New Home Theater Furniture

They delivered the furniture for our home theater today. We bought a very large sectional and ottoman, plus two recliners. These, plus the existing couch and love seat, fill up the room.

This sectional seats 6 or 7 people:

Here are the matching recliners.


This picture shows them from the back of the theater room.


We bought all this from Pacific Lifestyle Furniture, and I have nothing but positive comments about them. I felt like we purchased very good quality furniture at a price on par with Costco (about 1/2 the expected cost), and the delivery was right on time. They are obviously a low overhead operation that keeps prices low. I found them on craigslist.


My disclaimer: I am not paid for advertising for this business. I am giving a positive review for people I was happy to do business with.

Home Theater #35 - Finishing the Crown Molding

I really hate seeing seams in crown molding - after spending the time and money to install it, I want to look almost flawless. Here are the details on my effort...

First, I cut the ends of the molding at 45 degrees (same as a miter cut) to join them. This helps align the two pieces, since one lays on top of the other, and provides a large glue surface. I glues the end together and nail through one piece into the other.


Once the molding is in place, I rub wood filler into and small gaps. If the walls or ceiling are not straight, the molding won't typically fit exactly right, and the gaps can get larger. I had a couple cases of this in the theater, so I needed to do some sanding to smooth things out.

To sand the moldings, I created the profile block shown here:

Side view

Here is how I did it:

- I took a shorter piece of molding, set it face up on a piece of news paper, and laid plastic wrap on it.

- Mixed up some Fix-It-All (same consistency as sheetrock mud) and put a on 3/4" layer, letting it run a bit over the sides. This stuff dries fast, doesn't shrink, and is pretty hard. Click on the image at the right for more info.

- I took a small piece of scrap plywood and pressed it down onto the Fix-It-All. This forced it solidly into the profile of the molding, and formed the support for the sanding block.

- I let the block harden for about an hour

- I broke the excess off and trimmed the block square on my table saw.

- I wrapped 100 grit sandpaper around this to sand the molding.

I may try to make a couple more of these with cement mortar, which would be really hard. I have read that some people use Bondo as well.

Here is a picture of a joint in the crown molding, after I sanded it. The best way to do this was to tip the block slightly up and sand the upper profile, then tip it down and do the lower one. I used the square edge of the block to sand the flats.


This photo shows the same molding with one coat of paint on it - the seam has virtually disappeared. I applied this coat as a "primer". Once the final coat goes on, it should be virtually impossible to see the seam. I sanded about 75 feet of crown, with a number of seams, and they all worked well.


I made a couple of blocks in case the first one broke (one is none), but it worked fine with no signs of wear. I am going to coat the surfaces with poly to help harden them further.

Home Theater #34 - Crown Molding

I installed the crown molding in our home theater this morning, and all went pretty well. The following pictures show the fixturing (also called jigs) I build to make it quite a bit easier...

Here is the cutting fixture I made for my chop saw:


The key feature of this fixture, is that it holds the crown molding in the same orientation as when it's installed. In this case, the "trough" that holds the molding is 2" wide and 2.5" tall. This is screwed to the metal fence on the saw.


Why I really like this method:
- It's very easy to visualize the cut. This is great for DIY people like me who don't cut crown regularly - no compound set-ups.
- The cut marks in the fixture allow me the line up my cuts very accurately.
- The fixture holds the molding securely - no sliding around on long pieces.


The next set of photos show the fixture for building inside corners. I have tried to cope inside miters with very limited success. I find it difficult to get a clean profile. I prefer to pre-build my corners, then install them (it takes two people to hold them)...


Again this fixture holds the crown pieces in the same orientation as when they are on the wall.


I glue the pieces, slide them together, and air-nail them from the back-side. Once the glue dries, it makes a perfect miter joint - accurate and strong.


Here is a picture of the corner joint once installed (no additional caulking or painting after the assembly). There is enough flex in the glued pieces to allow me to fit it snugly into corners that are a bit off of 90 degrees. I caulk any gaps.


This photo shows the outside corner, done with a small piece and cut at 22.5 angles. It's not painted because I cut these right before install.


Finally, I put a nailer strip (3/4 x 3/4 pine) in place before the crown. I glue and tack-nail these in place, so I don't have to worry about where the studs are located.


I filled the nail holes and joints between the pieces (cut at 45 deg) to finish of my work for the day. After everything dries overnight I will sand and paint it all.

Building the fixtures took about an hour - and I am sure I made up the time jsut doing the theater room. I am using this crown profile throughout the house, so it was well worth the effort.

Home Theater #33 - Drawer Hardware

I installed the hardware shown below on our home theater cabinets. We bought these twisted-rope ring pulls from Amazon seller Maison Drake for about $8 each. They were on back-order for a couple of weeks, but the seller kept us up-to-date via email.

We really like the quality of the pulls. They are quite heavy with a nice finish and good workmanship. The design is a bit fancy, but the small size makes for an understated look.


If you have ever drilled a hole for hardware in the wrong place, you are acquainted with true frustration. Here is a technique to make sure you locate the holes correctly...

Make a "card" that indicated the height of the hole. In this case, since it is a panel drawer front, t just sits on the bottom rail as shown. If you have a flat drawer front, you can nail a little ledger on the card and measure from the top down.

Slide the card along to right spot, using a ruler.

Hold the card in place and mark it with a center punch (or nail, or pencil).


Tap the center punch with a hammer, so you have a good starter hole for you drill bit.

Home Theater #32 - The stone is done

We finished off the stonework in the theater room today, and I am really happy with the results. It took a bit longer that I had planned for, but it was worth taking the time...


Below is a closer picture of the stonework. The mortar will lighten to match the other stone in about 10 days.


Tomorrow, I need to get the rest of the drawer fronts on and add the hardware. After that, we have trim (base; crown; doors), carpet, and I will to build a small matching table for the center speakers. I am hoping to be done with the theater by the end of March (we'll see).

Home Theater #31 - Drawer Fronts and More Stone Laying

I finally had time to get back to the theater project. I made the drawer-fronts shown in the picture from the left over pine wainscot boards. In the photo, the wood is pretty light - but actually is looks quite a bit darker in the room.


Here is a picture of the stone we laid up the other evening. I wanted to get to it sooner, but life keeps getting in the way.

The dark much shows the area we added. It's a little less than 20 square feet - not a lot - but I did in the evening after work. With set-up and clean-up we really only had a couple of hours into it. I guess I am not very speedy, but then again these are fairly tight areas, and we are mixing various kinds of stone to get the rustic look.

The mud will dry to the grey color in a couple of days...

One of the things that makes a stone job look professional is how clean it is. Sticking the stones to the wall is actually the easier part - striking the joints is where the works is...


Here is my technique for getting the joints to look "perfect":

Fill any joints you need to so there are no holes. I do this as I am laying the stones.

Let the mud set up for 20 to 30 minutes. It should be stiff, but not solid.

Use a flat-jointer to scrape the mud back out of the joints to the depth you want. The flat-jointer is also called a tuck-pointer

Use a whisk broom to clean out the joints and remove any extra mud from the stone

Use a wire brush to clean out the edges of joints, so they are nice a crisp. Also clean off any mud the whisk broom couldn't get.

Check for anything that doesn't look good: little holes, clumps of mud in corners, etc.

Whisk broom again.

Sponge off the stones, use the wire brush for any last bits that have not come off.

If you are not done, be sure the scrape the mud back on top of the stones so you have a clean surface when you start again.

It's an involved process, but will give you good results. I give myself as much time for this as I do for fitting and laying the stone.

If you are DIY, don't be in a hurry. Work with small areas so it does not get away from you. You can't come back later and make it right - it will be dry.

Home Theater #30 - Laying Stone

I started laying the stone this afternoon. I got about 25% done with the wall after a couple of hours, as shown in the picture below.


This is a mixture of about 4 different types of cultured stone, which is the same as we did on the fireplace. I like the effect - it's a more custom look that you get with just one type.  The key is to make sure the larger round stones are spread out, and fill in with the horizontal ones. I put a large one in about every two square feet. 

Most of the work in laying up the cultured stone is in pointing, striking and brushing. This is where you get professional looking results. 

Tomorrow I am going to have my DW and daughter help out, and hopefully get most of the rest of it put in.

Home Theater #29 - Screen Framed

After helping my DW clean up and put away Christmas (the decorations, not the beliefs), I was able to mount the slides to the drawers and get most of of the trim installed. The picture below shows the progress on the cabinets. 


I made the crown molding with two pieces of trim. I think three would have been better, but I was limited by the depth of the soffit. I still like the way it turned out...


I decided to frame the screen in stained wood, rather than flat black. Most screens are done in black - but I have seen a few done in wood, and I liked it. I figure I can always paint it black later if I change my mind. 


Here is the whole thing in it's current state...


Stuff I need to get done:

• Mill, stain and install the base moldings (I forgot to do these with the crown)
• Make the drawer fronts
• Lay the stone - I am going to have my DW and daughter lay up some of it
• Build a small matching table for the center speakers
• Crown molding around the ceiling
• New carpet - I think we are going to go with carpet tiles

Home Theater #28 - Cabinet Drawer Boxes

With the help of my son, I completed the cabinet drawer boxes yesterday. I used pre-finished 1/2" birch plywood, which I bought at Shurway building supply in Portland. I always give these guys a plug: discount prices, friendly people, interesting selection of materials.


I assembled these with polyurethane (Gorilla) glue and 1" staples. I have made a number of drawers this way over the past few years, and none of them have come apart.

These large drawers are really wide at 36". They are sized to hold blankets and pillows.

Normally, I use 1/4" or 3/8" plywood for the bottoms - in this case I use 1/2".

I also put a strong-back across the top of the drawer back. This and the drawer fronts will keep the boxes rigid. If they are going to fail, it would be from flexing.


Today I will mount the drawer slides and hopefully get the fronts made. I always use the heavy-duty, full extension slides and stay away from the cheap "euro" ones. I use to use the cheaper ones, but had a number of problems with them, and I think they make a project feel like it's lower quality.

Home Theater #27 - Setting up Components

I added spacing feet to the cable box, DVD and receiver to help improve ventilation. Heat is the biggest contributor to component failure, so I want to make sure there is adequate air flow.


I made these feet out of 2" PVC conduit (left over from the video cable run). They are about 1 1/4" tall. I plan on painting them flat black, so they are not noticeable. More info: Detailed "how to" article on adding spacing feet.

Here is a picture of the speaker mount...


It's nice to finally have the speakers spread out to the correct positions. It definately makes a difference in the sound quality.

Home Theater #26 - Installing Cabinets and Prep for Stone

We were able to get the cabinets built and installed this weekend. It's amazing what a couple of "vacation" days can do...

Here is a photo of the foam board installed between the wall battens. There is a concrete wall, a framed stud wall and sheetrock behind this. As I noted in earl er posts, I did not want to tear this wall out, but mount the screen, cabinets and stone to it. To provide some level of insulation, I applied the foam board (there is none behind the sheetrock.


This foam board is R-Tech EPS. It provides about R4 and allows moisture migration (breathes). There is no evidence that there has been any moisture in the wall cavity, but I don't want to take any chances. At $8 for a 4x8 sheet, it's a very inexpensive improvement. Our practice has been to improve the energy efficiency of the house where ever we can - but not necessarily fully gut the area.

Here are the cabinet bases I built. They are open backed, since there will only be drawers installed - also this makes it easier to have the cables come in.


Both sets on cabinets went in fairly easily. These were built to fit the area, so only minor shimming was needed. We needed to pull the Christmas tree out of the way!



We added another layer of 3/4" foam behind the cabinets. You just need to use longer screws to install the cabinets.


I pulled the outlet out of the wall, so it could be mounted on top of the concrete board. I also wired in the box for the center and base speakers. The location of the existing outlet worked out well, since I will need it to power the base speaker (still need to buy one).


I installed the 1/2" concrete board over the battens. I used poly glue and sheetrock screws. This is the base for the stone I will lay (hopefully this week). I need to trim out the screen and do the crown molding first, then lay the stone to it.


The theater components sit in the bottom shelves of the right-side cabinets. Right now the cabling is a mess, but it's functional. I made the smaller top drawers less deep, there is about 4" in space for cables. I am going to install a small shelf in the back to set the bundles on.


Here is the whole wall so far...


I will spend the next few days getting all the trim details done (and going skiing). Once I start the stone, I just want to focus on that, since it makes the most mess.

Home Theater #25 - Upper Cabinets Complete

I was able to fully complete the upper cabinets this evening. Here are a series of photos showing the progress.

A pile of lumber - stained, finished and ready to go...

Here I am mounting the tongue-and-groove boards on the back of the cabinet. I used poly glue and 3/4" long staples.


A note on installing stained wood wainscot: Stain the boards first. Over time, the wood often shrinks a bit as it fully dries. If you stained and finished them after you installed them, you may see the bare wood lines where the boards come together.

Here is the cabinet with the back finished.


This is a close-up of the boards - a nice rustic look.


These cabinets have a "hutch" design, where the lower cabinets are deeper (18") than the uppers (10"). Between the two is a thicker wood counter top. I have learned to attach this first to the uppers, then the lower cabinets. The reason is that you want it to fit very tightly with the upper, were you can see the joint.

I bought 1" thick (called 5/4") wood for tops. They are made of laminated strips, but still have a slight bow to them. Using my table saw, I ran a few curfs 1/2" deep on the underside give it more flex. I stopped these before they came out the finished end. Once screwed to the cabinets, it they will sit very flat.


Here are uppers with the wood counters attached:


I cut and assembled the base frames. These cabinets are going to hold extra blankets and pillows for watching TV, so they are 11" deep and 36" wide. I will make the drawer fronts match the uppers by putting dividers in the middle.


For any soft wood or span over 24", I glue and nail a support piece across the back of the horizontal members. These also get lapped onto the vertical pieces and nailed.


My DW came with a great idea... I typically throw the stain rags away once I ma done using them. I let them dry out before putting them in trash. She suggested I put the rag in the old stain can - it should keep just fine in there for the next use.