How to Build a Home Theater
Home electronics have become a standard part of modern life. Most homes are full of electronic devices designed to give theater-quality experience in a domestic environment. Instead of having each device scattered around the house, owners are now combining them into a personal cinema. The final product is an evening out waiting to happen right in your own home.
Required Materials
- electronics of choice
- 2×4” stock
- sense wood stock (wider the better)
- 1” HD plywood
- foam and fabric
- staples
- screws
- plush furniture
- firm carpeting
- carpentry glue
- level
- shelf pins
- masking tape
- tape measure
Required Tools
- hammer
- ram set if cement walls
- drill with full drill-bit set
- staple gun
- paper/pencil
Instructions
- Layout - A home theater can be any size. Look for a space that is easily accessible and has power outlets nearby. Make a floor plan: chairs, speakers, screen, and acoustical panels. Contract an electrician to make sure you have ample power where it needs to be. Always allow for extra outlets. Using masking tape on the floor, lay out where everything will go. Make sure that there is enough space for electronics storage with access to the rear of the devices. Allow space around the electronics for air-flow.
- Constructing the Screen Wall - The screen wall will be the focal point of attention for the home theater. The screen wall will encompass a flat screen, speakers, and the electronics box, although the electronics box can go anywhere. Each part of the screen wall should be constructed separately and not attached. Construct a wooden screen platform approximately 24” high using carpentry glue and screws. Do the same for the speakers at the screen location. On any shelf portion of the box, use dense pieces of stock glued and screwed together. Install walls and top-shelving only where absolutely necessary to reduce vibrations. Staple a fabric drape to make wall sections.
- Constructing the Electronics Box - Follow the same guidelines for the electronics box as for the screen wall box. For this part of the project, construct a taller skeleton box with more width than the electronic devices. On each inward-facing side of the box’s legs, drill holes to accept shelving pins. Glue shelving and cut to size. Allow space for electronics purchased later.
- Acoustic Walls - Directing and dampening sound is primarily accomplished by the theater’s walls. Start with a concrete wall and then attach dense plywood with screws. Staple an acoustics panel of foam or another suitable material to the plywood, using as little strapping/as few staples and screws as possible. Cover with fabric by stapling it to the plywood at the top.
- Furniture - Begin by arranging the furniture so that each piece has a good viewing angle to the screen. Choose furniture that does not have any hard surfaces such as wooden arm rests. If you include tables between the chairs, make them shorter tables with a low sound profile (legs only; no vertical wood faces).
- Electronics - If HD broadcasting and films are involved and there are many other electronic devices in use as well, you may want to consider hiring a professional to hook everything up. Far too many people have an inflated sense of ability with these electronics.