Family rooms were once a place to sit and play board games, read and watch TV on a small television set. Our entertainment needs continue to evolve and have become more and more screen-based. Even game playing occurs on screen now in the form of video games and many young adults play video games in addition to teens. Add to this the popularity of DVD rental services such as Netflix and home theaters have become the new family room. 

Home theaters are not inexpensive, unfortunately. When calculating costs you can consider that you will spend a lot less money on leaving the home to go to the movies and theater if you have a comfortable home theater to enjoy without leaving your home. There are ways to cut down costs, thankfully, and one way is to build your own projector screen.

The simplest option is to use Screen Goo. This is a special paint that you can use on a wall in place of an expensive screen. We recommend Goo System Screen Goo products because these are specially formulated, color corrected, screen coatings in liquid form. This paint will give you the highest performance levels possible for any projector display situation. 

DIY home theater types aren't the only people who use Screen Goo. Corporations and industrial clients use it too.

You will need both a basecoat and a topcoat when using Screen Goo. Even though it is similar to using regular house paint, there are special things you need to do to optimize your results. Here are some tips:

1. Measure the screen size. This might seem obvious, but it really is important to sit down with your projector (put it in its permanent location if you haven't already done so) and shine it on the area where you want to paint to determine the screen size that is appropriate for your viewing needs. This is one of the benefits of using Screen Goo. You can make any size screen that you like and aren't limited. Put painting tape around the edges to mark your screen. Allow extra room for a border.

2. Prepare the surface. You can use Screen Goo on any flat surface. Be sure to sand any rough patches.

3. Apply the basecoat. Load the roller lightly with basecoat paint and also put it on the side of the roller. Use vertical strokes and don't stop the roller on the screen surface so as not to leave marks. Cover slightly beyond the edge of the screen and stop rolling at that point.

4. Apply the topcoat. Wait until the basecoat dries, of course, and avoid vertical streaks by making finishing strokes no later than 2-3 minutes after the original paint strokes.

5. Border. Goo kits usually include a black paint for a border. The easiest thing to do is to buy pre-cut wood trim at the store and paint that with the black paint. You can also paint the border directly on the wall if you prefer.

Your projector screen is ready to use right after rolling and will continue to improve during the first three months. It will hold up for many years and it will be every bit as serviceable as a regular screen.