How to Create Your Dream Home Movie Theater

A recent study revealed that the average adult will watch about 78,705 hours of some type of programming in their lifetime. They’ll also watch about 31,507 episodes of television and 3,639 movies.

Those are a lot of hours in front of a screen, but people love being entertained! More and more people are choosing to watch movies from the comfort of their homes these days. Having a nice TV and sound system is one thing but your own personal movie theater sounds like a dream!

Creating your very own home movie theater can be a long process. Keep reading to learn everything you’ll need to start this journey.

Finding the Perfect Space for Your Home Theater

The first step in creating a home movie theater is finding the best location for it. The ideal room will be big enough to house the screen, the equipment, and seating. It also needs to be long enough to create the appropriate distance from the seats to the screen.

It’ll also be separated from the rest of the house if possible. The important thing is that it’s far enough removed from other areas of your home that see a lot of movement so that no one inside or outside of theater gets disturbed.

Another important thing to remember is that the theater room should be solely reserved for using the screen to watch videos, TV or movies, or listen to music. If the home theater is also the game room, the movie-watching experience can get ruined.

A Plan and a Budget Are Crucial

A DIY home theater is a lot of work! Planning ahead of time and creating a budget for the project are the first things you should do after deciding on a location. It’s crucial to figure out exactly what you’ll be using your home theater for in order to plan accordingly.

If your theater will mostly be used for watching movies, your focus should be on budgeting for video, sound, and the quality of the internet connection. For a theater that will mostly be used for playing music, the budget should focus mainly on a good surround sound system.

Your budget should also take into consideration the size of the space for the home theater and what equipment will best fit the space.

Eliminate Outside Light

Light filtering in from other rooms or through windows will diminish the quality of having the movie theater experience from the comfort of your home. Building your theater in an area that receives little to no light is key but that can’t always happen.

Blackout curtains are a great option if your room has some windows. Some items within the theater may produce unwanted light too. Items that reflect light, like doorknobs or countertops, can be painted with a dark color to reduce any glare that might appear on the screen.

Block Out Outside Sound

When you research how to make a home theater almost every website will tell you that soundproofing is an essential step. If you can hear the sound of kitchen appliances or laughter from a conversation outside, you can get distracted and not enjoy the movie.

While blackout curtains are great for eliminating unwanted light, they can also help to block out outside noise. Changing your hollow-core door to a solid wood door can help with blocking out unwanted sound too.

The Walls Inside Your Home Theater

If you’re building your home theater room from scratch there are some extra ways to make sure it’ll be soundproof. There are many different types of soundproof drywall that are great at blocking out sound from the outside. Another option is to use vinyl on top of regular drywall, a type of soundproof material.

Putting up carpet on the walls as well as the floors will be a great soundproofing tool. Carpet also helps to reduce the audio inside the theater from bouncing between the walls and the ceiling. Acoustic boards are a cheaper way to soundproof the room too.

The Sound System Will Make or Break the Room

When building a home theater, the sound system will be the trickiest part of the project. Knowing what sound equipment fits your space best will depend largely on the size of the room.

In terms of speakers, surround sound will provide that movie theater experience best. The 5.1 format includes five speakers placed around the screen. Two speakers are placed on each side of the screen, two speakers are placed in the back area, and a sub-woofer speaker is placed in a corner to the side.

The Lighting System Creates the Environment

Different types of lights help give the home theater the look of an actual movie theater. Soffit lights, for example, are tray lights by the ceiling that circulate the whole space. Recessed lights are sometimes added to the ceiling to shine down and give that well-known movie theater vibe.

The best types of lights for a home theater are ones that can dim the brightness up and down. This helps to adjust the lighting each time you sit down for a movie. Having a remote-controlled dimming light is best so that you can turn the brightness of the light up or down without having to leave your seat.

Always light down from the ceiling, not pointing up at it. A dark ceiling will help give the illusion of a bigger theater.

It’s All About the Video System

An in-home movie theater can’t exist without the video system. First, you’ll have to decide on a television or a projector screen. If you choose to go with a projector, you can invest in a screen or projecting the movie on the existing wall.

If you’ll also be enjoying regular television programming in your home theater, you might have to add a cable box to your system. Don’t forget to purchase any additional HDMI cables you might need.

Create a Space for All of Your Equipment

It’s important to have space to store any additional equipment. BluRay players and cable boxes should be placed on a rack near an electrical outlet.

It’s also crucial that this area gets enough ventilation. Audio/visual equipment generates a lot of heat and not having proper ventilation can damage some of these systems.

A metal rack that’s open on all sides is a perfect space to organize your equipment. A metal rack will not only help the system receive proper ventilation but is strong enough to carry the heavy equipment.

The Color of the Room Is Important

While the paint color of a room is usually meant to show some personality, for a home theater what’s most important is to darken the room. Painting the walls and ceiling with darker, neutral colors will minimize any unwanted light.

Black is often the go-to color but a dark blue will also work. The darker painted walls will also help the theater look bigger than it actually is.

The Theater Seats Create Comfort

While a good sofa might seem like a reasonable option for your home theater, real theater seats are the way to go. These theater couches will provide the ultimate comfort while making your home feel like a real movie theater.

There are all types of styles of theater seats, leather ones with space for fitting a drink are a popular style. Setting up your theater seats in rows and lifting the back row up on a platform will allow everyone in the room to see the screen clearly.

Adding Some Personal Touches

Any DIY home theater room should have some personal style to make it stand out as yours. Whether you just want a basic home theater or want to elevate it to look like your favorite arthouse theater, adding some decorations will make the process fun.

You can decorate your home movie theater in the style of a favorite movie. You can also add some film props you own to a corner of the room. Another idea is to decorate it with posters of some of your favorite movies.

Creating Your Dream Home Movie Theater

Creating the home movie theater of your dreams might seem out of reach but like any other project, it just takes dedication and time. If you follow the tips in this blog you’ll be on your way to the home theater you’ve always wanted.

Make sure to check out some of our other blogs to learn more tips on how to create the home movie theater of your dreams!