Wall Construction

The HT build started with some walls already framed. These walls were part of the already-finished basement and have back-side drywall attached.

In this photo, the wall on the right is a double-studded wall that the builder assembled. Unfortunately, the construction was not optimal, as there was little to no gap between the two rows of studs, so the isolation was not as good as it should have been.

Early in the build process, the electrical was installed. The wall to the left is framed, and insulation has yet to be installed. Again, this wall's backside was finished as part of the previously finished basement.

On the very right is the original hollow core door that was previously installed. It will be replaced later with a solid core door which is a better sound isolation option (and an excellent wood finish door).

This is another picture of the back right corner, this time with insulation installed. Typical paperback insulation was used for the wall because it would stand up better in the cavity. If I were to do this again, I might consider mineral wool instead.

The brownish-red pipe is a post holding a steel beam supporting the house. A wall was built around the port to hide the post, which ultimately determined the length of the theater room.

These pictures are examples of the walls after adding the second layer of drywall. The walls were taped, and mud (joint compound) was applied. If you could look closely, my mudding skills are pretty bad, and a lot of sanding was required to prep the wall for primer and paint.

You cannot tell, but no joint compound and tape were applied to the first layer of drywall. Then, before applying the second layer of drywall, two tubes of green glue were distributed evenly (I hope) on one side, and that side was attached to the first layer of drywall.

These photos were taken after painting and before the final trim and staining.

The screen wall was painted a very dark shade of blue, although eventually, this was covered by the screen and a couple of ornamental curtains. The goal was to keep the front dark to enhance screen contrast. As stated elsewhere, for the ceiling, instead of using a satin paint sheen, I should have used a flat sheen.

Painting the walls medium gray and the ceiling very dark navy blue resulted in a reasonably dark room, but when the lights are on, it is not uncomfortably dark.

This picture shows the left wall with all the molding, lighting, and speaker utility boxes with face plates installed.

The vertical molding was intended to resemble a small column without the work required to build an actual column molding. However, in hindsight, it looks a bit underwhelming. If I were to update this, I'd build a more substantial faux column to attach the sconce.

I like the sconce's design and color, which work well in this room. The inset photo shows a more detailed close-up.