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How to Build a Seamless Cyc Wall for Photography

A cyclorama wall is a smooth, rounded white wall used in photography to obtain a smooth background image. The wall reflects light and can provide a variety of effects. Building a cyc wall is a complicated process, but it is relatively inexpensive and will give a serious photographer the ability to enhance her photography skills. It will take at least a week to build this wall, so ensure you have enough time to create the wall before you need to use it.

Things You'll Need

5/8-inch plywood
Table saw
Construction adhesive
1 1/4-inch drywall screws
Power screwdriver
Utility knife
Saber saw
1-by-2 furring strips
Mesh lath
Staples and staple gun
Fiberglass mat
Fiberglass resin
Drywall compound
Putty knife
Sandpaper
Primer
Paint
Paintbrush

Instructions

- 1
  Determine the size that you want to make the cyc wall. It should be large enough to frame whatever image you want to capture. A 10-by-8-foot wall is large enough for most jobs.
- 2
  Cut 5/8-inch plywood into sheets large enough to fill the area. Glue the plywood to the back wall with construction adhesive. Use 1 1/4-inch drywall screws to secure the plywood every 12 inches.
- 3
  Remove any existing floor down to the subfloor. If this is not wood, cover the floor in plywood as you did for the wall.
- 4
  Cut 10 plywood triangles from the 5/8-inch plywood using the saber saw. Make the curves about 8 feet along the longest end and about 5 feet across at the shortest ends. Cut the long end at a curved angle so that the ends of the triangle are about 2 inches wide and the center is about 3 feet wide.
- 5
  Screw the plywood triangles to 1 by 2 furring strips as long as the plywood on the floor and wall every 12 inches. Screw 1/2-inch plywood strips horizontally between each curved piece.
- 6
  Layer the curved area of the cyc with mesh lath. Staple the lath to the curved edge.
- 7
  Layer the cyc with a layer of fiberglass. Apply two layers of fiberglass with resin on top. Allow the fiberglass to dry for 24 hours between applications.
- 8
  Coat the cyc with drywall compound. Allow each layer to dry for 2 hours, then sand with sandpaper. Apply a total of 4 layers of drywall compound.
- 9
  Paint over the cyc with primer and then white paint. Allow the paint to dry for 2 hours before using the cyc.

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