DIY Network

Lights! Camera! Action! Lights! Camera! Action! From "Weekend Decorating" episode WDC-210

What kind of do-it-yourself project would a movie buff enjoy? How about turning a dark, odd-shaped finished attic into a private media room? That's the challenge that Weekend Decorating host Nancy Golden is undertaking this week.

Attic: Before.

Attic: After.

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On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 indicating the greatest degree of difficulty, this project rates a solid 4, thanks in large part to the amount of building and painting involved. It took 14 hours, spread over two days, to complete the project, with much of the prep work having been finished in the preceding week. The total cost of materials and supplies was $2,200.

Floor plan showing proposed wall paint treatment.

If you plan to finish a project like this in one weekend, it's important to be organized with your time and planning. Golden uses a computer decorating program that allows her to enter the dimensions of the room into the program and create a detailed diagram of the room without having to physically move the furniture around the actual space. The attic has sloping ceilings on the sides and one solid wall in front, yet some of its most unattractive features -- dark walls, lack of windows -- make it an ideal choice for its new function. The flat back wall will serve as the screen area, with cabinets situated beneath the screen to hide the electronic equipment. A table will be placed in the optimum space to hold the projector, and stadium seating all ensure that everyone has the best seat in the house.

After the floor plan has been perfected, it's time to get everything together and get ready to roll!

Materials:
Paint roller and pan
Painter's tape
Level
Cabinets
2x4s
Plywood
Chop saw
Screws
Nail gun
Hammer
Carpet
Staple gun
Stadium seats
Light fixture and paint
Curtain rod
Fabric
Preparation:

1. Paint the walls (the paint for this room is a latex with an eggshell finish) and any furniture you may be using.

Keep in mind that when you go to the movies, the theater walls are painted a dark color. That's because light is absorbed by dark colors, so it stands to reason that the audience's attention will be drawn away from the walls and to the front of the space -- the movie screen. Golden has chosen a chocolate-brown paint, which is dark enough to serve the intended purpose but also warm enough to make the room inviting when the lights are on.

2. Install in-wall speakers.

Expert tip: The great thing about in-wall and in-ceiling speakers is that you can install them and decorate without having to look at the speakers. You can also paint or wallpaper over them.

3. The walls needed something besides a coat of color. Stripes would have made the room feel too much like a tunnel, so Golden has chosen to add three large harlequin diamonds to each wall (the distance from the ceiling to the wall and from the wall to the floor is equidistant, which makes measuring much simpler).

• To make three diamonds, measure and mark six evenly spaced points along the wall (figure A).

• Measure and mark six more points below the previous six, at the bottom of the wall (figure B). These two sets of marks indicate the top and bottom points of the diamonds (figure C). Be sure to check and double-check your measurements!

  Figure A

  Figure B

  Figure C

  
  
• To get the middle of the harlequins, measure six points halfway between the other two sets and mark every other one (figure D).

• You'll need an extra pair of hands for this step, so be sure to enlist a friend or relative to help. Hold one end of the plumb line while your helper holds the other (figure E).

• Snap the line to make a chalk mark on the wall. Repeat until all the diamonds have been marked.

• Apply painter's tape to the outside of all the diamond shapes, making sure the tape is firmly pressed down so no paint bleeds under it.

• Apply a darker color to the alternating diamonds (figure F). Don't worry if the shapes seem askew when you walk into the room – if you've measured correctly, they should be absolutely even.

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F