How To Hang A Projector Screen From The Ceiling

Long gone are the days when having a projector on the ceiling and an obtrusive projector screen on the wall were the only options, dominating your entertainment zone with their bulky existence.

Hence, hanging your projector screen on the ceiling has become quite the norm, boosting your visual experience while offering the convenience of barely taking up any room when not in use.

So today, we are all about how to hang a projector screen from the ceiling in all the different ways to declutter your room like never before!

How To Mount A Projector Screen On The Ceiling

1. How To Mount A Projector Screen Without Drilling

a. Shelving Brackets:

This is a great option when you don’t want to drill into your ceiling or don’t have the permission to. For this method to work, you need to first ensure that your wall has a pre-existing picture rail.

All you need is three pieces of free-standing shelving brackets made of metal. Since they are free-standing, there is no need to bolt them to the wall. You just have to set up and mount the brackets on the picture rail.

The mounts of your projector screen will directly bolt into these brackets. This method offers you the convenience and flexibility of adjusting the projector screen height instantly.

Simply unmount the bracket placed horizontally and go down or up as many notches as you prefer when remounting.

b. Cabinet:

You can opt for a wall mount cabinet that reaches up to the ceiling and possesses a whiteboard.

Though not a ceiling mount option, you can also opt for cabinet models that conceal the projector screen inside and allows you to pop it out when needed.

2. How To Hang A Projector Screen From A Drop Ceiling

A drop ceiling is basically a secondary or false ceiling that covers up architectural flaws or hides wires and other items. This type of ceiling also allows you access to the inside of the ceiling, without requiring you to drill or find studs, joists, etc.

• Decide on the location of the screen installation based on your projector placement. We’ll discuss more on that later.
• With the help of a table saw, cut out a piece of plywood of 0.74 inches matching your projector screen’s mounting bracket.
• On top of this plywood cutout, place the mounting bracket and mark the screw-hole locations.
• Drill the hole marks and push the threaded rods all the way down the holes till their heads come in contact with the plywood.
• From your desired location of installation, remove the ceiling tile of the dropped ceiling.
• With the rods facing below, fasten the plywood straight into the joists with screws above with your drill.
• On the ceiling tiles that you removed, drill holes correspondent to the threaded rods so that they can pass through in order to facilitate mounting permanently.
• Replace these tiles back onto the ceiling.
• Now slide over the mounting bracket on top of the threaded rods and cover each rod with a washer.
• The bracket for mounting now needs to be secured tightly against the tile of the ceiling. Do this by using nuts on the rods and tighten them up with your wrench.
• Now all that’s left to be done is to hang up your projector screen and finish connecting it with your projector.

3. How ToHang Projector Screen From Drywall Ceiling

Drywall ceilings are not the strongest material to support heavy objects and bulky weights. Unfortunately, the same goes for your projector screens, even if it’s just a 100-inch one.

Hence, instead of directly hanging the screen from the wall, you’ll need to make sure that your projector’s mount is securely screwed to the joists of the ceiling where the ceiling drywall is hanging from. The joist is basically the frame or support of your ceiling.

• With the help of a piece of cardboard create a template and mark out the spots for predrill holes. This will enable you to ensure even spacing of the screws to support the screen weight evenly.
• Drywall requires a drill bit of size 3/16. It is recommended to pre-drill first to ensure accurate placement of the screws and also for determining whether you hit the ceiling joist.
• Reaching the joist is actually a good thing so do that if possible as it ensures that the drywall is not at risk from crumbling down from holding the screen weight as the joist provides a solid support.Opt for anchor bolts if you cannot manage to hit the joist or studs.
• With the help of an extra pair of hands, it’s time to hang up the screen. Carefully attach one end of the screen by drilling in the screws without fulling tightening.
• Attach the other end the same way and keep tightening the screws on both ends alternatively until the mount gets perfectly flushed to your ceiling. Avoid tightening the screws too much.
• Finally, finish off by attaching the screen’s pulling thread and other materials to finish the installation.

4. Recessed Mount

This style of ceiling mount involves the creation of a hole on the ceiling so that it can make room for the projector screen enclosure. It is great for those drop-down screens that can be wirelessly controlled.

The best part about this type of mounting is that not only does it make use of an open area in your room by descending from the ceiling, but you won’t even notice its presence when not in use as it will be neatly tucked away above.

Factors To Consider When Installing A Projector Screen

1. Location

Choose a dim area for your screen as the best projector visuals are received in darker regions. Avoid direct lights.

If you can’t find such a space, opt for a screen that is resistant to ambient light. Consider getting yourself some blackout curtains to use when viewing on the projector screen to cover up the windows.

2. Height Of The Screen Above The Ground

This depends on the size of your room, the screen, and the amount of furniture in the area. Make sure it’s not too high so that the images get projected outside the screen. For rows involved, you’d need to place the screen a tad higher than usual to ensure that the audience at the back gets perfect visuals.

Excluding theatre setups, you’d typically need to focus them 24-36 inches above the floor.

3. Size Of The Screen

Choose a size depending on the size of your room. Most models are capable of producing superb image quality just within 100 inches!

Throw Distance

For the best visual quality, you need a projector size and the placement of the screen within a specific distance known as the throw distance.

This is basically the distance between the projector lens and the screen. You’ll find this info in the specifications of your projector easily. Now depending on the screen size, you need to calculate the screen size with the ratio to find the perfect screen distance.

Imagine your projector possesses a throw ratio of 1.5:1 to up to 3:1. Given that you have a 100-inch screen, just multiply the screen size with the ratios.

By multiplying 100 with 1.5 and 3, you get 150 and 300, meaning that you can place the screen within 150 to 300 inches away from the projector.

Conclusion

Ceiling mounting your projector screen is a great way to save space while making the most of your screen, especially when the screen is relatively larger and you don’t have enough wall space to accommodate it.

Setting them up on the ceiling differs from installing them on the wall and it can be done in a number of genius ways all by yourself.

Now that you all are fully aware of how to hang a projector screen from the ceiling, you can easily do the job in no time!