How should i lay out my darkroom?

So, Im fortunate enough to be living at home and going to school right now, and even more fortunate that my mom is letting me convert the tool room in the house into my darkroom, im undergoing the conversion process on my own right now, and this is what i have so far.

The room i will have is about 5x8 (I have to put up a wall to devide the room and that workbench will stay there.
This is a list of equipment i have. I picked it all up for 500 bucks about 6 months ago.

Durst Color Laborator1000 enlarger, SN 7782 with:
CLS 450 Color Head, sn 7773 and
Durst TRA power supply, sn 74558
EPI ST 450 Timer/ Voltage Stablizer
Schneider Componon S 150mm f 5.6 lens sn12544624
Schneider Componon S f 2.8 50mm lens, sn 1440758
Schneider Componon S f 4 80mm lens, sn 14356625
Leica f2.8 enlarging lens,
Jobo CPA2/CPP2 processor and lift
Jobo tanks, 8x10 (2), 11x14,16x20, 20x24
Jobo chemical storage containers for processor
2 Delta 24" x 48" darkroom sinks
2 8x10 paper safes
11x14 paper safe
16x20 paper safe
20x24 paper safe
Graylab Model 300 darkroom timer, sn 89081584
Premeir Safe Lights (3)
Saunders Heavy Duty Professional Easel 20x24
11x14 archival Print washer
Numerous accessories:
trays, graduated mixing containers
tongs, large plate glass squeege surface, in-line thermometer
for mixing hot and cold water,
Patterson and Jobo 35 and 2 1/4 film processing tanks


So lets hear it, what would be the mose effective way to lay this out? Any helpful tips would be appreciated.

THANKS!

On paper first!

good call, and i just discovered the darkroom portraits thread, im going to have a look through that and see if i cant get some ideas

Is there water in the room?

i should be able to run water to it, and drainage wise, we talked about trying to run that, or have everything drain into a 5 gallon bucket, and have a sump pump to pump it into a sink in the garage. the room is attatched to the house

Some suggestions:

1. Block off the window, but do it in a way that is removable. In fact, it would not be a bad idea to have the window available as an emergency egress in the event of fire. A sheet of plywood held in place with wooden cleats would be adequate although not pretty.

2. Think long and hard about what you plan to do in the darkroom. 5x8' is about right for a decent darkroom, but you will probably be limited in the size prints that you can make. You mentioned 16x20 and 20x24 - - - maybe not.

3. Buy your trays, and then lay out four (developer, stop, fix, and rinse) on the floor, and measure how much space that requires. Add 6" to find the minimum inside dimensions of the wet side sink.

4. Visit as many darkrooms as you can to get ideas before you start construction.

5. Don't forget ventilation.

It's easier to add electrical outlets now than after sinks, tables, and cabinets are installed. In my darkroom I counted 15 items plugged in: safelights, other lights, radios, voltage regulator, a timer, and even an enlarger. Since most are very low wattage, a web of extension cords and power strips could do, but it's better to install lots of outlets with ground fault circuit interruptors at least on the wet side.

Shelves, or better yet, cabinets, above the sink efficiently utilize otherwise unused space. If an exhaust system is planned, consider the outlet vents over the sinks before installing shelves or cabinets.

5x8 isn't huge by any means, but workable. I'd consider having the enlarger on the end of the room and the sink then running the long way. That should give you 6 feet-ish of sink and a workable dry area. Definitely lay it out. In fact, I'd lay it out on the floor with chalk or cut out paper including outlet locations and plumbing locations. Then, put the trays, enlarger, etc in place and make sure you are considering everything. Life-size is better than graph paper any day. Since you won't be there forever, you might also consider how the sink can be moved at some point too.

Great room, I was able to build my own darkroom also and I was so happy with the way it came out, I know your going to love having one of your own. I think all the important things have been mentioned, dont forget the lock on the door and if your using florecent lights take care to have a extra lamp or light soruce for some reason they glow after you turn them off and I found out the hard way it can fog your paper and if i had not learn then before it could have messed up my film.
I look forward to seeing your room when its all done. Have fun.

The logical thing, given that you have two 4' sinks is to arrange them down the side with a bench at the end to hold the enlarger etc. Only snag there is that the bench will only be three feet wide unless you extend it over a sink to take in the whole five feet width of the room. Another option is to sell the sinks and get a single six feet one which will be just the right size to allow a full-width dry bench at the end.

There is not really enough width to allow a dry-side bench to run parallel with the sinks: a 2' wide bench + 2' wide sinks would only leave you 1' to move around in. You could try an 18" dry bench but then the enlarger base will stick out so it would probably need to go at the very end and it would still be a tight squeeze. Last thing you need is to feel claustrophobic in a place where you are supposed to be relaxed and creative!

If you are going to use the Jobo to make prints, rather than using trays/dishes, then you may be able to get away with just one of your 4' sinks to hold the Jobo, but you will still want room for one or two trays for toning etc as you would not do that inside the Jobo.

As others suggested, lay it out first. See if you can live with a three feet wide area for the enlarger or you need the whole five. Five feet is a very reasonable width for the enlarger and all the bits you need around you when enlarging. Three feet will do - many communal darkrooms have the enlargers in bays of that size or smaller - but try it and see.

Ideally you want air extraction close to the sinks and to pull the fumes away from you. This may be tricky if the sinks are not on the wall with the window - unless there is another location out of sight in your picture - so you may have to knock through the wall. I'd also recommend acting on Jim Jones' comments re' cabinets and electricals. Budget-priced white kitchen units make good darkroom cabinets. Figure out how many sockets you think you need - then double it...

Put something soft on the floor such as industrial rubber matting or wood planking etc with insulation under it and install heating/aircon depending on your local climate. Make it comfortable and practical to work in and you will reap the benefits.

Good luck, Bob.

All the advice so far is right on the mark. Here are mine:
Make sure trau surfaces are at a heighth which is comfortable for you the way you work. If you intend to work standing up higher than usual will lessen fatigue.

I painted the inside of my darkroom a kind of safelight yellow color.

Make sure you have music.

Thanks for all the tips guys!

this just in, i actually measured the room, and it is actually 6'2" wide, you think 26 inches will be enough work space?

adamhas said:

Thanks for all the tips guys!

this just in, i actually measured the room, and it is actually 6'2" wide, you think 26 inches will be enough work space?

Click to expand...

That should be fine, but try it out: you have the sink and a chest of drawers there for a temporary mock-up.

Have fun, Bob.