How to Make a Theater Room for My House

Clear out the room you wish to use as a home theater and choose a paint color that will enhance your theater experience. If you wish to use the room only as a theater, go as dark as possible with the paint to minimize lighting in the room. which will affect the screen. Dark grays and browns work well since they will not affect the color of your image. If you plan to use the room for other purposes besides movie viewing, choose a medium-dark tone.

Paint your walls and ceiling in your chosen color, using brushes to get paint into the corners and trim, and then rolling the larger surfaces.

Replace your current light fixtures and light switches with dimmable fixtures and dimmer switches to enhance your viewing experience. Dimmers with remotes are best so you can dim the lighting from your seat. These are available from home improvement stores. Follow the instructions that come with the product to install the fixtures and switches.

Fasten heavy, dark curtains over your windows, choosing curtains and rods that extend at least 6 inches beyond the window in each direction to minimize the light that leaks in around the fabric. The fabric will also help break up the flat surfaces of the walls, helping the room's acoustics.

Lay carpet in the room if you have hard floors or cover most of the open space with area rugs if you are worried about moisture in a basement theater. The carpeting will help with both comfort and acoustics.

Choose a screen size that works well with your room size and your viewing comfort. As a general guideline, you should multiply the screen's diagonal size by 1.5 to get the minimum seating distance. For example, if you have a 56-inch screen, you will want to sit at least 84 inches (7 feet) away.

Choose a projector suited to your budget and your screen size. Projectors come in different aspect ratios, meaning the height versus width is different, so match your projector choice with your screen. Choose the highest resolution projector you can afford, such as 1080p, for best picture quality.

Hang your screen according to the manufacturer's instructions on one of the narrower walls of your room. This gives you more seating distance for multiple rows along the length of the room. It also makes the screen appear larger.

Hang your projector from the ceiling according to your manufacturer's instructions, aiming it so it will fill the screen without any members of the audience casting shadows.

Connect your playback devices, such as a DVD player or computer, to the projector. Place the playback devices where they can be easily reached.

Place the speakers that go with your playback system throughout the room. For surround sound, you will generally have two speakers at the front, one each to the right and left of the screen, and two larger speakers at the right and left rear corners. Follow all instructions that come with your speaker system to set these up appropriately.

Fasten the connecting cables for all of your devices tightly to the walls and floor so they don't look ugly or create trip hazards. Use commercial cord covers, available at home improvement stores, if you like.

Install seating that fits easily into the room and is comfortable for you and your family. Standard armchairs and sofas with ottomans work well for rooms that also serve as general gathering areas (avoid recliners because they change your viewing angle), while cinema-style seating works well for dedicated home theater rooms. Leave 30-to-36 inches of walking space around the seating so you can move through the room comfortably.

Test your audio and video quality by playing a movie. If your room sounds like it has a slight echo, add soft decor items such as hanging tapestries to dampen the sound. If the sound seems muted, add hard decor items, such as framed posters, to create more sound reflection.