How to Convert a Room Into a Home Theater

A room that can be dedicated for home theater use allows for alterations that could not be done in a space that has to deal with ongoing traffic from people walking through to reach other areas of the house. Converting a room for home theater use does not require extensive repair or alterations; the main considerations, besides including home theater components, are to deaden exterior sounds, make the room dark and providing seats for the viewers. Supplies to accommodate these needs can be purchased from a hardware store, a home theater supply and from a home and garden shop.

• 1

  Run a stud finder against the wall to locate the studs. Mark the studs with pencil dots. Screw TV screen brackets into the wall with wood screws using a Phillips screwdriver. Screw a mounting plate on the back left and right corners of the flat panel TV with metal screws using the Phillips screwdriver. Place the flat panel TV onto the brackets by sliding the mounting plates into the bracket's slots.

• 2

  Locate a stud on the wall beneath the middle of the flat panel TV. Mount a speaker bracket to the stud with wood screws using the Phillips screwdriver. Repeat this procedure with speaker brackets on the left and right sides of the flat panel TV.

• 3

  Screw a mounting plate on the back of three satellite speakers using wood screws and the Phillips screwdriver. Place a speaker on the brackets on the left and right sides and below the flat panel TV. Connect speaker wires between the left and right and center channel audio outputs of the audio amplifier and the left mounted speaker, right mounted speaker and bottom mounted speaker.

• 4

  Place an equipment rack against the side wall. Place a Blu-ray player and amplifier in the equipment rack.

• 5

  Connect a HDMI cable between the HDMI output of the Blu-ray player and the HDMI input on the audio amplifier.Connect a HDMI cable between the HDMI output of the audio amplifier and the HDMI input of the flat panel TV.

• 6

  Measure the width and height of any windows in the room. Purchase heavy-duty window shades of the appropriate width and height. Remove the existing window shades from the window rods and replace them with the heavy duty window shades.

• 7

  Measure the width of the door leading into the room that will be converted for home theater use. Cut a 4-inch wide length of black velvet that is the same length as that of the door. Place the black velvet horizontally against the bottom of the door on the inside so that its bottom is touching the floor. Tape the top of the black velvet to the door with strips of duct tape or, if you want to hide the tape, strips of vinyl tape that is the same color as that of the door.

• 8

  Place home theater chairs 10 feet away from where the flat-panel TV is mounted to the wall. Rotate the chairs so that they face the flat panel TV

• 9

  Stand a speaker stand on each side of the home theater chairs. Stand a satellite speaker on each speaker stand. Connect speaker wires between the left and right surround speaker audio outputs of the audio amplifier and the two satellite speakers.

• 10

  Locate a stud a foot down from the top of the wall to the left of the chairs with the stud finder. Mark the stud with a pencil mark. Repeat this procedure on the wall to the right of the chairs and on the wall behind the chairs.

• 11

  Place the sound-deadening panel against the wall where the stud marks were made. Screw wood screws through the sound-deadening panel into the studs on the wall using a Phillips screwdriver. Repeat this procedure with the other two walls.