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I've got 18 month and 2 1/2 year old boys. I'm considering purchasing a TV, and I'm concerned about the occasional lapse in judgement. (e.g.: The odd toy being thrown at the screen in a fit of uncontrolled anger) What material would be easiest and ideal for protecting my 46"-55" screen from infrequent projectiles. (I'm not expecting it to have to take a huge beating, but it should be able to deflect a pen or maybe a matchbox car)

The clearer the better, but my guess is I can get rid of the protector in 18 months or so anyway, so this is not a permanent solution.

I've seen the following, but was hoping to get in a little cheaper (particularly since the 55" version is $240)

I'm considering a basic acrylic, but not sure if this is the best choice or not.

cgp
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  • I've worked with acrylic, but never trying to cut pieces that large ... I'd be inclined to get it cut at the hardware store if you can, as it took me a few tries to figure out how deep I had to score it before cracking so I'd get a straight break. (if it break to the side, if it's larger than what you need, it's really hard to clean up the edge ... if large, you can try a brake for bending sheet metal, but a lot of sanding is generally best.) – Joe Feb 09 '11 at 13:40

2 Answers2

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You could use a sheet of Polycarbonate Lexan, It will stand up well to projectiles.

When you no longer need it, you could convert it into a whiteboard as @Peter Bridger did.

Community
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Tester101
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Go with Acrylic, as you suggested yourself. It's cheap, durable, flexible and easy to clean.

trip0d199
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  • Out of curiosity, have you used acrylic (or any other coating) yourself? I'm not doubting your answer, but I'd be interested in any personal experience you may have had. – Phrogz Feb 09 '11 at 05:46
  • Not for this particular type of application. But I have used it before for windows, and it is very easy to work with. – trip0d199 Feb 09 '11 at 13:18
  • +1 I liked both answers, it strikes me that this line was indeed unanswerable. I thought there might be some incontrovertible fact which swayed the answer in one direction or another, but it turns out no. – cgp Feb 10 '11 at 23:26