what to put over carpet?

[robbiedillon]

i'm setting up a darkroom in an extra bedroom (the garage is far too hot/stuffy/cramped to put it there) and am trying to think of what to put down over the carpet to protect it. i've thought of things like weightroom mats, etc but those all seem to be pretty pricey. anyone have an idea of something that wouldn't break the bank but still keep the carpet protected?

 

[SteveH]

Would it be impossible to roll the carpet up ?

 

[robbiedillon]

i wish.. it's wall-to-wall carpet and i'm just renting the house so i can't pull it up.

 

[Bob F.]

Cheaper (but smaller) version of those mats might be sleeping pads from an outdoors shop. Heavy duty polythene used as damp-proofing membrane: possibly with cotton dustsheet on top to make it less slippery. Sheet flooring material (linoleum type stuff). You can get plastic carpet runners used to protect carpets which are anti-slip. Depends how much you need to cover.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[Craig]

How about a sheet of plywood?

 

[Roger Hicks]

Vinyl flooring? Try offcuts...

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Bruce Osgood]

You might consider covering the w/w carpet with w/w drop cloth. To hold it in place a few fatigue mats around the border or whatever you use for tables, benchs, stands would hold it in place. You may tend to trip over it in the center where you walk though. But, it is an idea

 

[Mike Kennedy]

I went to my local carpet warehouse and got a bunch of miss matched "ends" for $30.00. I uses them for a year and then chuck em.

Mike

 

[tommy5c]

Depending on the size you want, you might be able to get some linoleum and cut it to fit the room. this would make clean up easy if you raised the edges so it pooled in the middle. Best of all if you don't mind hideous you might find some really cheap stuff.

 

[BrianShaw]

I would think that any overlay on w-to-w carpet would be prone to potential leakage... in which cae you'd end up paying to have the carpet replaced anyway. Have you asked the landlord if h'e let you have the carpet taken up and professionally replaced. Done correctly, there is no damage done to the carpet.

 

[donbga]

i'm setting up a darkroom in an extra bedroom (the garage is far too hot/stuffy/cramped to put it there) and am trying to think of what to put down over the carpet to protect it. i've thought of things like weightroom mats, etc but those all seem to be pretty pricey. anyone have an idea of something that wouldn't break the bank but still keep the carpet protected?

The simple answer to your problem is to use a heavy guage plastic; the same as used for vapor barriers in building construction. This product is used frequently to protect flooring during remodeling projects.

You should be able to tuck the edges under the baseboards stretching it to a tight fit. You may need to staple the plastic to the tacking strips to secure the plastic for long periods of use. You may also wish to tape the plastic to the baseboard as another measure of securing the plastic and protecting the carpet.

 

[Jim Noel]

If your carpet is laid on a concrete slab and you cover it for any length of time with a vapor barrier such as plastic or linoleum you are likely to get mold growing in the carpet.

Temporary coverings such as plastic runners only in place when you are working should take care of the problem. The carpet remnants also sound like a good idea.

 

[robbiedillon]

thanks for the fast help everyone.. i might try a few of those ideas. ugly 80s linoleum, here i come! it's been years since i haven't had to pay for darkroom use so i'm pretty excited about having my own again.

 

[robbiedillon]

good point about the mold in the carpet. i hadn't really thought of that. being in florida, it would pose a pretty big concern... i found some big rubber backed floor mats (5') that i might lay a couple down and remove from time to time.

 

[donbga]

If your carpet is laid on a concrete slab and you cover it for any length of time with a vapor barrier such as plastic or linoleum you are likely to get mold growing in the carpet.

Jim,

Where did you get that idea? If the slap is poured properly then a vapor barrier was installed benath it keeping the concrete dry. The likely hood of mold growth due to moisture will be nil. If the vapor barrier wasn't laid beneath the concrete then yes mold growth could occur. Having said that if there isn't a mold problem now ther won't be one later.

 

[DBP]

Jim,

Where did you get that idea? If the slap is poured properly then a vapor barrier was installed benath it keeping the concrete dry. The likely hood of mold growth due to moisture will be nil. If the vapor barrier wasn't laid beneath the concrete then yes mold growth could occur. Having said that if there isn't a mold problem now ther won't be one later.

If he's in Florida, the moisture would be captured from above when the plastic was put down, unless the A/C is really good.

 

[donbga]

If he's in Florida, the moisture would be captured from above when the plastic was put down, unless the A/C is really good.

I live in Georgia where the heat and humidity is just as bad. If the structure is air conditioned then the RH will be kept at reasonable levels. If the A/C isn't adequate then then inside environment would become unbearable quickly.

Neverthe less if the humidity is persistent at that level and those temperatures then mold on the carpet or flooring will be the least of his problems. IOW, mold will be growing everywhere.

 

[JBrunner]

They make runners for restaurant kitchens that are designed to trap spills and drips. I have two in front of my sink (3'x5' each). They cost me something like $30 each.

 

[robbiedillon]

yah, i think i found some mats like those on the home depot website.. archer somethings. they had them in 3x5 and 4x6 with the rubber backing and textured top. i think that may be my best option without going too drastic.

DBP.. i just moved from Alexandria! i lived off beauregard near seminary. do you have some more DC pics online? i'd love to see some old town shots if you have em

 

[DBP]

I live in Georgia where the heat and humidity is just as bad. If the structure is air conditioned then the RH will be kept at reasonable levels. If the A/C isn't adequate then then inside environment would become unbearable quickly.

Neverthe less if the humidity is persistent at that level and those temperatures then mold on the carpet or flooring will be the least of his problems. IOW, mold will be growing everywhere.

The other thought I forgot to mention is that Florida has a long history of spotty compliance with building codes, much more so than here or in Georgia. Remember Andrew?

 

[DBP]

yah, i think i found some mats like those on the home depot website.. archer somethings. they had them in 3x5 and 4x6 with the rubber backing and textured top. i think that may be my best option without going too drastic.

DBP.. i just moved from Alexandria! i lived off beauregard near seminary. do you have some more DC pics online? i'd love to see some old town shots if you have em

I'm right on the edge of Del Ray, so I shoot more there than in DC or Old Town. (The joke is that long time Del Ray residents consider Old Town 'out of town', which it once legally was). I'll try to post more, but I usually don't scan the black and white, and a lot of the color stuff gets tweaked before printing, so I can't post it here.

 

[Roger Hicks]

The other thought I forgot to mention is that Florida has a long history of spotty compliance with building codes, much more so than here or in Georgia. Remember Andrew?

Dear DBP,

Surely not!

Any other fans of Carl Hiaasen here?

Cheers,

R.

 

[DBP]

Hiaasen reminds me sometimes of something Calvin Trillin wrote:

In modern America, anyone who attempts to write satirically about the events of the day finds it difficult to concoct a situation so bizarre that it may not actually come to pass while his article is still on the presses...
In other words, when Jimmy Carter countered the threat of a Russian "combat brigade" in Cuba by having the Marines stage an assault on our own base at Guantanamo or when Ronald Reagan appointed as Deputy Secretary of State a man who could not name the Prime Minister of South Africa, some Sunday newspaper satirist somewhere in America was groaning at having his joke ruined by the legally constituted authorities. Someone who writes what has been officially labelled as a "humor column" about the American scene lives in constant danger of being blindsided by the truth.

Calvin Trillin, Uncivil Liberties

 

[Jim Noel]

Don,
I got the idea from a friend who had it happen and the entire carpet had to be removed, mold killed and new carpet laid. MOisture comes not only from below, but from tghe atmosphere in humid climates as well as any spills whichhappen to soak into the carpet.