The siding on my house is Hardieplank cement fiber board.

I have a 20lb manual pull down projector screen that I would like to hang onto the side of my house to create an outdoor theater.

The studs are 16 inches apart, and the length of the screen is 92". How do I go about hanging something this heavy on the Hardieplank when the studs don't line up with the hooks on the screen? Should I just return the screen and opt for one that can be hung on a stand?

  • 1
    Like anything that one hangs on a wall, finding something on which the built-in hanging scheme lines up with teh studs is a fool's errand. IOW you are not going to find something that has built-in holes/hooks/etc that are 16" apart. – mike65535 Apr 29 '19 at 17:29
  • Do you intend on leaving the screen outside permanently? Or will you bring it inside if there's nothing planned for the near future? – Criggie Apr 30 '19 at 4:36

Mount a board on the wall and then mount the screen on the board.

Get an 8 foot cedar or pressure treated 2x6, you can then use timber screws to mount it to the wall insuring you hit the studs. You will need to pre-drill both the 2x6 and the cement siding, the hole in the siding should be as big as the screw and the hole in the board should be just smaller then the screw. This will prevent the board and siding from splitting.

I would think three studs would be sufficient for the weight of the screen.

Put some Quad silicone in the hole in the siding and the hole in the 2x6 to prevent water from entering the wall.

You may want to use spacers behind the board, cedar or composite shims also pre-drilled, so that the board sits off the wall by a 1x4 inch. This will allow air to get in and prevent water getting trapped, it will also help to put the board at the correct angle if your siding is typical lap siding.

You now have solid surface to mount your screen to.

  • PVC/composite deck boards would make rot proof install. Some Z flashing over the board will keep the siding dry. – HerrBag May 3 '19 at 16:44

I've dealt with this issue by using chains (although, not outdoors, and it was a more permanent installation, so I didn't have to keep hanging & removing it).

Basically, you attach brackets at the studs as high as you can, and attach chains to them. You then attach the screen to the end of the chains.

You want the brackets to be as high up as possible, so the angle of the chains is as close to vertical as possible. (this reduces the amount of horizontal force on the brackets).

If you don't have a lot of vertical space to work with, go with Alaska Man's recommendation.

  • 5
    Other than "lag hooks or lag eyes" rather than brackets, exactly what I have done. Advantage to the hook or eye is it's NOT particularly optimized for vertical force as a bracket is, so angle is fine - and angle is GOOD for not having the screen sway back and forth, as it will from near-vertical longer chains. S-hooks or using lag hooks will make for easy mounting/demounting. – Ecnerwal Apr 29 '19 at 18:52
  • @Ecnerwal : good point on the swaying -- I don't deal with too much wind inside. We're using brackets to keep the screens off the walls and/or windows. Even have one case where there's two screens mounted one in front of the other. (different aspect ratios, but you always have to pull the back one in the daytime to cover the window) – Joe Apr 29 '19 at 22:21

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