Darkroom floor options?

wildbill · May 29, 2011

I'm putting a darkroom in a room that has a 11x11ft hardwood floor and moulding. I need to cover it with something that's waterproof, non-permanent, and relatively affordable. I looked at linoleum yesterday that say it can be installed with a non-glue option. About $120 at lowes. I'm not sure how i'd hold it down on the edges. I could add a moulding strip i suppose.

What options for flooring am i missing?

Bob-D659 · May 29, 2011

A sheet of 6 mil poly topped with those colourful two foot square stiff interlocking foam tiles for children's play areas.

Edit: The benefits are, easy on the feet, warm on the feet, washable, reusable, colourful, inexpensive. You can also get the drab grey ones for use in a garage.

Barry S · May 29, 2011

^^^^^^^^^^^
What Bob said.

Those foam tiles are the best darkroom flooring I've ever used. I bought my boring charcoal grey ones at Costco.

wildbill · May 29, 2011

I had those in my last darkroom but without the plastic. I had a few spills
My only concern is the enlargers. I'd like to cover the entire floor with the same material but mushy stuff won't be good for enlargers and cabinets. Maybe plastic all over, then remove foam n certain areas.

BetterSense · May 30, 2011

I put down sticky vinyl tiles, but if you want something that will not harm the hardwood floor underneath you could use the foam interlocking panels or you could put down that laminate floating floor. Some of that stuff is really cheap and it just sits on the floor underneath; no glue.

Rick A · May 30, 2011

Go ahead and spend the money on the sheet vinyl and cut to fit. Then get some quarter-round moulding to hold the edges down. After that, I too recommend the foam interlocking tiles in the main work area. I have the brightly colored ones, my feet love me. FYI, the foam tiles can be rinsed off to keep clean. I take mine up once a month and mop the floor, rinse the squares and let air dry, reinstall.

Dan Henderson · May 30, 2011

Vinny: Do you really need to cover the entire floor, or can you get by with just the area around the sink to catch the occasional drip or oversplash with some rubber matting?
Dan

Darkroom floor options?

wildbill

Bob-D659

Barry S

wildbill

BetterSense

Rick A

Dan Henderson

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