DIY Backyard Movie Theater

Outdoor holiday entertainment season is finally here, so I helped to transform my parents’ backyard into an outdoor movie theater to host our upcoming family parties! This was a super fun project that only took a few days to complete! Here’s how I did it!

How To Make A Backyard Movie Theater Outdoors!

This project is sponsored by The Home Depot and contains affiliate links.  For more details on my partnership & privacy policies, click here.

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My parents’ backyard is the absolute hang spot for my family (although, I might be a bit biased since my workshop is there). They love entertaining year round in this space, and are super serious about their holiday hosting. So, I partnered up with my awesome friends at The Home Depot for their #THDDoerProject campaign to help create an outdoor movie space for them!

Here’s what the space looked like before:

And, here’s what it looks like now!

This project was so easy to complete! I usedThe Home Depot App’s Paint Calculator to calculate how much stain was required for the outdoor theater wall as well as the Augmented  Reality feature to help visualize furniture in the space! I also tried the new ProjectColor app to help pick a color scheme for the new décor! 

Download The Home Depot’s Mobile App to make your next project easier: http://homedepot.sjv.io/b3NOeB  

Download The ProjectColor App to help plan  your next project here: http://homedepot.sjv.io/n1EXzx 

What I Used:

Tools
Brad Nailer
Miter Saw
Level
Tape Measure
Concrete Mixing Tub
Post Digger

Materials
Pressure Treated 1 x 4 Boards
Pressure Treated 4 x 4 Boards
BEHR Wood Stain
 Concrete

Home Theater Items
Projector Screen
Projector
Bluetooth Rock Speakers

Home Decor Items
Bar Cart
Fire Pit
Dining Table
Dining Chairs
Dining Bench
Outdoor Lights
Outdoor Umbrella
Umbrella Base

The Steps:

1. First step was to figure out how big we wanted out movie screen backer to be. The projector screen we purchased was 6 feet wide, so we decided to make the screen backer 8 feet wide. Once we figured that out, we measured where the three posts would go and evenly spaced them out.

We then dug holes for each post with a post digger and added gravel at the bottom for drainage.

2. Next, we marked how deep the posts needed to go and secured them inside of each opening with concrete. As I poured the concrete, my dad used a level to make sure each post was perfectly straight.

3. While the concrete dried, I focused my attention on cutting, sanding, and staining the 1×4 slat boards for the backer. I also stained the posts to match.

4. Once everything was dry, I added the 1×4 slats to the 4×4 posts using brad nails and a level. I also used a scrap 2×4 to make sure the spacing was consistent between boards.

5. I then added the projector screen to the backer using a small hook (I did have to remove the screen from the housing it came in to do this).

6. Last step was to add some decorative touches – like a new dining table and fire pit!

I also added some solar powered Bluetooth rock speakers to pair with the projector (which my parents keep on a rolling bar cart).

Now we can enjoy movies outside all year round!

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