Opinions on Darkroom Flooring?

Zebra · Aug 13, 2008

I have a room in our new house that will allow me to have my first dedicated darkroom--so cool ya know? Anyway the room had nasty on top of nasty carpet in the room that had to be yanked out. Now I have a wood sub floor waiting for a good floor to be added on top that will work well with its intended purpose of being a darkroom. The room is about 12 x 18 feet if that plays a role in your suggestions.

Thoughts and suggestions please. Although spending others money is one of lifes great joys it should be said I don't have much for you to spend so if its all the same keep the suggestions to middlin' to fair and we should be good.

Thanks in advance,

Zebra
Monty

TheFlyingCamera · Aug 13, 2008

Something very resilient and flexible, that will not inflict strain on your legs and back. There are two routes you can take with this- the super-cheap-for-now, will-have-to-replace-it-soon route, or the invest-more-up-front route. You can get some super-cheap-ass Pergo-wannabe flooring, and then put a layer of self-stick vinyl tiles on top, that will give you a forgiving floor to stand on, and something water resistant that you don't care if you stain with chemicals. I've got a bare concrete floor in my darkroom, on top of which I have a thick closed-cell foam floor mat to stand on, which easily allows me an extra hour or more of darkroom worktime per session compared to working on the concrete. The self-stick tiles are about $1/sq ft, maybe a bit more, at Home Depot.

srs5694 · Aug 13, 2008

I went with the cheapest floor tiles I could find at my local Lowes. I put them down about three years ago, and they look far from new now. As TheFlyingCamera suggests, this approach is good if you want something that's reasonably water resistant and that you won't care about marring with spilled chemicals. Even these cheap tiles are a vast vast vast improvement over what had been in my darkroom (beat up ugly wood -- not the sort that could ever be made to look nice, just utility flooring for a basement).

fschifano · Aug 13, 2008

I have a concrete floor in the darkroom because it is in the basement. I thought about painting it with garage paint, but didn't bother. So now the concrete has some stains. Big deal. Instead of a yielding floor mat, I just wear good walking shoes. I also have a small stool that folds up so I can sit every once in a while. But on to your problem.

Concrete is out of the question. If you think about it, the requirements for a darkroom floor are no different from those of a kitchen floor. You need a waterproof surface that's easy to clean with a damp mop. Vinyl tiles can fit the bill, or even linoleum. It doesn't have to be fancy. See what's available in Home Depot or Lowes.

jd callow · Aug 13, 2008

If I could do it any way I'd like I'd have ceramic tile floors with the thick hexagon patterned rubber matts (the kind found in fornt of dishwasher stations in finer and not so fine restaurants) on top by the sinks and other areas where I stand. My knees and lower back start to bitch after a few long days in the DR and I have found that carpet and the foam under carpet crap (can't think of the technical term) works wonders, but is worthless with regard to dust and can become smelly when it gets wet.

Steve Smith · Aug 13, 2008

Another option is vinyl floor covering which is continued up the wall about 4" instead of skirting board and sealed at the corners to make it easy to clean and to contain any spills.

Steve.

Monophoto · Aug 13, 2008

I used self-adhesive vinyl tile in my basement darkroom mainly to have some kind of covering over the bare concrete - concrete is a major source of dust unless it is either covered or sealed.

But concrete is hard on the knees. I found some 2 foot square rubber pads at Lowes (available in both black and mixed colors) that I used in both the darkroom and in a basement workshop. They came in a package of four, and have an interlocking edge design. The 1/2" thick rubber makes prolonged standing sessions bearable.

Last week, I was browsing through the local Harbor Freight store and saw the same rubber pads for about half the price I paid at Lowes.

jp80874 · Aug 13, 2008

Monty,

Sooner or later you are going to have a spill. We all have. That is one reason basements with drains are popular darkroom locations. Since this doesn't read as if it is in the basement, a BIG spill and its ramifications should be considered. If the spill is nasty like fixer the smell could be with you for years. When a spill flows to a wall it can migrate into the wall and under it to the next room. The smell that my wife had encountered at college darkrooms was her main objection to having an at home darkroom. Huge effective ventilation fans and a floor drain for sloshing out a mess were factors in overcoming that fear. I don't know how to build a drain above the basement, but I would find out if I were at your house. I would think it is not much different than adding a bathroom, but it is a consideration I would make.

John Powers

srs5694 · Aug 13, 2008

Others have mentioned flooring that's easy on the feet/legs/back/etc. This can be a concern, but another way around it is to design your darkroom around a comfortable rolling chair. That's what I did (although my chair is cheap and not as comfortable as I'd like). Prior to really doing the darkroom up "proper," I had to stand, but when I put in the floors, tiles, etc., I designed the tables to be at comfortable working height when sitting. This is far easier on me than standing for 2-4 hours had been. Obviously not everybody does this, but it is an option, and it might impact your choice of flooring material.

J Ollinger · Aug 13, 2008

I'd get something that's easy to clean or mop in case you spill something, and a non-slip pad or rug to stand on.

Harrigan · Aug 13, 2008

My dkrm is in the basement and has a concrete floor. On top of that I have some tradeshow flooring squares. It works great and comes apart and can be hosed off if you have a spill. Actually I just had to hose them down as a very old jug of developer leeched all over hell. Anyway cheap for me since they were free.

Another suggestion for permanent flooring, even cheaper and higher quality that vinyl peel stick tiles is VCT tiles. Vinyl composite tiles cost me about 50 cents/SF a few years ago (on sale) but I have no idea what they cost now with oil...This is the type of commercial flooring found in grocery stores etc. You do need a super flat sub floor with vct.

jgcull · Aug 13, 2008

I've got black vinyl (I think) tiles and a rubber mat over it to ease the strain on my legs. Got broken veins anyway. Oh well...

Kino · Aug 13, 2008

I have my darkroom in the basement and I painted the floor with 2 part epoxy garage paint with "traction chips" you sprinkle in the paint while wet.

You can find it in about any major chain Lumber Yard...

On top of that, I went to my favorite cheap tool store, Harbor Freight Tools, and picked up a couple of bundles of black, foam rubber interlocking tiles for less than $30 and ran it in front of my sink, enlarger and Jobo.

Its lightweight and easy to pull up and take outside and hose off when you need to clean up.

So far, so good...

David A. Goldfarb · Aug 13, 2008

jd callow said:
If I could do it any way I'd like I'd have ceramic tile floors with the thick hexagon patterned rubber matts (the kind found in fornt of dishwasher stations in finer and not so fine restaurants) on top by the sinks and other areas were I stand.

I've been thinking the same thing. You can find that sort of thing at www.zesco.com to see what's available. Search on "floor mats."

jd callow · Aug 13, 2008

yep this is the item:
http://www.zesco.com/products.cfm?pGroupID=ZP99201001&subCatID=1920

David Brown · Aug 13, 2008

Zebra said:
The room is about 12 x 18 feet if that plays a role in your suggestions.

Monty:

I just replaced the flooring in my darkroom. I had seamless sheet vinyl for 12 years and had to replace it after a water leak caused some damage. It was easier to replace the vinyl than try and save it. Vinyl comes in 12 ft wide rolls so you could get your DR in one piece. This is not expensive (relatively) and the lack of seams does help if there is a large spill or water leak! Take it from experience.

Oh, and as long as I was "remodeling" the floor, I put in a floor drain. If it's possible, I (and others) recommend one.

And regardless of the floor material, I agree with all the others about rubber mats. Got those, too.

resummerfield · Aug 13, 2008

jd callow said:
If I could do it any way I'd like I'd have ceramic tile floors......

That's what I thought, too, and built my darkroom with 12-inch ceramic tiles. It's great for dust control, and chemicals don't hurt it, but...... whatever you drop that isn't stainless steel is a goner. A few years ago I dropped a Durst 1200 neg carrier and I'm still finding slivers of glass when I mop. But it does look nice when the lights are on!

If I were doing it again, I would use a high quality sheet vinyl. The high quality variety will last longer, show less wear, and give slightly more cushion. And it won't destroy everything that drops!

dbonamo · Aug 13, 2008

I am in the same situation, I am considering Armstrong Excelon commercial tile. They are about 70cents each but they are not peel and stick, however they appear more durable. I found them at Lowes,

Bruce Osgood · Aug 13, 2008

I wouldn't use anything with holes in it. They will trap spills and when you lift them to mop there is always some remaining on the underside of the mat. I would use a solid, thick as you can get for cushioning and mop the surface, not have to lift them.

Look for something called 'fatigue mats' or runners.

Tori8x10 · Aug 13, 2008

Hey Monty! Since you already have the wood sub-floor you're going to have more "give" than you would have with concrete anyway. The linoleum tiles are cool because you can get them in many different colors and can make a pattern of your choice. I agree with some of the others about the anti-fatigue mats with the holes in them. They just collect dirt and I didn't find that they helped much anyway. Get a couple of these https://www.gelpro.com/ and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven... seriously! They don't have a Zebra pattern but they do have rattlesnake. Enjoy the new darkroom!

Tori

jd callow · Aug 14, 2008

Bruce Osgood said:
I wouldn't use anything with holes in it. They will trap spills and when you lift them to mop there is always some remaining on the underside of the mat. I would use a solid, thick as you can get for cushioning and mop the surface, not have to lift them.

Look for something called 'fatigue mats' or runners.

Thats probably a good point. I like them becasue they seem to have xtra cush and can be hosed down easily.

Nige · Aug 14, 2008

I've got carpet with underlay. I've never spilled anything on it. I don't worry about dust as my negs are kept clean and no matter what you do, you still need to do a final check of the neg just before putting it in the enlarger. I do very little spotting.

Jon King · Aug 14, 2008

dbonamo said:
I am in the same situation, I am considering Armstrong Excelon commercial tile. They are about 70cents each but they are not peel and stick, however they appear more durable. I found them at Lowes,

I'm looking at the same thing. My darkroom is in a finished attic, not basement, so everything is on a painted subfloor right now. The commercial tiles are cheaper and more durable than any alternative i've found. If a few get damaged I can pop them up and replace them. The vinyl roll flooring is a very good idea too though.

Ai Print · Aug 11, 2016

I am currently very close to securing commercial property that will allow me to have a reasonable sized darkroom and large basement storage area for dry mount / archival storage and other related dry side wares for my photography business.

The building is mixed use containing business offices, a massage therapist, dentist, etc and was approved this week by both the zoning office and environmental department for a darkroom / artist studio operation. The space for the darkroom is currently the office of a CPA and will be plumbed, has a modern tile floor. As this is a very clean building I am very concerned about keeping fumes at bay, possible spills contained and fellow tenant fears of a stinky, spilly darkroom abated.

One of the first things I want to address is the flooring. On the wet side, I will be using both a modern 9" foot Leedal stainless steel sink and a purpose built wooden one for the CPP3 processor and print washers. So I still want some form of catch all underneath the wet side which is about 14 feet long. I was thinking of using the solution mentioned above of heavy grade vinyl that rolls up the wall about 4" inches. I just need to be able to be sure that that any spills are not going to high tail it for the door which lets out to the main hallway / common area.

I have a modest TI budget ( Tenant Improvement ) for this so I am open to all suggestions.

ozphoto · Aug 12, 2016

I ended up putting vinyl flooring in my darkroom - got some "offcuts" from a flooring place.

It's not the prettiest design (i.e. I'd never use it in a house), but the colour and pattern is just fine for the darkroom: large squares in a darker brown on a lighter brown background. On the plus side, it hides any stains I can't remove *very* well.

Has been in place for over 20 years and still going strong. I do admit to cleaning it after use (especially if any spills happen), and as I'm away for long periods, I do give it a quick mop about an 30-40 minutes before using the darkroom, just to remove any dust accumulation.

Opinions on Darkroom Flooring?

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