I've been pondering a solution to the following for a couple of days,
would like any valuable opinions of the knowledgable in here...

I use a projector for home-cinema, projecting onto a pull-down screen
previously mounted above the window (and curtains) in the living room.
For anyone wondering about the asthetics of this, the result was similar
to a curtain pelmet, except functional rather than tacky.

Now, cutting a long story short, I bought the screen last Xmas eve (the
PJ was a bit of a xmas present to myself), and in the panic of trying to
get the bits to mount the screen before the country closed down for xmas
I plumbed for two "L" shaped brackets, approx 8" long on each side, and
used two "S"-shaped hooks to hook the top-mount hook on the screen to
the top of the bracket on the screen. Around about about now I think I
need to resort to some fixed-width ASCII art...


wall
|
|
|+---------------S- -- bracket, S hook through top hole
|| S
||) S
|| S
|| S S
|| S
|| / \ -- top mount hook for screen
||) / \
|| +-------------+
| | | -- screen container
| | |


^ ")" - screws holding bracket to wall

(internal brace for bracket removed for clarity)


Now, the wall is a dry-lined wall onto concrete block; I (foolishly)
used those metal self-tapping plasterboard fasteners (use a posidrive to
drive a large metal self tapping insert into the wall, then use a screw
through the bracket to screw into the insert).

11 months later, and an over-enthusiastic pull on the screen (after the
film, fortunately, but after a couple of bottles of vino, unfortunatly)
pulled the bracket out of the wall. The mode of failure appears that the
self-tapping plasterboard inserts have pulled through the plasterboard
(leaving a few largish holes).

At least part of the problem (ignoring the inadequate mounting) is the
use of the S-hooks - this means that the screen was a loose fit on the
brackets, and when swinging on the screen to roll it up into the screen
container theres a lot of weight swinging off the brackets.

I've repaired the wall - standard filler, waiting to paint now.

My quandry now is how to get the screen back up.

To describe the screen in detail - end on the screen container is square
in section. There is a triangle-shaped hook on the top of each end to
allow ceiling mount, and on the back side of each end piece there is a
single slot to allow the screen to be mounted onto two screws into the
wall. Weight?, dunno, but not light - this is a 2m x 2m screen, plus
casing, maybe 15kg (feels heavy when you've got 2m of the stuff to swing
around).

To describe the situation in detail - the screen overlaps the window
area, approximately 6 inches overlap on each side. The window is
curtained. The curtains stand proud of the window area (obviously) by
some 5 inches - hence my original use of brackets to get the screen
offset from the wall by approx 8 inches - to allow the screen material
to clear the curtains. The window itself is inset into the window frame
by a depth of approx 10 inches (that is, there is an internal windowsill
of approx 10 inches). There is plaster coving between wall and ceiling,
approximately 4 inches.

So, my thoughts at the moment a-

Wall mount:

Problem - existing damage to the wall / integrity of the plasterboard;
Presumabley the solution here is to mount into the concrete block behind
the plasterboard, but I still question the integrity of the plasteboard.

Could be overcome by using a wooden block or plate to spread the load of
the screen over a larger area - however space is tight due to the width
of the walls, the proximity to the window, and the surround speakers to
the immediate left / right of the screen. The original brackets could
then be screwed into the wooden block. Asthetically, I think, a poor
solution. Still provides a slight problem that using the ceiling mount
hooks on the screen case provides a dynamic load on the wall mounting
(overcome by better wall mounting).

Alternatively, a larger wooden bracket could be wall mounted and present
a large wooden surface to the rear of the screen housing to allow the
screen-case's wall-mount screw hole to be used. A little bit more work
to fabricate a reasonable wall mount.


Ceiling mount:

I don't believe for a second that I'll find conveniently placed ceiling
joists to allow the screen to be suspended directly from the screen
casing's hooks. So, one option would be to screw a batten (say 1" by 2")
the length of the screen into the ceiling wherever I can find a joist,
and then screw a couple of eyes into the batten at the required centres
for the screen.

Or, screw a much heavier (say, 3" planed-square) batten to the ceiling,
and mount the screen through the wall-mount socket onto the inner face
of the batten...

-------+============+--------- -- ceiling
| |+--------+
| || |
| batten || screen |
| || |
| |+--------+
+------------+

My only problem with the latter is that this is a heavy lump of wood to
suspend from the ceiling, and the ceiling is currently artexed.



Any thoughts, comments, ideas would be appreciated before I start
hacking more plasterboard off the walls.

Mike

Mike Dodd wrote:

Ceiling mount:

I don't believe for a second that I'll find conveniently placed
ceiling joists to allow the screen to be suspended directly from the
screen casing's hooks. So, one option would be to screw a batten (say
1" by 2") the length of the screen into the ceiling wherever I can
find a joist, and then screw a couple of eyes into the batten at the
required centres for the screen.

This sounds like the best alternative, but I reckon it depends which way the
joists run. Assuming the window is at the end of the room, doo the joists
run along the room or across it?

If they run along it no problem, you will find them every 16". If they run
across the room the first one you find will be 16" away from the window
wall.

If you have floorboards upstairs, they will be at 90 degress to the joists -
lift some carpet & have a look.

Dave

david lang wrote:
Mike Dodd wrote:


Ceiling mount:

I don't believe for a second that I'll find conveniently placed
ceiling joists to allow the screen to be suspended directly from the
screen casing's hooks. So, one option would be to screw a batten (say
1" by 2") the length of the screen into the ceiling wherever I can
find a joist, and then screw a couple of eyes into the batten at the
required centres for the screen.


This sounds like the best alternative, but I reckon it depends which way the
joists run. Assuming the window is at the end of the room, doo the joists
run along the room or across it?

If they run along it no problem, you will find them every 16". If they run
across the room the first one you find will be 16" away from the window
wall.

If you have floorboards upstairs, they will be at 90 degress to the joists -
lift some carpet & have a look.

Dave


Ah, my trusty stud detector tells me the joists are either everywhere or
nowhere. Upstairs = chipboard floor panels (new build home), joints in
roof run in direction of window, sort of assumed that they would also
downstairs - also, open plan run with open stairway running to-from wall
with window in, assume joists run same direction?

Mike Dodd wrote:
Upstairs = chipboard floor panels (new build home),

The chipboard panels will be screwed or nailed to the joists - just look at
which way the screws/nails go, that must be the direction of the joists.

Dave

david lang wrote:

Mike Dodd wrote:

Upstairs = chipboard floor panels (new build home),


The chipboard panels will be screwed or nailed to the joists - just look at
which way the screws/nails go, that must be the direction of the joists.

For that matter flooring chipboard is usually long sheets that are quite
narrow (8x2' is common) - the long length will be running across the joists.

--
Cheers,

John.

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John Rumm wrote:

For that matter flooring chipboard is usually long sheets that are
quite narrow (8x2' is common) - the long length will be running
across the joists.

I knew that :-)

Dave

david lang wrote:
Mike Dodd wrote:

Upstairs = chipboard floor panels (new build home),


The chipboard panels will be screwed or nailed to the joists - just look at
which way the screws/nails go, that must be the direction of the joists.

Dave


Ok, It turns out that the joists do run parallel with the window, at 16"
distance from window. After much sucking of teeth (and glares from
SWMBO) I decided to try putting some eyes straight into the joist at
16", but with the advantage that I could select the correct centres for
the screen (210cm).

End result - looks surprisingly ok (even SWMBO agrees it looks much
better than she'd feared) - blends in with the coving well, and the
extra distance from the wall does introduce some benefits (cats can jump
up and down from the window sill without hitting the screen - avoids
those "Alien" stomach exploding moments in the most inappropriate of films).

Thanks to all for advice.

Mike