HT Construction Tips & Tricks

[jasplat88]

Hello everyone. I thought I would start this thread and see where it goes. I know (since I have been here for some time) that we tend to see the same questions come up from to time. I know now that I am nearing completion that I have learned much from this forum and thought this might be a good thread for "newbies" to start.

I know there are MANY knowledgeable people on here and it would be nice to have some of their advice summarized in one thread. If everyone who contributes to this thread would number their tip/trick so others can then point people back to it (incase this thread gets really really large). If it catches on and grows large enough, perhaps the mods will sticky it so it is always on the first page. Anyways, I'll get it started with baseboards since I just finished that stage on my project:


#1) BASE BOARDS----It is helpful to leave 1/4" or so when installing baseboards so the carpet guys can come and tuck the carpet under the baseboard when installing. This also allows you the opportunity to level them if your floor is uneven.

[jasplat88]

#2) FRAMING OUT DOORS--- trust me, from experience if the wall is not square, the door will not hang properly, and you will end up having to be very creative when you go to install the trimwork. Make sure you leave at least an additional 2" (larger than your door) when framing it out...(i.e. for a 2'6" door you need to frame out not 30" but 32". This also applies to the height (especially if you are mounting a door with a threshold).

[carmbruster]

#3) When in doubt, just post a message in this forum. You'll usually get more help then you need.

[jasplat88]

#4) RUNNING CONDUIT----Most people on here highly recommend running conduit from the equipment area to the projector AND from the front of the room to the rear of the room (or equipment area). You may want to consider having several access points to the projector conduit incase you change projectors down the road with different throw lengths. Some people also recommend running conduit to your speaker locations as it allows you flexibility down the road to change out cables. Conduit can be found in the electrical section of your local supplier (Grey PVC or metal).

[Phil_Johnson]

#5) When buying sand for your stage make sure it is dry. The bags of sand I bought were wet, it took two weeks to get it to dry out. I mean 2 weeks with fans running and shoveling it around 3 times a day, that stuff just did not want to dry out.

Phil

[siropa]

#6) DO NOT hang your projector until you want progress to stop :)

[BobLion]

#7) Wear long sleeves when installing the insulation! (I had gloves and goggles, but after 15 rolls of fiberglass, my arms were not happy!)

[AcroFlyer]

#8) Draw everything on the wall/floor before you begin. I did this and it made constructing the whole thing so much easier.

I 2nd #7 ! I wore SHORTS and my legs and bald head were not happy after 2 hours in an attic at 98F crawling through cellulose insulation. Yes I know....dumb...

Chris

[Brett Wilson]

#9) If you are doing your own drywall, and take longer than 4 weeks to do ;) take care of your drywall waste as you go along. I ended up waiting (scraps from 84 pieces) until the end to get rid of everything...

...luckily a dumpster at work helped me out. But all I know is getting rid of it as I went along would have been a lot easier!

[Toxarch]

Originally posted by siropa
#6) DO NOT hang your projector until you want progress to stop :)

I think this one needs to be repeated.

[BasementBob]

I would like to revise #7) Wear long sleeves when installing the insulation! (I had gloves and goggles, but after 15 rolls of fiberglass, my arms were not happy!) and recommend a painter's suit instead. The disposable ones with elasticized hood and elasticized ankles and wrists. And of course a face mask. (Canadian Tire sells both of these)
http://www.osha-safety-training.net//suits/1414ty.gifhttp://images.canadiantire.ca/media/images/Workshop/PowerToolAccessories/SafetyProducts/BreathingProtection/0550050_450_SC_e2fe.jpg

[thedeskE]

My #1 - Keep The Faith

Don't loose your patience at the end of your project and bail out on those last details. They're the ones you'll see the most when the gear is in place. I've been there. It's easy to say `I can do that later'

E

[RIT]

# 10
Pull the speaker wire from a roll not from precut lengths, you dont want to find yourself short a foot.

[jasplat88]

#11) Invest in a good quality paint for your HT. Most people recommend a flat or matte finish paint for the walls and ceilings to avoid excessive light reflecting back from projectors. Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore are two of the more common brands people use (many people dis-like Behr paint due to it's poor coverage when applying dark colors).

[Toxarch]

#12 Measure twice, cut once.

[AcroFlyer]

Toxarch,

Thats the best one yet ! I learned this one years ago the hard way...

Chris

[bpape]

#13 - Plan everything in advance. There will be enough things pop up along the way even if you do.

[patrickwebb]

13. If you are doing fabric work, highly recommend getting a pnuematic stapler. I didn't, only went with electric. #1 thing I would do over.

14. Try to find an understanding spouse that will allow you to spend countless hours and let you go over budget.

[AcroFlyer]

Patrick,

I think your #14 should be the #1 thing to overcome before you even start LOL !!!!! It really dictates everything else anyway...

Chris

(kidding of course)

[bpape]

Addendum to #9.

NOBODY can come downstairs (or wherever) to bother you unless they take out a load of waste when they leave. You'll either have less to do yourself or you'll get the drywall done a lot faster ;)

[patrickwebb]

15. Take lots of pictures every step of the way. You get an enormous sense of accomplishment when you go back and see what took shape, plus I went back through quite a few pics of the framing and electrical to remember where a certain wire or stud was located.

16. Don't buy your equipment too soon in the beginning knowing that you won't be hooking anything up for months, especially projectors, as their market prices drop fairly regularly. On the other side of that, if I didn't have my projector ready to go and playing with the mounting, I wouldn't have been 100% certain on my screen height measurements and such. So, its a tradeoff.

[AcroFlyer]

"plus I went back through quite a few pics of the framing and electrical to remember where a certain wire or stud was located."

Good point Patrick ! I've already found myself looking back too. I also find that my hair is not the only thing leaving me as I hit 40 next month. My memory is fading too so the pictures have helped there.

Chris

[jyounder]

doing ceiling drywall? rent a lift!! I did two layers of 5/8". At first a rigged up a system of ladders, but after a piece split apart on my head, I went to my local home D and got the proper equipment. If only the projector went up that easily.

[AcroFlyer]

Originally posted by jyounder
doing ceiling drywall? rent a lift!! I did two layers of 5/8". At first a rigged up a system of ladders, but after a piece split apart on my head, I went to my local home D and got the proper equipment. If only the projector went up that easily.

OUCH ! I bet that hurt ! Don't even want to think about that happening to me. Luckily, I'm past that point thank goodness.

Chris

[bpape]

Get a lift for the drywall. It's the ONLY way! For the PJ, get 3 friends and a case of beer.... 5 minute job, a couple hours of friendship.

[Brett Wilson]

Regarding the lift: AMEN!

The brother in law, his friend, and I spent a long night doing the first few sheets of drywall ceiling - lets just say the textured ceiling hides the patchwork of drywall we made. I rented a drywall lift two days later and in the period of about 6 hours I got about 4x the amount of drywall put up and it looked great!

[suffolk112000]

Originally posted by AcroFlyer
#8) Draw everything on the wall/floor before you begin. I did this and it made constructing the whole thing so much easier.



Chris

Yes, I would agree...
I would like to expand a bit on this idea and recommend laying tape on the floor where your walls, doors, riser, chairs, etc ... are going to be. Once you get the tape laid out, it really puts things into perspective as to how things are going to lay out vs. looking at a drawing.

Craig :)

[Toxarch]

When you are done using silicone or liquid nails, leave a little hanging out the end of the tube, but not enough to drip off. When you need to reuse it later, that dried hanging piece will pull right off and you can keep using the same tube.

Also, if you plan to use blown insulation, expect EVERYTHING to get dust on it. I used it in my riser after the walls were painted perfect and the room was spotless before. After, there wasn't a clean spot in the room. I still don't think the walls are totally clean and they look a shade lighter than before..

[jasplat88]

Can we continue to number the tips/tricks please. By my count, we are up to 18 with Toxarch's post above. I have jyonder's post as #17.

[patrickwebb]

19. When applying GOM fabric, make sure that if you are using a very fine weave, you don't pull too hard. I had to remove a lot of staples to redo many sections that had "pulling streaks" in them.

20. When installing can lights, use electrical tape to wrap around the braces, so they can't rattle...

http://thewebbspot.com/stl-web/gallery/albums/Electrical/IMG_4915.sized.jpg

[DanKaps]

I posted this in another thread but it was mentioned that it would/should belong here as well....

Here's a few things I learned over the past few weeks doing my GOM install....

21. A lot of people use cardboard strips made for creating clean corner seams. I had some left over floor linoleum that I cut into approx. 1" strips to do the same thing. Here's a pic:

http://www.heartlandcables.com/theater/120_seam_technique.jpg

This is the GOM that is over my stage, on the ceiling. What you see in the picture is GOM installed upside down, stapled to the ceiling strip, then the linoleum strip is stapled in place while being pressed into the corner. Finally the GOM is pulled over the linoleum to hide the staples. Finished product:

http://www.heartlandcables.com/theater/121_over_stage_done.jpg


22. (This one is more "what not to do"....) When I started my upper fabric, I used the first yard or so taken off the roll. However, the roll was held together with masking tape when it was shipped. After I put the fabric up, I wired up a sconce and turned it on. Welp, right next to the light was where the masking tape had been and it left serious fuzzies that stuck out like a sore thumb.

23. This is how I fixed it....I thought about using one of those battery-operated sweater shavers but I didn't have one. So, I went and got my Remington electric razor. It worked perfectly. The fuzzies were shaved off and there's no sign of them now. Also, the GOM was totally unharmed. This was a big "Whew!".

[patrickwebb]

Originally posted by DanKaps
I posted this in another thread but it was mentioned that it would/should belong here as well....

Here's a few things I learned over the past few weeks doing my GOM install....

21. A lot of people use cardboard strips made for creating clean corner seams. I had some left over floor linoleum that I cut into approx. 1" strips to do the same thing. Here's a pic:

http://www.heartlandcables.com/thea...m_technique.jpg

This is the GOM that is over my stage, on the ceiling. What you see in the picture is GOM installed upside down, stapled to the ceiling strip, then the linoleum strip is stapled in place while being pressed into the corner. Finally the GOM is pulled over the linoleum to hide the staples. Finished product:

http://www.heartlandcables.com/thea..._stage_done.jpg


22. (This one is more "what not to do"....) When I started my upper fabric, I used the first yard or so taken off the roll. However, the roll was held together with masking tape when it was shipped. After I put the fabric up, I wired up a sconce and turned it on. Welp, right next to the light was where the masking tape had been and it left serious fuzzies that stuck out like a sore thumb.

23. This is how I fixed it....I thought about using one of those battery-operated sweater shavers but I didn't have one. So, I went and got my Remington electric razor. It worked perfectly. The fuzzies were shaved off and there's no sign of them now. Also, the GOM was totally unharmed. This was a big "Whew!".

Good tips Dan, but your links aren't right.

[DanKaps]

24. If you're not looking forward to lugging all that drywall down to a basement, hire "Two Men and a Truck" to do it for you. I paid about $200 to save my back, and my friends', letting the guys that lift and move for a living do it for me. $200 for 80 sheets of drywall put where I need them was money well spent.

[DanKaps]

Fixed. Sorry about that. Darn cut and paste.... :)

[Brett Wilson]

#25) Before you finish the drywall (or at least before you prime) go around the walls with a spray can - I used red paint - and spray lines on the floor for each wall stud. If you use a spray gun for priming then you will have to go around and spray once more.

This will really help you out when doing your baseboard, you can easily and quickly know where to nail the trim to the wall.

[Larry Fine]

#21. Do not, I repeat, do not build non-adjustable shelving based on the height of your equipment. Sooner or later, you'll replace something, and it won't fit the same space.

[jasplat88]

#27) If installing a IR repeater system with a wall mount receiver, don't put the box and wire for it in the middle of your wall. Doing so, the center channel may block the site line and defeat the purpose.

[bob md]

#28) While wiring for my HT, I wired for 7.1, even though I'm starting with 5.1. But the thing I almost forgot - if your amp/receiver has multiple zones, wire for those as well. The reciever I'll probably get has 2 zones, so I'll made sure that the 2 rooms next to the HT are wired (2 channel), even though I'm not sure how I'll configure them at this point.

[Stew4msu]

#29) Don't let every little error/mistake bother you. Fix the things that you can, but don't stress out over the small stuff. I have several little "errors" in my room, but I'm the only one that knows where they are. Remember the big picture.




Stew

[Fezmid]

Originally posted by patrickwebb
16. Don't buy your equipment too soon in the beginning knowing that you won't be hooking anything up for months, especially projectors, as their market prices drop fairly regularly. On the other side of that, if I didn't have my projector ready to go and playing with the mounting, I wouldn't have been 100% certain on my screen height measurements and such. So, its a tradeoff.

I can attest to this one. Bought my Panny L300u in May 2002, expecting to finish my basement in 6 months. Had a water leak, didn't get it fixed until summer 2004. :(

CW

[BIGmouthinDC]

30) Never stack items on things taller than the top of your head.

I have refrigerator that is going into the bar area. I keep moving it out of the way. I stacked a microwave and a couple of old speakers (30 lbs) On top.

One day has I was giving it the heave ho, I got a crack square on the top of my bald head. It was the speaker.
That left an interesting black and blue mark that was hard to explain for a couple of weeks.

31) Never trust rules of thumb.

Item 2 ... leave 2 inches in the framing for the doors. Worked fine for 9 of the 10 doors I installed. Single doors OK, Double closet doors OK, Double passage doors with a latch at the top securing one of the doors NO!. The manufacturer adds a T shaped piece of wood (forgot the term) to one of the doors with the latch installed. this adds about 5/8 inch to the door width. A 48 inch double door with latch is actually 48 and 5/8. This is why God invented the reciprocal saw.

This also explains why they had to widen my bedroom door framing when my house was being built. One day it was drywalled, came back a few days later and one side of the bedroom door framing had been cut away. I figured they just made a mistake. Now I know why.

[Neuner]

32) Have a subcontractor install your insulation.

The cost for hiring a subcontractor to complete the job is about the same just for the material at a local place like lowes. If you must install it yourself, look for an insulation distributor who will sell to walk-ins. It is a huge time saver. No vehicle to clean up, no extra protection from the insulation, and completed in less than an hour. Also, while you are having them come out, add 6" of blow-in to your attic. Good energy savings.

33) Buy your drywall from a local supplier / distributor & not lowes or home depot.

For the same cost as local stores, distributors will deliver it to your home, & about half will not charge extra for carrying it down to your basement.

[BuffBakerGA]

34. Get a Home Depot credit card. Right now through Sunday, if you use your HD card, you get an additional 10% of your entire purchase...

[phreaknes]

For someone who is somewhat new to wood I can tell you about a little thing I call W.O.W & W.O.B

W.O.W = Width of Wood. I learned my Hard lesson after not taking in account the thickness of the wood and the size of the finished product and how it would impact the outside dimensions. I think I had some weird plywood what wasn't always the same thickness from sheet to sheet.

W.O.B = Width of Blade. I kept drawing the line and Lining up the little laser on my saw and it would always come up short. 1/8" here 1/8" there and it add up alot. so keep that in mind.

Also sheets of wood that you get at xyz hardware store are usually true and straight at the 4x8 sheet. but when you start cutting into it you'll start to notice that the sheets aren't quite square. so I got to the point where I would rip the edges to make sure they were square enough for me.

[htpc'd]

#15, There is no such thing as a HT without a refrigerator.

No matter how noisy it is, THE worst thing in the world is to have 10 folks over to see the big game and you have to make the beer run..........................

[ScoHo]

#37 - If using metal studs, spend the 50 bucks on the crimper. It will literally save you HOURS of time.

#1) BASE BOARDS----It is helpful to leave 1/4" or so when installing baseboards so the carpet guys can come and tuck the carpet under the baseboard when installing. This also allows you the opportunity to level them if your floor is uneven.
As I will be doing the baseboards shortly, I have a question about the last part of this comment. Aren't you better off just leaving the baseboards even with the floor (with the 1/4" gap all around), rather than trying to level them out? If your floor isn't perfectly level, but you level the baseboards, won't it look "more" wrong if there is a 1/4" gap at one end, and a 1/2" gap at the other end?

[Savedsol]

You can always wait to get your carpet done before you do the baseboards.

[Savedsol]

Originally posted by siropa
#6) DO NOT hang your projector until you want progress to stop :)

Really can't stress this enough. I have a punchlist a year old of simple stuff. I imagine it will be around for some time.

[jerrodshook]

#38 - This might seem trivial, speed up your electrical work and use 14 gauge wire instead of 12 gauge. Instead of attaching the wires to each screw on the outlets and switches, you can use the push in connectors.

I am finishing some attic space as a "learning experience" prior to starting my HT and I bought 12 gauge wire because it was the same price and "it's gotta be better" than 14 guage. Well, after I had all of the wires run, cut and in the boxes, I found out that I had to bend all of the wires and screw them on the outlets and plugs. After doing 4 wires on 15 plugs and 5 switches, I was sick of wiring!

Jerrod

[Larry Fine]

Jerrod, you're much, much better off using the screws instead of stab-wiring. There's a reason #12 wire won't fit in the stab-holes anymore; because it's an unreliable and poor connection.

I've had many trouble-shooting calls that ended up being burned receptacles because of overheated poor stab-in contact. I never, ever use stab-in anymore. You accidentally did a good thing.

Now, the poke-the-wire-in-the-hole-and-tighten-the-screw terminals on some commercial/spec-grade receptacles are great, because they don't rely on spring tension for low-resistance termination.

[Stew4msu]

Originally posted by BuffBakerGA
34. Get a Home Depot credit card. Right now through Sunday, if you use your HD card, you get an additional 10% of your entire purchase...


visit fatwallet.com occasionally. There's always 10% off coupons for Lowe's and HD floating around (and they take each others). I think I've used about 10 of them over the last 9 months.



Stew

[BuffBakerGA]

Originally posted by Larry Fine
Jerrod, you're much, much better off using the screws instead of stab-wiring. There's a reason #12 wire won't fit in the stab-holes anymore; because it's an unreliable and poor connection.

I've had many trouble-shooting calls that ended up being burned receptacles because of overheated poor stab-in contact. I never, ever use stab-in anymore. You accidentally did a good thing.

Now, the poke-the-wire-in-the-hole-and-tighten-the-screw terminals on some commercial/spec-grade receptacles are great, because they don't rely on spring tension for low-resistance termination.

I couldn't agree more :D

Thanks Stew, I already make daily trips to the HD so that's good to know...

[jerrodshook]

Larry,

Well, that's good to know. But now you've got me nervous because the rest of my house is wired with the push in terminals...... And now when I wire my basement I have to do it "the right way"

Jerrod

[BIGmouthinDC]

JerrodShook

Larry is dead on about the screwing. My house was constructed about 10 years ago and everything was stabbed. One circuit that got heavy use (exterior Christmas lights and electric lawn equipment) was always tripping so I was obviously using the circuit near or over capacity.

Finally one day it went out for good.

After hours of searching I found the bad outlet which was about 5 th in a string of GFI protected outlets. When I pulled the receptacle the back side looked like a charcoal briquette. Be safe and screw'm

[Carlton Bale]

Originally posted by Stew4msu
visit fatwallet.com occasionally. There's always 10% off coupons for Lowe's and HD floating around (and they take each others). I think I've used about 10 of them over the last 9 months.

You can sign-up for a 10% off e-mail coupon from Lowes on their website if you are or have moved: http://www.lowes.com/relocation

You can also go to the local post office and pick-up a movers from. It usually has a Lowes 10% off coupon.

[Jeff Hovis]

#39: If like me, you pay someone else to do the electrical, drywall, trim and paint in your basement...DON'T get so involved with the HT that you neglect the planning of the other rooms. That's from experience. I walked into our basement the other day and realized that the only room with adequate lighting was...the HT. My office, where the cash is earned to pay for this stuff has one light fixture. As a matter of fact, all the other rooms have only one fixture. The HT, on the other hand, has 8 cans! The bathroom will also be OK. Fortunately, I had all the other rooms prewired for ceiling fans. So, I can add light fixtures with 4-5 60watt bulbs to the fans. Also, anything you can do to schmooze your wife is good.

[eatmorepossum]

Heres one I live and die by in all aspects of life and my wife is quick to help me remember if i forget.

#40 Never buy before you are ready to implement. Things get better bigger faster cheaper every day and the scope of the project is constantly in flux.

Also

#41 When making big trips to home depot and lowes go on ebay and purchase gift cards for a discount. Usually they go for about 10% off cash value or so but every bit counts. and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS save your reciepts...

#42 Never buy cables or wiring supplies from best buy or circuit city. They peanalize those who find themselves at the counter with a new whatever and no cables to hook it up with by marking them up handsomely.

[Mr.Tim]

Originally posted by Larry Fine
Jerrod, you're much, much better off using the screws instead of stab-wiring. There's a reason #12 wire won't fit in the stab-holes anymore; because it's an unreliable and poor connection.

I've had many trouble-shooting calls that ended up being burned receptacles because of overheated poor stab-in contact. I never, ever use stab-in anymore. You accidentally did a good thing.

Now, the poke-the-wire-in-the-hole-and-tighten-the-screw terminals on some commercial/spec-grade receptacles are great, because they don't rely on spring tension for low-resistance termination.

Amen to that. This post needs to be etched in stone and placed somewhere for posterity.

The commercial grade receptacles make easy work of 12ga wiring. Although I generally use 14ga for the lighting circuits for just the reason the previous poster stated.. It's easier to work with.

Tim

[Scott Tucker]

Originally posted by siropa
#6) DO NOT hang your projector until you want progress to stop :)

Yeah, i hung my projector over a year ago and still haven't painted.

Scott

[Scott Tucker]

I guess the above post motivated me cuz i painted my front wall flat black today. Wow why did i wait a year? Oh yeah, cuz i hung my projector a year ago.

Scott

[Geordon]

#43) Have a drawn out to-scale plan of the room. If possible, use DE or another recommended HT designer.

[dhanson]

Tip for cutting wall paint into the ceiling corner (given to me by a professional painter) - Run a razor knife along the intersection between the wall and ceiling, making a faint cut. This will prevent paint from wicking up onto the ceiling from the wall. Then you can just use a trim brush and glide it along into that intersection (if you have a steady hand).

Myself, I'm not that talented. So what I do is use a putty knife as a paint block. Jam it into the corner, and paint under it. Or, you can buy aluminum paint barriers for a buck or two that do the same thing.

If you use one, make sure you wipe it down after each brushing, because paint will wick around to the other side, and if you put it up against the ceiling again you can leave a mark.

[jaysoffian]

Whatever your estimate is for the amount of:

- Screws
- Glue
- Tape
- Romex
- Caulking
- etc (any other expendable)

Double it. Or triple it. Unless your experienced at this, you're going to underestimate. I've been back to HD three times now. The third time I just got smart and bought way more than I needed of everything. Hopefully my fourth trip will be just to return what I didn't need.

[Lo Pan]

I'll second that on under estimating. I went back to HD 3 times for more drywall mud.

-- If you are going to do the drywall yourself buy the stainless steel tools as they won't rust.

--buy a corner trowel for the inside corners

--a random orbital sander can cut down on the drywall sanding time but buy one that you can attach to a shopvac or else you will have drywall dust so thick in the air it will look like fog.

--Parts Express is a good place for one stop shopping cables, connectors, equipment racks etc etc


Kip

[miltimj]

Originally posted by eatmorepossum

#41 When making big trips to home depot and lowes go on ebay and purchase gift cards for a discount. Usually they go for about 10% off cash value or so but every bit counts. and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS save your reciepts...

Not sure why you need to save receipts... I do anyway, but I've never needed them... you get in-store credit and end I end up buying more than I return anyway!

Oh, and I "fifth" Larry's statement about backwiring.... bad, bad idea to backwire.. always use the screws. I just fixed a bad wiring job at my friends' house that was a result of this... all too common.

[bob md]

Originally posted by miltimj
Not sure why you need to save receipts... I do anyway, but I've never needed them... you get in-store credit and end I end up buying more than I return anyway!

One important reason for saving receipts is when you sell your house. That beautiful HT is certainly going to add value. You can deduct the cost of materials & labor (unfortunately, not your own) for the buildout against your new stepped up basis. Holds true for any remodel job.

Unfortunately, it doesn't include the cost of tools:p.

[miltimj]

Originally posted by Lo Pan
I'll second that on under estimating. I went back to HD 3 times for more drywall mud.

I always get the 5 gallon bucket of mud, regardless, since the buckets are very useful, and mud + bucket is about $2 more than just an empty bucket.

#44) Also regarding mudding, when you're done mudding and before putting the cover back on, scrape the extra mud off the top edge & sides of the bucket, and either put it with the rest, or throw it away (if it's too dry already). When opening a bucket that's been sitting for a while, use a stirring bit on a heavy duty drill to stir the mud into normal consistency (it may have a puddle of water, which is okay...just needs to be stirred).

#45) As for the stainless tools, definitely get them... but that goes with most tools.. get quality so it won't fall apart, and for hand tools, get those that are guaranteed forever (such as Craftsman). I've gone through a half dozen tape measures in as many years, mostly due to cutting through them or having them slide off of three story roofs multiple times. :)

[miltimj]

Originally posted by bob md
One important reason for saving receipts is when you sell your house. That beautiful HT is certainly going to add value. You can deduct the cost of materials & labor (unfortunately, not your own) for the buildout against your new stepped up basis. Holds true for any remodel job.

Unfortunately, it doesn't include the cost of tools:p.

Good point, Bob. I knew there was a reason in the back of my mind for keeping them... (other than being a pack rat...:p )

I pay more particular attention to saving and organizing the receipts for my lower level, since we deduct that on taxes due to it being used as rental space. I haven't sold a house yet, so the point you mentioned slipped my mind... thanks for the reminder.

[bob md]

Originally posted by miltimj
I pay more particular attention to saving and organizing the receipts for my lower level, since we deduct that on taxes due to it being used as rental space.
Maybe you should rent out your theater & deduct that!

[miltimj]

Originally posted by bob md
Maybe you should rent out your theater & deduct that!

That would work great if it weren't also our living room... (and it's the only way to get to the rest of our house from the entryway). :D

[Greg6657]

Don't be afraid to ask QUESTIONS.... The only dumb one is the one you dont ask. Because that will be the one that BITES you.

[Scott Tucker]

Don't be afraid to cover the floor and furnishings with plastic before you roll the wall/ceilings. I was in a hurry to paint and too lazy to cover the floor, and i spent a lot of time trying to get black paint out of my carpet. My wife of course said "I told you to put plastic down." Yeah, she did, but i was going to be careful. So much for careful.

Put plastic down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott

[Tweakophyte]

I have a good way to make nice cuts when you paint... not sure if it was already posted...

After you put your tape up put a very, very thin bead of caulk along the tape. Rub it in with your finger and cut the paint in. Right after that, pull your tape off (well before the caulk dries).

This is a great way to cut in paint between rooms when you have bull-nose (or rounded) corners like I have in my house.

[dynamowhum]

I will add a small tip, when cutting in with paint use a 2 1/2 Purdy brush with an angle cut. I don't need any type of shield or tape with it. Also get a quailty primer and paint.

[PAP]

Tip from a major time/materials waste tonight:

If you have stacks of different thickness plywood (like 5/8 and 3/4) make SURE you know which one you adhere and screw with about 50 screws BEFORE you lay the next one down after cutting it to size and finding out that the first one was the wrong thickness....

ARGH!

Moral: keep materials neat and organized. Do NOT have huge piles of various tools and materials stewn all over the basement.

[dhanson]

If you lose a thumb on the table saw, pack it in ice and head for the emergency room. Make sure the dog doesn't get it.

:D

[Jasman]

If you're nail framing, invest in framing gun (speeds time and effort by at least a factor of 10).

If you don't have a compressor or don't like to be attached to one, the fuel powered Paslode/Pascode? framing gun ($400 at Home Depot) is sweet!

Best tool I ever bought.

Jasman

[dhanson]

Also, if you don't like being attached to your air compressor, be careful with the nail gun.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[bpape]

Be careful anyway with that nail gun. When doing my own room, I had the gun double fire on me. I had the wall laying on the floor holding the stud with one hand. When it double fired, the shock slid my hand up just in time to meet a nail coming through at an angle after glancing off the first one.

Didn't stick in my finger but did make a nice little puncture and break the bone into 3 pieces (technically an open fracture according to the doc).

I've used nailguns for years and am really careful with them but even so...

[Jasman]

Ohh, I got a nice little stinger on the thumb with it -fortunately, the nail didn't blow through my thumb.

After several hours, I got too cute and tried to attach a 6" piece of wood to a framing member.

That woke me up!

Jasman

[jasplat88]

#44) Read the Acoustical (wall treatment) Debate Thread (which has now been stickied at the top of the forum) for acoustical room treatments. There is a lot of very good information with explainations why it is used by Dennis and other knowledgeable members.

[BlackbeardsSaint]

Originally posted by Tweakophyte
I have a good way to make nice cuts when you paint... not sure if it was already posted...

After you put your tape up put a very, very thin bead of caulk along the tape. Rub it in with your finger and cut the paint in. Right after that, pull your tape off (well before the caulk dries).

This is a great way to cut in paint between rooms when you have bull-nose (or rounded) corners like I have in my house.

There is no substitute for a steady hand :)


NEVER cut the corners with a razor or anything (as mentioned in a previous post)- There is a good chance you'll cut into the drywall tape!!! Now, if you're painting someones else's house, by all means lol

[Scott Jelsma]

#45) I used a power finish nailer to attach my baseboard and chair-rail trim after I put up my GOM fabric. The trim was on top of the GOM. After completing most of one wall, I noticed that about half the nails had pulled the threads in the GOM and caused runs in the fabric. Needless to say, I switched to hand nailing the trim. I've never heard anyone else mention this problem, so maybe it was just unique to my gun? nails? pressure???? Anyway, if using a power finish nailer, you may want to do some test-runs prior to slapping up that first 14 foot long piece of trim!

Last spring I moved into a new home and will be starting construction on my second home theater in a few months. This thread has been helpful!

[mjlandy]

Originally posted by Phil_Johnson
#5) When buying sand for your stage make sure it is dry. The bags of sand I bought were wet, it took two weeks to get it to dry out. I mean 2 weeks with fans running and shoveling it around 3 times a day, that stuff just did not want to dry out.

Phil

Just curious - if the sand is not dry but moist - won't it dry out over time anyway ? and Also get more moist or dry as the air around it changes

[miltimj]

Originally posted by mjlandy
Just curious - if the sand is not dry but moist - won't it dry out over time anyway ? and Also get more moist or dry as the air around it changes
I think most people cover up the sand with plastic, which would retain moisture.

[jaysoffian]

Two tips from the carpet installers, who just came, and unfortunately, went:

- If you have a concrete floor, it may be too hard/dry to nail carpet tacking strips into. My floor has 0 moisture in it (a moisture test I did over about a week came up totally dry), so when they went to nail in the tacking strips, the concrete just bent the nails. So they ended up using Liquid Nails to hold the strips down. Which has an 8 hour cure time. Hence their return tomorrow to install the carpet. :-(

So if you have a concrete floor, save your installers some time and glue the strips down yourself in advance. Or at least ask the person who comes out to measure about doing this.

- If you've got any ink marks on your floor (left over from construction, marking studs, etc), paint over them with Kilz. The installer told me he's seen ink marks bleed up through the pad and into carpet over about a year's time. With the dark carpet most people use in HT, this isn't likely to be a problem, but better safe than sorry.

[GetGray]

Thanks for the tack strip tip. I've been worrying about this and was contemplating putting them down by drilling and using tapcons (concrete screws). Obviously that woudl have been a pain.

I'm surprised the glue will work, figured it would pull loose. Can I ask a couple details:
1) was your slab sealed (painted with curing compound or moisture seal). Mine was, I don't know if that will help or hurt the adhesion.
2) Liquid nails makes a variety of glues. Exactly which one was it they used?

Thanks,
Scott

[dhanson]

Our carpet installers just finished putting carpet on our concrete floor. The strips had little nailers that only go in to the concrete about 1/2". Worked fine.

[GetGray]

Originally posted by dhanson
Our carpet installers just finished putting carpet on our concrete floor. The strips had little nailers that only go in to the concrete about 1/2". Worked fine. How old is your concrete? Green (1 year or less) concrete is much more prone to take a nail. Mine's 5 years old.

[bpape]

Mine was 14 years old and they had no trouble nailing them down.

[GetGray]

Originally posted by bpape
Mine was 14 years old and they had no trouble nailing them down. Good to know. I've got a $800 Hilti nailgun that will shoot nails into steel beams so I CAN nail it no matter what. But I always hated the idea of the stress point and worried about a crack developing from it. Liked the sound of glue (if it works). Cheers, Scott

[bob md]

I'm liking the sound of DriCore more & more....

[jaysoffian]

I'm surprised the glue will work, figured it would pull loose. Can I ask a couple details:
1) was your slab sealed (painted with curing compound or moisture seal). Mine was, I don't know if that will help or hurt the adhesion.
2) Liquid nails makes a variety of glues. Exactly which one was it they used?

1)I think the slab is sealed. Not sure, but it is a very smooth concrete surface, much smoother than, say, the concrete in the garage. I know the builder sealed the basement walls and it is similar in texture to that. I did a moisture test on this floor and left the plastic down for about a week. It was completely dry underneath.

2) He used the Liquid Nails I happened to have -- general purpose, it's got the blue stripe around it. (Believe it or not, they didn't bring their own glue... sigh).

As far as pulling loose, Liquid Nails is pretty amazing stuff. I know they put a lot of tension on those strips, but the installer said he's had to glue the tacking strips down plenty of times and it is never a problem. Also, they warranty the installation for a full year.

Our carpet installers just finished putting carpet on our concrete floor. The strips had little nailers that only go in to the concrete about 1/2". Worked fine.

What can I say. Maybe these strips had cheap nails ... maybe it's cause the floor is so cold right now, but they were definitley nails designed for concrete and the first strip he tried only 2 of the 6 nails held. He said if the strip was only halfway down it would've only been a halfway job and he wasn't going to do a halfway job. :-) Those 2 nails which did hold were pretty tough to get out though. :-)

Anyway, he said it is not uncommon for installs on concrete to have this issue and that Liquid Nails works fine for holding down the strips.

Mine was 14 years old and they had no trouble nailing them down.

This concrete is probably 9 mo to a year old. Who knows, maybe a different nail would have worked. Maybe if he had something other than a hammer to nail with (such as a nail gun) it would have worked. Maybe he could have been more patient trying to nail them in. Maybe I could have danced a jig on the stage. :-) Anyway, they're glued now and we'll see what happens when they go to stretch the carpet tomorrow.

[jaysoffian]

Tip from Dave Barry:

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."


:-)

[dynamowhum]

There are different concrete recipes out there. I believe it gets harder with an increase in calcium.

[curtisG]

Here's one I'm dealing with now.

My ceiling consists of RSIC-1 clips and RC-2 channel + double drywall layers in the basement, built directly underneath the family room.

Noticed this weekend that there is a 'metal squeak' in the HT ceiling, apparently whenever someone walks in a particular spot in the family room above. I'm guessing a joist is flexing causing some rubbing between the RSIC-1 clip and the RC-2.

This could have been easily fixed with some shims, but now that the drywall is done, I'm SOL. Not sure this can even be fixed at this point without some major tear down.

So, before putting up the ceiling drywall, have your SO walk/run/jump on the room above your HT and check for any squeaks that come up and fix them now while you still can...

Any suggestions on how to correct this would be appreciated. This squeak is drying me nuts.

--curtis

[miltimj]

Hmm, that RSIC-1 clip is an interesting, but poor design. I've only ever used RC channel alone, which doesn't allow any metal rubbing -- they should add some insulator (like rubber) between the metal clip and the metal hat track, or it's just asking to squeak.

I'm not sure you can really do much about that... IMO, it was doomed from the beginning with that design.

[dhanson]

For what it's worth, all of my framing in the basement is glued to the floor - not nailed. This was necessary because I have in-floor heat, and no map of where the heating coils are. Couldn't take a chance on puncturing one of the fluid lines.

I screwed up one of my walls early on in the project, and had to take it down. When I tried to remove the glued footer, it wouldn't come off the floor no matter what I did. I finally used a chisel and pry-bar, and when the footer came off, it came off with about 1/2" of concrete stuck to the bottom of it! The glue joint was stronger than the concrete itself. This floor was sealed and painted, btw. I just roughed up the surface with sandpaper before gluing it. I used "PL Professional" glue from Home Depot.

[Larry Fine]

Originally posted by curtisG
Any suggestions on how to correct this would be appreciated. Curtis, even though the squeak wasn't there before, it may still be the upstairs floor. I suggest starting there first, as it's cheaper and easier. Most floor squeaks are caused by the sub-floor moving up and down the nail shanks.

You can buy squeak-arresting screws at your local orange or blue store. They screw through the carpet and then break the heads off. The hardest part is finding the joists. If you have a wood floor, try finishing screws and wood filler.

[bob md]

I’ve got so many good ideas here – as I begin the drywall phase in a couple of weeks I thought of a step to quicken things up. I will be doing 2 layers of drywall (w/ GG between) – per other posts I will hang these staggered with the final layer running horizontally. My tip (I think) is if your ceiling height allows this and you plan on using something like Linacoustic/GOM, put the top final horizontal wall layer on before the bottom. This would mean (again, given the proper ceiling height) that the long horizontal seam doesn’t need to be taped/mudded/sanded to the same degree as it would require if it was an ‘exposed’ seam as it would be behind the GOM.

Here’s an example. Let’s say your ceiling height is 88” (7’ 4”) and you want to have Linacoustic/GOM say 40” up the wall. If you put the bottom drywall sheet on first, the seam will be at 48”, at least 6” higher than the top of the GOM. This seam will need multiple layers of mud, sanding, etc. – a job that is both time consuming, frustrating and dirty. However if you hang the horizontal piece at the top first, it will come down 48”, which is just at the 40” level. By the time you factor in a ¼” ceiling gap, chair rail, etc., this seam will be hidden, behind the GOM. For me, that means a layer of mud & tape & a rough sanding job, no more. Sure, someday someone may remove the GOM & Linacoustic & want a more finished look, but that won’t be me. I’ll still have to deal with vertical seams (above the GOM), but in my case, I’ll have reduced the amount of seams that require a finished look by 65 – 70% (as I’ll do the same for the vertical seams below the GOM).

Of course it depends on ceiling height, GOM height and a ‘I just don’t care what’s behind the GOM’ attitude. For me, this all works.

[miltimj]

FYI, you drywall walls from the ceiling down anyway (because the corner joint at the ceiling is more important than the floor), but it's a good point about the effect of the seams being hidden....

[ScottS]

#47) To steal a line from Clint Eastwood: "A man's got to know his limitations." If you can't do a job a good as a pro, then don't try -- hire a pro to do the portion(s) you aren't comfortable with.

Two areas come to mind:
- Electrical wiring
- Finishing drywall

If you aren't comfortable with the codes for electrical work, look in your local classifieds for a retired electrician who is looking for small jobs. Explain your situation. Pay him to consult regarding the codes in your area (I need outlets every 6 feet???). He can tell you what type of wire to run and where (How do I wire a 3 way switch???). You can do all the grunt work. Save big $$$$. He makes the final tie-in at the breaker box and wires all the connections. He can do in one day what would have taken you almost two weekends. And best of all, you don't have to deal with that doubting look in the eye that your SO will give you if you do it all alone.

Second: Please, please, please don't ruin all that hard work with a shoddy job taping the drywall seams. Nothing will dapen your enthusiasm and ruin your hard work more than a room that *looks* amateur-ish. Unless you are prepared to do a *lot* of back breaking work and re-work to get it right, just hire a pro for that protion. That is one of the trades where it takes more than just knowledge to get it right -- it takes practice. And most of us don't have it.

I think it is important to remember that most of us are doing the work ourselves for 2 reasons: 1) We like doing these kind of things and 2) we want to add value to our houses while saving $$$$$. If your job doesn't look like a pro did it, then any future home buyer will discount your work and some/much of #2 will be for naught. Most buyers will have a critical eye. You would, right?

I guess what I'm trying to say is: Don't be afraid to spend a little to save a little. :)

Scott

[dhanson]

I heartily second the comment about drywall taping and mudding. I contracted that out, and I'm very glad I did. There's definite skill involved in doing that. You can't just read how to do it in a book. I tried repairing a corner in another part of our house with some drywall mud, and it took me about four application/sanding cycles to get it right. If I had tried to do our basement, I'd stilll be down there, and it wouldn't look very good.

[jasplat88]

Thought it might be helpful to some who have not seen this thread to bump it.

[Todd_zilla]

This thread is too good to stay buried...

I have a question... it always goes back and forth about baseboards being installed before or after carpet. Most people seem to say that baseboards should go on first, but I don't understand why. Could someone explain what the problem would be, if any, of putting on baseboards AFTER carpet is installed? I would think putting them on afterwards would save any nicks and dings the carpet installers might make.

Let me re-emphasize the tip about keeping receipts... especially now that sales tax for all items is a legal deduction on your federal income tax.

Another tip, if your remodeling rooms (knocking down walls, etc) in order to make your HT, check to make sure you're not knocking out a load bearing wall! This is easy to tell if you have attic space above the area you're remodeling by examining where the ceiling joists end...

[miltimj]

Todd,

I think part of the reason may be because carpet is replaced multiple times in most residences, and the baseboard is replaced much less often. So it's very common for carpet to be installed/replaced with the baseboards in place. A competent carpet installer won't damage baseboards. You can certainly put the baseboards on after the carpet (in fact, I'm doing that in my upstairs.. I ripped out our baseboard though, and still haven't gotten around to installing it yet). I suppose if I had the choice, I'd do the carpet first... it makes the room more functional sooner, too.

Regarding sales tax, remember that you have to choose between that and state income tax as a deduction (though if you live in one of the non-income tax charging states, it's obvious). Good point though.

[DMF]

[QUOTE=Toxarch]#12 Measure twice, cut once.[/QUOTE]
Corollary #12b - Measure two or more times, but cut only if the last two measurements matched.

[Todd_zilla]

Tim,

Thanks for the reply. Sometimes I forget about my state (Texas) being a no-state-income tax state... they make up for in property taxes!!!

About the drywall comments... taping and floating IS something that you can try to do yourself and is something that can be repaired if you mess it up. It's not rocket science and it's not something like tinkering with electricity. I've found that even a bad float job can be made to look OK with patience, wet sanding, and dry sanding...

[chinadog]

If you doing a job and need to get tools to complete it, get quality tools. You might spent a few extra bucks, but when you're done with the job, you still have the tools! The savings you get from doing a job yourself pays for the tools and then some usually. The next time you need them, you've got them. Example. When I finished my other basement, I bought a tile saw, paint sprayer, brad nailer, drywall banjo, drywall stilts, etc. Now that I'm doing my basement now, I have everything I need. Two things I did buy this time. A framing nailer and a drywall lift (will explain this shortly).

A few things to keep in mind. You usually get what you pay for when it comes to tools. There are good deals on ebay for tools. Also, know your limitations. I will run electrical, but I'm not going to hook it up to the breaker box. Let the pros do their job when things get above your head. Don't do something you're not comfortable with.

On the lift... I priced drywall lift rentals since I'm in the process of doing the whole basement, it was more cost effective for me to buy a lift (new on ebay) and pay the 100 shipping costs, then to rent long term (a moth or two). When I'm done, I'll resell on ebay.

As others said, plan ahead!

Bud

[miltimj]

Good advice, Bud. Regarding tools, find a brand of tools that are guaranteed forever (Craftsman, Snap-on, Husky, etc.. I have Craftsman because Sears is everywhere), and get that brand for everything that it applies to (hand tools only typically). I've gone through at least 5-6 tape measures (dropping from 3 stories multiple times will do that) and they've cost me a total of $15... same with my hammer(s).

I got a tile saw and have tiled 5 rooms since then... well worth the cost, and renting is usually very expensive. Last time I rented something, it was a 14" 20amp Bosch power saw for cutting through the concrete floor in my basement to install the drain plumbing for a new laundry room.

[Todd_zilla]

just remember that only hand tools (power tools are not included) are warrantied for life at Sears... I have a bunch of Craftsman tools... as well as others.

Another tip... check the level of the floor or a wall that will affect your project PRIOR to starting your project. It's amazing what kind of problems a little variance in level can do to a project like a riser... ;-)

[miltimj]

I believe I covered that:
[QUOTE=miltimj](hand tools only typically)[/QUOTE]:)
Good point about the floor... my tub isn't level because my floor isn't. I did the best I could by notching into the floor some (plywood subfloor), but it's still off.

[Todd_zilla]

Another tip...

If you've been working on your media room for over 25 hours within a 48 hour span, make sure you read anything you write on AVS at least twice for accuracy... drywall, insulation, paint, glue, and fatigue can affect the brain. ;-)

[jasplat88]

bump

[mashtun]

Well I am a newbie here and have learned tons, and so thought I would put in some drywall tips for drywall newbies to return the favor.

#48 don’t nail drywall, screw it. Every house I have ever visited with nailed drywall has had nail pops, and they are ugly.

#49 For the first time drywall mudders, you must realize that a drywall knife is not flat, it has a curve to it at the business end. This curved end must curve away form the wall.

#50 When cutting drywall on the floor keep the floor clean, one screw under a piece of drywall when you are kneeling on it, makes for a ruined piece of drywall.

#51 This goes with #15. When is comes to a shop vac bigger is better. Not only can you just suck up screws, and bits of drywall to keep you area clean, but drywall dust will eventually clog the filter on any shop vac. The bigger the shop vac, the larger the filter, and the more dust you can suck up without clogging. When the vac does clog, shut it off, and the shake it around and the dust will fall off the filter. You can only do thing a couple of times before you have to empty the shop vac completely, but it will get you some more time.

#52 Where corners meet, think about how you will make the corner tape meet. A good example is where a ceiling wall corner meets an outside wall corner such as near a doorway. Do the ceiling wall corners first taking the tape up to the corner. Then put up your metal corner molding on the outside corner. It will hide the ends of the Ceiling wall corner tape, so you don't have to make that perfect.

#53 After doing a first coat of mud on you tape/corners, run your knife over it knocking off any pointy bits. If you don't do this, then the pointy bits will end up in you mud making it impossible to get a smooth surface.

#54 When mudding start a one end and work out until you are out of mud on your knife. Put more mud on your knife, and then start about a foot from when you left off, and work towards the first part. It is much easier to get a smooth finish working towards wet mud then trying to start in the wet mud, and working out.

#55 When dealing with joints in drywall think back to college. BIG FAT Joints are better. I know there is that nice depression between two pieces that you can just fill, but eventually you will have a butt joints. I.E. two pieces meeting without that depressions. In that case it is better to create a very wide joint that slowly slopes out from the wall, to the thickness needed to cover the butt joint. I have done then 2 feet thick, and you can’t see them at all.

#56 Check you work with a light. Take a shop light put it up against the wall. Shine it down the wall, As shown below.


DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
LLLL BBBB SSSSSS
L L BB SSSSSS
LLLL

The Ds are the wall the Ls are the Light, The Bs are a bump in the wall. The Ss are the shadow behind the bump. Anything that leaves a shadow, can and will be seen under the right lighting conditions.

Move the light against the wall, in all four directions, up, down, left and right. Anything that leaves a shadow will be seen and needs work. This is especially true in a theater, since there is a lot of indirect lighting to show this up.

[chinadog]

Mashtun,

Good deal, Since I'm up to my eyeballs in mud, I can relate to your tips. One more thing I wanted to add while we're on the subject.

#57 I read this the other day and tried this today. Seemed to work well. The buckets of joint compound you buy at HD (the green buckets especially), the mud is very stiff when you scoop it out and work with. I read it should be like icing you would use on a cake. They recommend you add just a little water to soften it up (but not too much). I would add like an ounce of water, then mix up the top two-three inches in the bucket until it was nice and fluffy, then I'd scoop that out on work with it. It goes on nicely and makes for a smooth joint as you pull your knife over the joint.

#58 After 20 minutes or so, clean your knife and mud trey to get that crusty mud off and not in your nice fluffy new mud. Keep those tools clean!

Bud

[ScottJ0007]

#59. This kind of goes with #51... I like to use dust bags for my shop vac, especially when vacuuming up drywall dust. They keep the filter clean and make it very easy to empty the shop vac without creating another mess.

[jerrodshook]

another bump.... great information in this thread!

#60 - Only buy the amount of wood you think you'll use in the next week or two. The longer you have it, the more it dries and the more warped it gets. I've returned wood 3 times to Lowes (luckily the take it back). It's not that big of deal, but it just doesn't feel right carrying the wood out of the basement after lugging it all the way down there.....

[miltimj]

Interesting, Jerrod. Was the wood wet to begin with? If it's adequately supported on blocking (e.g. many 2x4s across the floor), you shouldn't have any problems with warping. Also, I'm assuming the wood is relatively dry to begin with.

[jerrodshook]

Well, the key there is was it dry.... My first shipment of wood I got (240 - 2x4's) was a bulk order at Lowes, so I didn't get to pick and choose. I've went a couple other times since then to pick up wood, and if I don't use it fairly quick, it warps a bit. Nothing major... just something to look for.

[68sting]

I've stacked my lumber every way possible and it still warps over time. I would heed Jerrods advice. I picked this up from the Silva Bros. on This Old House regarding lumber. Hand pick, never store on cement as the lumber pulls the moisture out of the cement, get grade 2 or better studs or engineered studs, and only buy what you can use up quickly.

[dube]

Don't leave thing on the top of your work ladder...

OUCH :)

[jerrodshook]

[QUOTE=dube]Don't leave thing on the top of your work ladder...

OUCH :)[/QUOTE]
Amen to that! My Makita drill has fell off my 6 foot ladder at least 5 times. It only hit me one of those times.... Still works like a charm!

[timbreb]

[QUOTE=Geordon]#43) Have a drawn out to-scale plan of the room. If possible, use DE or another recommended HT designer.[/QUOTE]


Um... what's DE? is it some sort of design software?

thanks

[chinadog]

Good one. I'm sure he'd appreciate that.. Dennis Erskine, HT guru and extraordinaire...
www.DesignCinema.com

Bud

[miltimj]

[QUOTE=dube]Don't leave thing on the top of your work ladder...

OUCH :)[/QUOTE]
Ugh, been there, done that. Usually a hammer. Fortunately, the hammer lasts forever (unfortunately, my head doesn't..)

[maverick4x4]

[QUOTE=bob md]Of course it depends on ceiling height, GOM height and a ‘I just don’t care what’s behind the GOM’ attitude. For me, this all works.[/QUOTE]

Cool...love anything that saves work...but what's GOM?

[Head Shot]

A tip I recently received from someone that builds, reconstruct, and remodel homes:

During retrofit work, when having to cut drywall to run wires for, cut the drywall sheets at an angle instead of straight( at a bevel). So when it is paced back in it will have a positive stop, accurate and easier to put joint compound.

Don't go cheap on the electrical wiring, if using 12 ga understand that there will be more cuurent and slightly more electricity used up than a 14 ga. It provides for future-proofing in case there is need for heavier load.

More tips to come.

Now all I have to do is plan for the electrical retrofitting. That darn projector sitting on a temporary stand in the back is slowing down this project immensely.

[miltimj]

[QUOTE=maverick4x4]Cool...love anything that saves work...but what's GOM?[/QUOTE]
Guilford of Maine fabric, used for acoustic transparent fabric available in a wide variety of colors & patterns that is very commonly used for home theaters.

http://www.guilfordofmaine.com/

[QUOTE=Head Shot]if using 12 ga understand that there will be more cuurent and slightly more electricity used up than a 14 ga.[/QUOTE]
I'm not quite sure what you mean by this.. The use of electricity has to do with what's connected to it, not the gauge of the wire itself. It's true, however, that it will allow you to put in a 20A circuit in the future instead of just 15A.

[O_Salt]

Tim, I think Head Shot was referring to the ampacity rating of the wire or the capacity of the wire to carry amperage with out overheating.

[carpecervisi]

bump...invaluable info in here for the first-time builder

[jerrodshook]

[QUOTE=carpecervisi]bump...invaluable info in here for the first-time builder[/QUOTE]
Agreed! I'll add a few more that might be obvious, but might not....

- Code in my area requires electrical wiring to be stapled within 8 inches of outlet boxes and 12 inches from light boxes.
- If you're using a Grafik Eye controller, use this 4 gang masonry box. (http://www.foxelectricsupply.com/content/products/ProductDetail.asp?qsCatID=24606&qsProductNo=698)
- For ground connections, there's a handy connector (http://www.foxelectricsupply.com/content/products/ProductDetail.asp?qsCatID=26491&qsProductNo=30-092) that accepts up to 4 - 12 ga wires and has a small hole in the end. You leave 1 of the wires longer than the other and stick it out the hole to connect to your switches/outlets.
- Make sure you have a good set of wire cuters/strippers!!!
- If you're doing your own plumbing, you need the drains vented. If it isn't vented to the outside, there's a thing called a Studor Vent (http://www.studor.com/homeowners.htm) that you can get at Lowe's and probably HD.

[ifeliciano]

[QUOTE=jerrodshook]Agreed! I'll add a few more that might be obvious, but might not....

- For ground connections, there's a handy connector (http://www.foxelectricsupply.com/content/products/ProductDetail.asp?qsCatID=26491&qsProductNo=30-092) that accepts up to 4 - 12 ga wires and has a small hole in the end. You leave 1 of the wires longer than the other and stick it out the hole to connect to your switches/outlets.
[/QUOTE]

I agree with your other tips, but why waste money on this item when you can just twist all the grounds together and leave one lead longer than the others ? :confused:

[jerrodshook]

[QUOTE=ifeliciano]I agree with your other tips, but why waste money on this item when you can just twist all the grounds together and leave one lead longer than the others ? :confused:[/QUOTE]
At Lowe's, these connectors weren't anymore expensive, so it's not a waste. Either way, you need a wire nut or something for the grounds as I don't think you'd want to leave them without a wire nut.

Plus, my inspector "suggested" I use them, and I took the advice. :D

[MalHavoc]

I've bought nice straight kiln-dried 2x4s that were straight when I bought them but started to warp in as little as a day or two, even when on blocks. I'm really anal about framing my stud walls - straight 2x4s and I only ever use screws to hold everything together. Nail guns are fast, but I hate pulling nails out if I make a mistake. Luckily, my local lumber yard has a drive through lumber section so nothing is stored outdoors, and it's close by. I only buy what I'm going to use in the next day or two.

#60 if you have to attach something to a concrete floor, use Tapcon screws instead of nails. You can precisely drill the hole for the screw, and your piece of wood won't move like it might when you wail on the nail with a sledge hammer or accidentailly move it with a nail gun. Been there, done that.

[ifeliciano]

[QUOTE=jerrodshook]
Plus, my inspector "suggested" I use them, and I took the advice. :D[/QUOTE]

'Nuf said!! :D :D :D

[ifeliciano]

Don't unroll your Linacoustic until you're ready to use it. Once unrolled it is a PITA to get it rolled tight and in the bag. :mad: