the benefit will be worth the cost, I'm going to include home automation. I just don't know if it's worth the money for only two light switches. Although on second thought, I do have a Logitech Harmony 650, and I believe I could use it to control that remote dimmer. I guess I should look into this. 

I picked up a gallon of flat black paint this morning. Today will be to finish the framing and paint the ceiling.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Tonto said:


> ALMFamiy wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Can you post a pic of the finished work? Pics are always worth a thousand watts .


Apologies for all these pics in your thread - but here goes:

This is looking at the entrance - this part was pretty standard and I will be able to do normal trim when I finish this area:










Here is where I start to deviate from the norm. The door frame was not wide enough, so I ripped oak length-wise and nailed it to the frame to make it wider. You can see that best in the third pic. There is no room for the trim on that side, so I cut a piece and ran it between the chair rail and top rail to transition from the walls to the door:




























Across the top and down the right side of the door was standard. If you look closely at these two pictures, you can see where I removed the door jambs and replaced them with the Door Jamb system from the Soundproofing Company:



















Then, I made my own threshold for the carpet to butt up to:










I hope these help.

As far as the lighting, I think those lights would definitely do the trick. I use LED lights I got at HD which throw about 350 lumens, and they are the main lighting for my room and provide plenty of light.


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## bamabum (Dec 7, 2012)

I would agree to match the door trim to the rest of the room. I think it will look best and not draw attention to the area. I believe a slope will draw more attention to the drop. Either way basements have ceiling drops and I bet most visitors won't even think about it.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks for the input. It looks like you've done a great job. I think I'll definitely be doing my own trim for the theater side. I like the look of your stained trim. Is that 1x2s? I was thinking of using them for all the theater trim, instead of traditional baseboards and moldings.

Here is a better version of my theater layout. I think I'm going to go with 12 lights total. Three for over the seating area on one circuit, all the rest on another. 

 

What do you think of my logo? It is the projectors splash screen, and the background on my HTPC software (XBMC).


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

xm41907 said:


> Thanks for the input. It looks like you've done a great job. I think I'll definitely be doing my own trim for the theater side. I like the look of your stained trim. Is that 1x2s? I was thinking of using them for all the theater trim, instead of traditional baseboards and moldings.
> 
> Here is a better version of my theater layout. I think I'm going to go with 12 lights total. Three for over the seating area on one circuit, all the rest on another.
> 
> ...


Most of the trim is 1x3s - the only places I used 1x2s was where I ended at a doorway. As I was planning on covering all the treatment with cloth, I used 1x3 furring strips to make sure I had enough surface to staple to. 

Love the logo - how do you do the splash screen? Do you have it set up on an HTPC to do that?


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

My projector, Optima HD66, has the option for a custom splash screen. You have to display the image though the projector, then under the menu options, you can set the current image as the startup splash. I'm using XBMC to play all my media, and I use the Metropolis skin. It has the option to set the background image for all the various menus (movies, music, weather, etc.) I modified the logo to have the text for each menu, but the frog background remains the same.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

xm41907 said:


> My projector, Optima HD66, has the option for a custom splash screen. You have to display the image though the projector, then under the menu options, you can set the current image as the startup splash. I'm using XBMC to play all my media, and I use the Metropolis skin. It has the option to set the background image for all the various menus (movies, music, weather, etc.) I modified the logo to have the text for each menu, but the frog background remains the same.


Very cool!


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

After a good 5 hours worth of work, the lights are up and running. I purchased 12 lights, wiring and switches to do two circuits as described in an earlier post. I completed the first circuit of 9 lights, and they are BRIGHT! I was worried, as they were listed as "task" lights, but when on full brightness, the room looks like a lighthouse is illuminating it! After talking with the wife, we decided to forgo the other circuit. We'll probably put some low level lamps on end tables, or such to light the seating area. Plus, I'll recoup about $60 in supplies. 

For the most part, I had little difficulty installing the lights, save for three issues.

1. When I drilled the hole for the center stage light, there was a wooden beam hanging to low to install the canister. I drilled through it, and hit concrete. Above this is the bricking in front of our fireplace, so no moving it. I ended up pulling that front row of lights further from the screen wall, but it's left three perfectly round 3" holes to patch up. Not too big of a problem, but matching the existing stucco will be difficult. I'm sure it will leave noticeable rings.

2. The power source I tapped into was a floor outlet in our dining room. It wasn't connected to the subflooring well. I had to modify it from below to fit back in place. It took a good hour to figure out how to hold it in place correctly.

3. Once everything was in place and I flipped the switch.... nothing. One of the neutral wires wasn't connected correctly and I had to pull nearly every lamp back down before I tracked the culprit down. Once I did, everything was perfect. Lesson learned, don't tighten everything down until they're all laid out and tested.

Tomorrow I plan to get the MDF boards and construct the built-in shelving. This should be a simple process. I'm going to have Home Depot cut the boards to size, and simply screw them together once I get them home.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Pictures by chance? We love pictures!


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Sure thing. My camera battery is dead, so these are with my smartphone. 

Lights on full brightness. The picture doesn't do it justice. They're far brighter than they look in the picture.


Lights on about 1/3rd full. 
 

Front side. That window will be covered soon. 
 

Back side.
 

The center stage hole, where I wasn't able to install the lights due to an extra board. I don't think I'll be able to match out the stucco during patching.

 


My four year old enjoying the theater after a test run with Star Trek 2009.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

If you're wondering, the "screen" currently is just the original wall paint. Before, I had some black electrical tape framing out the projection. After I painted the ceiling, I used some leftover paint to fill in the rest of the wall around the tape. I've yet to decide what kind of screen I want to make.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Wow - you can tell even with the smart phone pic that they are bright. Any idea how many lumens each one throws?


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

I can't find any direct specification of lumens, but searching the bulb ,GU10 50 watt, I'm seeing anywhere from 600-950 per bulb, and I have 9 running. After more thought, I'm going to go ahead and install a second circuit with only two lights, one on each side of the projector, for direct seat lighting when we're eating or such. No sense in not adding them, since I've already bought the equipment, and would take less than an hour to install.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

xm41907 said:


> I can't find any direct specification of lumens, but searching the bulb ,GU10 50 watt, I'm seeing anywhere from 600-950 per bulb, and I have 9 running. After more thought, I'm going to go ahead and install a second circuit with only two lights, one on each side of the projector, for direct seat lighting when we're eating or such. No sense in not adding them, since I've already bought the equipment, and would take less than an hour to install.


Good point - like you said, since they are on a different circuit you can use them in specific circumstances. IIRC, the LED lights I am using are 350 lumens - at 600+, you should have no issues with light.

If I had it to do again, I might have gone with something just a bit brighter - there is a square area that is a bit darker than the rest of the room.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

These lights are far brighter than needed. I may eventually switch them out with 35 watt bulbs for energy savings, or gives some LEDs a try. For now we'll just have to keep them at a low setting. Eventually I plan to upgrade the switches to either ir receivers or a home automation system such as X10. I've seen some awesome XBMC setups that will lower the lights when you start a movie, and raise them partially for pauses, or fully when the movie stops. 

Plus, if you haven't seen it before, look up the Cinema Experience addon. You can customize it to simulate all the pre-show trivia and clips just a like a movie theater. My kids love it. They're going to love it even more when I print tickets for "movie night" once the theater is done.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

I did not do an HTPC from the outset - but I made sure to wire for it to add later. It is looking more and more like I need to move that up the priority list! :bigsmile:


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Since I've decided to stick with my original lighting layout, with two circuits, I'm not sure which way to feed power to both dimmers. They're both in the same 2-gang box, but there is a divider between each gang. Should I use a short wire connecting the two or would it be better to install a junction box and splice two source wires down, one to each gang?


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Are they both on the same phase? That might make a difference how you approach it.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

I believe it's a single phase system. I'm not completely sure about that though. My electrical skills are are somewhat rudimentary. How can I best determine that?


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

CAREFULLY!!! I don't want you to get hurt or me to get sued!!!

With a voltmeter in AC Volts mode, 250 V range, CAREFULLY measure from the hot wire of one circuit to the hot wire of the other. If they are on the same phase, you will get a zero reading, or maybe a few volts. If they are on opposing phases, the reading will be 240 to 250 volts.

The one issue I've run into is having equipment A on phase 1 and equipment B on phase 2, connecting equipment A to equipment B, and having an input or output get fried (computer comm stuff). Don't mean to be an alarmist, but would hate for you to have trouble if it's avoidable. I have all my A/V and computer gear in the house on one phase, lighting and other stuff on the other phase, just to be safe. Somebody will probably say I don't know what I'm talking about, but I have seen it cause problems,:bigsmile:

Edit: Safety First, if you have any doubts, call a professional!


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Gotcha. This shouldn't be a problem for me though. The lights I'm working on are on one circuit, and the power for the electronics will be on another circuit, and won't be close to each other.I may have confused you when I said the lights will be on two circuits within the same box. The power for both dimmers will come from the same circuit, but each dimmer will feed a separate series of recessed light, one with two lights (for direct lighting of the seating area when needed), the other has nine lights for the primary theater lighting. Phase shouldn't be a concern.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

I figured you would be fine with those lights. I only have 6 in my room & when full on, there is plenty of light, just like any room in my house. Adding more lights is fine for asthetics/ambiance. It's you room, so enjoy!


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

I've been working on the shelving/rack today. I still need to wire the power outlet for the rack, fish my HDMI cable between the projector and rack, and install the speaker wire conduit (grey tube hanging in the middle). After that it's tidy everything up, then insulation and drywall. With the snow we've gotten today, It might be several days before we can even pick up the drywall.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

I spent the day running wire, tidying up everything, and now it's all hooked up and running.  Hopefully the weather will get better enough to pick up the drywall and insullation. This coming weekend is my daughter's 8th birthday party, and she wants to watch a movie. It's up and running, but would be even better with full walls.


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## BD55 (Oct 18, 2011)

Some good progress going on here! :T


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Agreed - the shelving looks good mate. Any new pics with the gear located there?


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

Updated photos:

Center shot after some cleanup. I still need to design a simplistic stage. Ideally, I would have all the speakers covered from view. I don't know yet though. 
 

My "rack" I realized the shelving is pretty large for my paltry amount of electronics. When I build a new HTPC, it will fill the area better. That tablet (Toshiba Thrive), will function as a secondary monitor and keyboard. All the electronics should fit on the bottom shelf, leaving the top for more movie nicknacks. Notice the gaps at the back of the shelving? Yeah, don't have the guy at Home Depot cut your wood for you. Nothing came out precise. I'll be filling it in with some masking tape and putty prior to painting.
 

My second shelving. Nothing much to see, other than my next "project" a small model of the Enterprise (NX-01). I've got several movie nicknacks to fill this area.
 

The tubing I bought didn't work well for conduit. It wasn't thick enough, and I wasn't able to fish wire through the entire 25 feet I needed. I grabbed some PVC pipe and connectors and went to town. Much more secure too.
 

Side view of my wall. I need to decided about the insulation. If I put insulation on each framing, but leave the gap between empty, do you think there will be an issue??


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Very nice!

I think as long as you do R-13 between the joists, leaving that air gap is going to be fine. With 2 layers of R-13, you will have more insulation that most theaters.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

That's what I was thinking. I just wasn't sure if the hollowness might make an echo of some sort.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

On the contrary, I am pretty sure I have seen it suggested not to completely stuff staggered stud walls as you could introduce transference. Leaving the space between with insulation on both sides works well IMO.

Of course, Bryan would be the final arbiter of truth there....


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## MrAngles (May 1, 2012)

xm41907 said:


> Side view of my wall. I need to decided about the insulation. If I put insulation on each framing, but leave the gap between empty, do you think there will be an issue??


The Soundproofing Company agrees with your plan, that's what I'll be doing in my walls, leaving an air gap helps with decoupling, since even though insulation is absorbent, sound can still travel through it into the wall framing if it's touching both sides of the wall.


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

No update on construction, but tonight we had our first movie showing outside of the immediate family. My daughter had her 8th birthday party, and wanted to watch a movie. Since I haven't started drywalling yet, I stapled up some old blankets and sleeping bags to make the walls. It was a success, as long as you don't count the incessant talking through the entire movie by a bunch on 8 year olds!

My new "walls" 
 

Another view, pre-party
 

The seating options
 

Custom printed tickets for the show
 

The happy viewers watching the pre-show while eating some pizza.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

That is quite awesome - way to go Dad! :bigsmile:


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## bamabum (Dec 7, 2012)

Awesome! I bet they had a blast.

When they went home they were probably like ... "Dad why cant we have a theater in our house like ___sarah___"?

And then the Dad's like ... "I just bought you an ipod. Nothings that important to need 100+ inches with awesome surround sound, @#$#%".


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## xm41907 (Apr 15, 2011)

They did, mostly. My daughter was rather disappointed that some of the girls kept talking during the movie. We kept hearing her say "stop talking!", and had to go down several times to calm them down. She's a movie buff like me, and can't stand talking during a movie.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

Very nice!..The custom tickets look great and a very nice idea..:T


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

Cool walls! It sounds like the kids had a great time, and that's a great birthday party for an 8 year old. I bet they'll all be hanging out at your place all the time once the room is finished (even the talkers).


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