Garage To Home Theater Conversions Made Easy

Building a home theater in your garage gives you an escape for family movie nights or for romantic times when you want to avoid movie theater crowds.Your home theater can produce theater-quality results in a comfortable, ambient setting. These steps can help you convert your garage from a parking area to a cinema space.

Step 1: Clear the Garage

You will need to completely clear the garage before you begin the conversion into a movie theater. You may want to rent storage space for the items you have been storing in the garage or move them out to a separate storage shed in your yard.

Step 2: Clean the Garage

Use a soap and detergent mixture in warm water to wash the walls and floors of the garage. For stubborn oil and grease stains, purchase a special detergent used by commercial garages. It comes in a granular form and is thrown on the water and hosed down, producing a green film. The material breaks up oil stains and can help clean your garage floor completely. The detergent can be purchased at an auto parts supply store.

Step 3: Nail the Plywood Boards

Attach the plywood board to the walls of the garage, attaching them to the studs. The plywood will become the wall surface in your home theater so there is no need to also attach sheet rock drywall. Nail the plywood to the studs and be sure to place the sheets as close together and flush as you can.

Step 4: Paint the Plywood

Paint the plywood with a non-reflective, flat black paint. This will give the theater a dark, cinema-like quality. Paint the walls completely and allow the paint to dry. A single paint application should be sufficient.

Step 5: Lay the Flooring

Purchase wood flooring from a home improvement center. Place the flooring in accordance to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. You can have the floor covered with carpeting as well but the wood flooring may be a better and less expensive alternative.

Step 6: Attach the Projection Screen and LCD

Hang a projection screen from the garage ceiling and place it in the front center of the garage. Build a platform, using the plywood, for a LCD rear projector. The LCD will project movie images onto the screen when connected to a laptop, TV or DVD player. Attach the speaker wires to the LCD and place the speakers in the front of the room for the movie surround sound.

Step 7: Complete the Installation

Place a few recliner chairs, shelves or storage cabinets into the garage and your home theater is now complete. For an added touch, purchase a home popcorn maker and place it on the cabinet or shelves so that you can give your guests fresh movie popcorn whenever they come to visit your garage home theater.