Backdrop Backer Board

I used 1/8” Masonite in all places except on one curve (12″ radius) where the Masonite could not bend enough.  There, I used 1/16” thick plastic sheeting from Lowe’s that is smooth on one side, pebbly on the other and is normally hung in shower stalls.  All sheet material was cut and then screwed in to 1X4’s that had been secured to the wall, making sure that any joints had a 1X4 behind them.  Thus, all sheeting is set away from the wall by 3/4″ allowing the use of C-clamps to secure things when needed.  This was important in hanging the backdrops and the grids for the frosted panels that covered the lights later.

I used #6 all-purpose screws with a Torx head to secure the sheets to the 1X4’s.  Even though I drilled pilot holes and provided a counter sink profile, the Masonite still bunched up some around the head of the screws.  On the plastic sheeting, the screws had a harder time holding so I used longer screws.

Any bunched-up material was sanded down.  Screws were covered with at least 2 coats of drywall mud.  Over the joint seams, I mudded in mesh drywall tape, finishing with 3 coats of mud and sanded with 220 grit sandpaper.  I felt with my hands to find any spots that needed rework.  I waited 24 hours between drywall mud coats.

As the backdrop printer (RailroadBackdrops.com) says to use acrylic primer, and not latex paint, I used Zinsser’s acrylic primer;  it’s called Bull’s Eye 1-2-3 water-based primer.  I used a foam roller to put a single coat over the entire backer board setup, yielding a uniform color.  Also you now have a perfect surface on which to write your marking lines in pencil.  I let the primer dry for 3 days.