Ultra Quick Personal Projector Screen

This being the 40th month of quarantine I've been meaning to shake things up a bit lately. Acquired a mini projector to really never have to get out of bed (hey we all have bad days). Unfortunately I don't have a projector screen and I'm not gonna spend coin for something I only have one use for. And space is limited.
Also there's another wrench in my problem. My region's going into total lock-down in a couple of days so I had to act fast. What's the quickest and most efficient way to build a screen?

It hit me. Those screens are basically a fancy curtain. My original idea was going to incorporate PVC pipe, but couldn't find the correct length. So I had to improvise. While perusing my local department store, I found a tension rod and 3M broom grippers. Make sure to test out if the rod fits in the grippers. Might get raised eyebrows from patrons, but eh? You're wearing a face-mask and minding your business so no worries.

The best part of this build is how easy it is to dismantle and store away.

In total, not including the fabric, this project cost around 20$. With the the fabric, it would probably be between 25-30$. Pretty affordable, tbh. Oh, and it took about an hour to assemble.

• White fabric
• Chalk/Fabric Marker (I used a water-soluble Crayola marker)
• Ruler/ Tape Measure
• T-square
• Pencil
• 3M broom grippers
• Tension rod
• Sewing Machine
• Step Stool

First let's figure out the size of curtain we'll need. Turn on the projector. Use the tape measure to figure out the rough dimensions of the screen. Mine turned out to approximately 66" (173 cm) length X 53" (135 cm) height.
Luckily, I hoard fabric so I already had a spare white curtain. Trim to desired length.

If you don't have any fabric handy, scour your local dollar store or second-hand clothing shop for plain curtains. Try to find the thickest material you can.

Lay down the fabric and hem any cut sides. I used my T-square from the "straightest" side of the fabric to draw a fold line with chalk or fabric marker.

My rule of the thumb is to reserve about 1½" to fold over twice to create the hem. Pin it down (You should iron it also, but I'm not your parent. Do you, babes.) And sew slowly to follow a straight line.

Next, take the tension rod and slide it out to the desired length. So basically, it needs to be about 4" longer than the curtain to accommodate the fabric, but also the broom brackets and leaving enough leeway to shift the screen for the projector.

My curtain came with loops already sewn in. Too bad they were on width-wise. Just cut them off and resewed them on the length of the fabric. Simply laid them out equidistantly before pinning them down.

Clean the ceiling as indicated in the 3M broom gripper directions wherever you intend to stick them. Here, a step stool, T-square and pencil are your friends. From the wall parallel to the direction you intend to project, draw a straight line. It will be your guide on where to guide the grippers.

Or do what I did, and just EYEBALL it. With the rod and curtain assembled, simply open up the grippers, carefully step up the stool and push the rod into the grippers. They should snap into place with relative ease. This might be a two-person step.

Now you can turn off the lights, turn on the projector, fiddle with the focus ring and enjoy your personal home theater! And when you don't need the screen, simply pop the rod out of the grippers and store out of sight. Perfect.

P.S:

Another idea I had was to spray the fabric with a reflective spraypaint, but that was extra steps and ADHD was having none of that. If I ever have the drive to do so, I'll update this guide with the results ;)