CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

wallace123456 · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 2236 Location: Northwest VA area

Clarence,
Is the melamine in the kitchen counter top section at home depot?

garyfritz · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12088 Location: Fort Collins, CO

Be aware that "melamine" is not a standard product. Clarence picked up melamine at his HD, and loved it. I tried some melamine at my HD (same SKU if I remember right, but not sure), and it was way beyond hotspot city. You could see the reflections of all 3 CRTs on the board.

(Of course, since you'd probably be getting the melamine at the same HD Clarence did, maybe it'd work out fine for you.)

With Wilsonart matte (-60) Designer White, you know what you're getting.

Clarence · Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 5:42 pm Post subject:

I saw his Pm before I saw this thread, but I'll add the info here for anybody else looking for melamine...

No, it's in the lumber section across from the 4x8 sheets of plywood... in the front part of the store, close to the contractor's checkout line.

It's 3/4"-1" thick... very heavy. The core is particle board. The outside is exactly the same stuff that their white shelving is made of.

The melamine will cost $22-$28.

Don't get the $9 tile board... that's too flimsy (~1/8"... about as thick as a corrugated cardboard?) and too glossy... you'll get terrible glare. The tile board is usually in the back, by the baseboard trim, stacked upright on it's side.

Like Gary said, some people have gotten melamine with too much glare. So they might have different regional suppliers. But that's one advantage of buying at your local HD... easy returns. Well, if you call hauling a 50# 4x8 panel back to HD "easy". Plus it's cheap ($25), it's perfectly flat, and it doesn't require any frame at all. Indestructable and cleans easily with Windex.

Funny story... I stored my melamine in my framed but not-yet-drywalled equipment closet while building my HT. After I did the drywall for the main part of the HT, I started to empty out the equipment room so I could drywall the other side of the framed wall. The closet was just a few inches too small to get the melamine panel out through the closet door. I tried for about an hour, but I ended up having to cut in in half with a sawzall to get it out.

wallace123456 · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 2236 Location: Northwest VA area

I just didn't look in the right place. But, I did go to Lowes and purchased a 4x8 - 3/4" MDF. Not sure, but I think is weighs more than 50#. Seemed like a 1000# gorilla!!

I also picked up a 4x8 piece of white Formica (last piece they had). After seeing the post from garyfritz, I am wondering if the Formica will cause hotspots. It sure is glossy and smooth.

If I can use what I have now, that will be great; like Clarence said taking the MDF back is going to be a pain.

But, I just got home and am reading these posts and the MDF is still in the back of the truck.

Clarence,
Aren't you using Formica now? Do you have any problems with glare or reflections?

hhhmmmmmmmm what to do, what to do...

wallace

Clarence · Posted: Sat Nov 18, 2006 10:13 pm Post subject:

No, I'm using Wilsonart "Designer White" laminate.

I tried the Formica brand from HD... I think it was called frosty white or Arctic White, but it had too much glare and hotspotting... not quite as bad as the $9 tile board, but much worse than the melamine and nowhere near as good as the WilsonArt.

I have a 2nd 5x12 sheet of the Wilsonart here that I got for another friend's HT, but it'll be a couple of weeks before we're ready to use it... so if you want to test it, walk down and you can borrow it.

But the biggest advantage of the wilsonart is that it's available in 60" height. But since you're going with a reasonable size screen, I'd recommend the 4x8 melamine, since it's cheaper, locally available, and doesn't require a frame... just $4 worth of velvet border that I've got an extra roll of too.

wallace123456 · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 2236 Location: Northwest VA area

Thanks for the offer.

Wife says we need to go back out to the grocery store, so, we're going to take the stuff back to Lowes (also need to take a bathroom light fixture back).

We'll stop at Home Depot and see if we can't get the melamine. I would need something to prop the Wilsonart laminate you have up against.

Let me see what the melamine does.

wallace

wallace123456 · Joined: 14 Aug 2006 Posts: 2236 Location: Northwest VA area

Took back the Formica and MDF to Lowes. Went to Home Depot and found the melamine just where Clarence said it would be. Thanks Clarence!!

It is not as heavy as the MDF, thank goodness! Got it down in the basement, but haven't had a chance to get it up off the floor in a decent position yet.

I think one of my main problems with the whole screen issue is that it has to be hung from the ceiling. To attach any screen to the wall is going to require drilling holes in the concrete. That, I don't really want to do.

And now, we are getting ready to leave for vacation and will not have time to mess with anything until next week.

And of course, figure out how I am going to get a Sony 1272 back here to VA. Confused

wallace

Carrick1973 · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 10

Thanks for the quick and cheap screen instructions. I built mine over the weekend and luckily the blackout cloth was on sale for a little over 2 bucks a square yard. Two and a half yards was perfect for a 84 x 47.25" screen. I did use poplar though instead of pine. Poplar is actually a hardwood, though it's one of the softer hardwoods. It grows extremely straight and doesn't have any knots to speak of like pine does. They have it in 1 x 3 inch in lengths up to 18 feet at the big box stores (lowe's, home depot, etc...). Put it together in a couple of hours and it looks great.

Thanks again,
Steve

Ridebreck · Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:25 pm Post subject:

Been running with a 3/4" HD melamine screen for well over a year now. Only problem that I had was that some brilliant Orange Vest had stuck a UPC sticker on both sides of mine. At the time I didn't think it would be a big deal - peel it off, spritz a little cleaner and on we go. As Corso would say, "not so fast my friend". No matter how many times I tried cleaning it, I would see that sticker outline on bright scenes.

So my redneck heritage came out in full force and I got the brilliant idea to hit that spot with a Scotch pad and a bit of the ol' elbow grease. BIG MISTAKE (as it is with most of my redneck-originated ideas). The Scotch pad scratched the living hell out of the melamine. I ended up just roughing up the entire screen area and painting the screen. As I mentioned above, it's been going stronge for well over a year now. It even does well with that flashlight that I'm running now. I just wish that I would have gotten the 1/2" instead of the 3/4".