Frequently Asked Questions
Why Goo and not just regular wall paint?
Wall paint is designed and engineered principally to cover an underlying surface and to provide color in a room. These are relatively straightforward objectives and they are accomplished by paint manufacturers through the use of an inexpensive dispersion medium (typically, water-based acrylic or an oil-based medium) to which a pigment or pigments are added to provide color. Usually, relatively small amounts of pigment are used and then supplemented with extenders whose main purpose is to reduce the amount of expensive pigment required to produce the desired color. This can be done because the quantity of light reflected by wall paint is relatively unimportant.
By contrast, Screen Goo has been specifically engineered to accurately reflect and disperse the complex colored light patterns produced by video projectors. To that end, Screen Goo starts by employing a premium acrylic dispersion with very low light absorption characteristics and excellent durability. To minimize light loss and to ensure color fidelity, Screen Goo uses much greater concentrations of pigment than those found in house paint. These pigments are carefully chosen to accurately reflect the full spectrum of color produced by video projectors as opposed to house paints where the goal is to reflect that portion of the light which produces the single desired color. In addition, Goo Systems employs proprietary dispersion and pigment treatment techniques to maximize the reflective properties of the pigments employed. These techniques require custom built machinery and are very time and labor intensive.
Lastly, unlike wall paint which involves the application of a single product, a Screen Goo application consists of two different products. Screen Goo Reflective Coats provide an ideal reflective surface to which a diffusive, color correct Finish Coat is added. It is the combination of the reflective Reflective Coat and the diffusive Finish Coat which gives a Screen Goo screen its remarkable qualities of high reflectivity, color accuracy, wide viewing angles and excellent contrast. The icing on the cake is the very special sense of image depth, or feeling of looking into the picture that only a Screen Goo screen provides.
Why Grey?
One of the key properties of high quality projected video is contrast. Contrast is defined as the difference between the brightest and darkest portions of an image. The latest generations of digital projectors have very little difficulty in producing high levels of brightness. However, the darker areas of an image, specifically black areas, are a different matter entirely. Black is defined as the absence of light. Any light in a room, even light produced by the projector and reflected from the room's wall and ceilings, will compromise the accurate reproduction of black. By using a neutral grey reflective surface, or screen, the levels of incidental or unwanted light can be significantly reduced without affecting color accuracy and overly compromising image brightness. Less unwanted reflected light means better black levels, which in turn means enhanced contrast. Unless the viewing room is completely light controlled, including dark, non-reflective walls and ceiling, a grey screen will always provide better black levels and higher contrast than a white screen. Goo Systems' "Which Goo" online calculator will help you decide which of the Screen Goo grey coatings will provide the maximum possible contrast in your room with your projector.
Cleaning and Maintenance of a Goo Screen
A Screen Goo finish is very matte and such finishes are, by nature, porous. This means they hold dirt more aggressively than semi-gloss or gloss surfaces. Care should be taken to keep the surface dust and dirt free. Matte surfaces can be damaged by forceful scrubbing and abrasives of any kind should never be used.
Should your screen surface require cleaning beyond keeping it dust-free, these are the steps to follow:
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Vacuum the surface using a soft brush attachment, removing any dust and debris.
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Prepare a bucket of warm, mildly soapy water. A tablespoon of dish soap in a 5 gallon bucket is suggested.
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Using a soft, well-wrung sponge, to avoid any drips, gently daub and rub any sticky dirt off the surface.
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Still avoiding drips, gently sponge wash the entire surface.
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Using a bucket of clean water and a fresh, well-wrung sponge, rinse the the surface of any remaining soap residue.
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Dry the surface with soft, lint-free cloths. Gently daub the rinse water off the surface, again avoiding scrubbing.
Who Uses Screen Goo?
Screen Goo products are being used by all levels of the video industry from do-it-yourself home theater aficionados to large scale commercial and industrial clients.
What Can I Put It On?
Recommended Substrates
Front projection Screen Goo can be applied to any smooth paintable surface. Many materials other than the products listed below can be used successfully. For best results the surface should be flat and smooth. If this surface to be coated is not smooth, it should be sanded down and wiped off prior to applying the Screen Goo Reflective Coat. Porous surfaces such as drywall, gyproc, and wood based materials such as plywood, particle board, MDF, should be sealed with a flat, white latex primer prior to applying Screen Goo Reflective Coat. Colored surfaces should also be primed with a flat, white latex.
Sintra Board - Sintra is an excellent material to apply Screen Goo front projection coatings to. It is very hard and durable and requires no priming prior to being "Goo'ed". It is, however, somewhat floppy and should be supported to ensure a flat viewing surface. We suggest choosing white and a minimum 6mm thickness. Gatorfoam - Gatorfoam is another excellent choice for "Goo'ing". It is light weight and rigid enough to be self-supporting. It is, however, prone to denting and should probably not be used in high traffic areas or to stop hockey pucks. No priming is required. We suggest choosing white and a minimum 1/2 inch thickness.
To find a Sintra or Gator distributor near you, click here: http://www.lairdplastics.com/content/section/4/39/ Blackout Cloth - 3 pass foam, sometimes called blackout cloth, is an excellent fabric substrate for a front projection Goo application. No priming or special preparation is required before "Goo'ing". This material can be used with a stretcher frame to make a lightweight, portable Goo Screen. It is sold by the yard and available in widths up to 110". Rolled Screen Goo applications are not recommended for blackout cloth. Spraying will give optimal results with this substrate.
