When you aim to create your perfect home cinema, it is crucial to select the right paint color for your theater walls and ceiling. The paint affects the reflection of light – from your screen and from windows – so it's worth pausing to consider how to get it right.
To make the picture in your theater room pop, use a dark color for both the walls and the ceiling. Colors such as grey, dark brown, burgundy, or black are good choices. Dark colors minimize light reflection from TVs or projectors. White and light colors should be avoided for the best experience.
When selecting a wall color, it is important to consider such as the style of theater room you want, and what your options are considering your space. After all, very few people will be building a room specifically for a home theater–you'll most likely have windows and other design elements that could affect the experience.
Key Takeaways
- Color Palette: Use dark tones (brown, grey, black) for focused viewing, navy or burgundy for versatility, and lighter shades for natural light exposure.
- Room Considerations: Account for room size, light, and design when choosing colors to optimize the viewing experience.
- Sherwin-Williams Matte Finishes: Opt for their variety of colors in matte finishes, ideal for minimizing screen glare.
What Style Of Theater Room Are You Going For?
First, ask yourself what the purpose of this room will be. What is the style you're going for? Are you planning on kicking back and watching the big game? Or are you going to be binge-watching Netflix?
Before we get into a detailed analysis, below we have a table with recommended paint colors based on the purpose of your room.
| Purpose of Room | Recommended Paint Color |
|---|---|
| Casual Viewing (watching the big game, for example) | Dark grays or browner shades |
| High-Quality Movie Viewing | Black |
| Versatile Use (e.g., movies, games, and gatherings) | Dark brown, dark grey, navy, or burgundy |
| Entertainment and Social Gatherings | Burgundy |
| Daytime Use with Natural Light | Light grey or darker tan |
Casual Viewing Experience: Opt for Dark Brown or Grey
For a more laid-back ambiance, such as when watching sports or casual binge-watching, it's a good idea to use darker shades of brown or gray paint colors. These colors create a focused environment without the intensity of a professional theater setup, making them ideal for a relaxed viewing experience.
Dedicated Movie-Watching Rooms: Go with Black
If you're a movie enthusiast, black paint is one of the best colors to paint a home theater for a quality viewing experience. This choice is perfect for creating a high-end, immersive environment that mimics the feel of a commercial cinema, blocking out distractions and focusing solely on the screen.
Versatile Home Theater Rooms: Dark Brown, Dark Grey, Navy, or Burgundy
Navy and burgundy are great options for versatile theater rooms, providing both style and functionality.. These colors are adept at absorbing light while offering more aesthetic flexibility compared to black. They are perfect for spaces where you spend time for various forms of entertainment, including gaming or casual TV watching.
Entertaining Space: Consider Burgundy
If your theater room doubles as a space for entertaining guests, consider burgundy. This color strikes a balance between providing an immersive movie experience and creating a warm, inviting atmosphere for social gatherings. It’s versatile enough for different types of events, from intense movie marathons to relaxed, friendly get-togethers.
Hosting Movie Nights: Deep Burgundy with Black Ceiling
For those who love hosting movie nights and want a space that resembles a classic cinema, deep burgundy walls paired with a black ceiling are ideal. This combination not only enhances the cinematic experience but also keeps the room welcoming and suitable for different entertainment purposes.
Color Choices for Multi-Functional Spaces
If your goal is to have a theater room that can “do it all,” you'll need to carefully consider your color choices. For a space that accommodates everything from gaming to movie watching, opt for versatile colors like dark grey or navy. These shades allow for a range of activities without compromising the quality of the viewing experience.
What Are The Current Limitations of The Room?
The size and shape of your theater room have implications for how the sound needs to be laid out, and what type of screen you’re going to install (Television or Projector). It also plays into the paint decision.
Changing the room's size isn't possible, and it's best to avoid altering permanent fixtures unless absolutely necessary. If you're all in, and you want a near-perfect home theater, a window is one of the quickest ways to ruin that.
Just imagine– You're in your theater and watching a massive screen in front of you and natural light blasting in through the side. No, thank you.
So what are your options here? To control ambient light, you may want to consider using retractable black-out blinds. You can install a blackout curtain that you slide into place when using the room (we have a guide with more tips on this) If you don't think the light will bother you, or you plan to use the room mostly at night, you may not need to do anything.
However, you should have a plan here before you choose your paint color, because both decisions play into the full effect. If you want full immersion, you can paint the room black, cover the window, or use it at night.
If you want to leave the window uncovered and use the room during the day, black is going to give the space a very small, claustrophobic feel. So, depending on the purpose and versatility of your theater room, you might want something that compliments the space a little more, like a light grey or even a darker tan color.
Fit and Finish of Your Home Theater Paintjob
If you've made it this far, you've likely got a good color choice in mind. But before you get started there are a few final thoughts.
First, the finish of the paint–this might go without saying, but we should say it just in case: do not go with a glossy finish on your paint. The purpose of darker walls is to absorb light and a glossy finish will reflect it.
What you want is a matte finish. It's probably what the paint you're buying comes as by default, but make sure you double-check and ask the employee at the store to make sure!
The Sherwin-Williams offers a wide color scheme, perfect for selecting Home Theater Paint Colors. You can choose the shade, color, and finish when buying almost any type of paint. They also offer a range of matte finishes perfect for minimizing glare.
Finally, if you've got the color picked out, a personalization that some home theater DIYers decide to do is add decorations to the walls, such as a horizontal stripe. Once you know where the TV or projector screen is going to be, you can get out the measuring tape and painter's blue and mark off any designs you want to add.
