Darkroom Floor

[Adam Touffay]

What's a good material for a darkroom floor that either won't stain or resist stains?
Porcelain tile, ceramic tile, vinyl/linoleum type tile, or other?

[bobwysiwyg]

What is the sub-floor material? Is this in a basement or an upper floor?

[ROL]

All those options seem OK to me, the linoleum being cheapest, unless you spill highly acidic solutions on them. I have a painted concrete floor (http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/pages/a-darkroom-portrait) (painted to seal it) which can be wet mopped easily to a clean appearance. It hasn't stained yet with any of my processes, but can always be repainted to a new condition very cheaply if needed.

[Robert Hall]

As above, I have a concrete floor. I have painted mine with epoxy paint and it's quite easy to keep clean.

http://roberthall.com/newdr/

I have since repainted the gray with a nice deep red with paint chips in it to add some sparkle.

[ic-racer]

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=577839&postcount=140

I used commercial vinyl composition tile.

PROS: easy to put down over concrete
no need to etch the concrete
looks real nice
won't peel up like paint
the "wax" covering is impervious to all darkroom chemicals I have encountered

CONS:
Alcohol eats through the "wax" (my floor covers R/C model workshop and the alcohol in the fuel melts the vinyl)
Stripping and re-doing the "wax" finish is a real chore, but may only have to be done every 5 years or so in a home darkroom.

[Scott Davis]

I'll put in another vote for the painted raw concrete. I've got "porch paint" on the floor - a very durable, waterproof paint that makes it easy to clean. Throw a nice closed-cell foam anti-fatigue mat on top and you're in business.

[bigdog]

My prior darkroom had sheet vinyl. The new one has ceramic tile. Both over wood subfloors.

[jeroldharter]

I would vote for painted concrete if you already have a concrete subfloor. Otherwise, sheet vinyl. If your room is less than 15 feet wide, you should be able to find vinyl wide enough that there will be no seams which is nice. It is easy to clean. I found sheet vinyl that is a nice, neutral gray.

[bob carnie]

That is one nice looking floor.
How does it hold up to repeated washing and darkroom spillage??
does it cut easily rolling heavy wheels over it like the cheaper vinyl I have used in the past??

bob

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showpost.php?p=577839&postcount=140

I used commercial vinyl composition tile.

PROS: easy to put down over concrete
no need to etch the concrete
looks real nice
won't peel up like paint
the "wax" covering is impervious to all darkroom chemicals I have encountered

CONS:
Alcohol eats through the "wax" (my floor covers R/C model workshop and the alcohol in the fuel melts the vinyl)
Stripping and re-doing the "wax" finish is a real chore, but may only have to be done every 5 years or so in a home darkroom.

[bobwysiwyg]

On a concrete floor, one might consider one of those two-part epoxy finishes. It paints on with roller/brush and comes with "sprinkles" to add a bit of traction and makes it more attractive. We used it in the basement here though most folks use it in garages. Cleans easily. You just have to make sure the surface is good and clean before applying. It comes with very thorough instructions.

[ic-racer]

That is one nice looking floor.
How does it hold up to repeated washing and darkroom spillage??
does it cut easily rolling heavy wheels over it like the cheaper vinyl I have used in the past??

bob
It is easy to install and it looks good in one's home, but it is really designed for foot traffic. I rolled my L1840 onto its designated tiles as I was laying the floor. The thinking is that since now I am a tile expert :) I can replace the tiles on which it has settled if I want to re-arrange the space. Other heavy items were pushed around on pieces of carpet and sit on free pieces of tile under the feet to keep from making marks.

Washings and spillage of darkroom chemicals are not an issue. Fixer may leave a brown stain, but that would just be on the "wax" and not the tile.

On the "Facilities Engineering" forums I read posts from experts who make their living on commercial tile care suggesting that the tile will last forever (to foot traffic) because the "wax" is very thick and put down in 5 to 10 layers, almost like clear paint, and that is the surface that wears down. Then you strip it off and re-do it on a regular basis. So the tile itself never really gets any wear (from foot traffic).

For your place its maybe only good for a customer waiting area, bathrooms and hallways.

The Kodak

[Drew Wiley]

If it's concrete, the ideal finish would either be two-part expoxy and/or a siloxane
sealer below. Oddly, my lab building was a commercial gunsmithing shop prior, and the
former owner managed to get quite a bit of gunpowder/nitrate into the pores of the
concrete. No, it won't blow up; but it sure tends to peel anything I put over it - even
penetrating epoxy! So I just keep retouching the blisters with ordinary water-based porch paint, since I need something convenient which will dry quickly.

[ic-racer]

The Kodak publication K13 "Photolab Design" (1967,1974) goes into detail on commercial photolab flooring, but I didn't think the recommendations were suitable for a home darkroom.

It recommends ceramic tile or Epoxy flooring for chemical mixing areas.

For processing rooms they recommended "Asphalt Tile" or "Vinyl Asbestos Tile."

With respect to the Vinyl Composition tile I used it states:

"This material in many attractive designs and colors is suitable for reception rooms or showrooms. Some cheaper tile is not suitable for heavy duty because it is easily scratched. Vinyl tile is quite expensive and there is no reason to us it in preference to vinyl asbestos or asphalt tile for general purposes."

So, for me, I didn't care for having anything "Asphalt" or "Asbestos" in my home :D

[neil poulsen]

I wanted a nicer floor in my relatively small darkroom, so I used a mid to high end quality sheet vinyl.

It stains.

I think it's Dupont that has a really high end, expensive sheet vinyl product that might be stain resistant.

[Louie Powell]

When I built the darkroom in our basement, I had three expectations for my darkroom floor:

1. I wanted to be able to easily clean the floor. The ability to resist stains is great, but it is better to be able to clean up spills so that stains don't occur.

2. I wanted to control dust. Bare concrete is a source of dust, so I knew that I had to at least seal the surface.

3. Concrete is hard on the knees, and standing on a concrete floor is exhausting. So I knew that I had to do something to soften the floor.

I had put sheet rock on the walls, so there were already splotches of sheetrock compound and paint on the floor. Obviously, there was sheetrock dust, but that was easily removed by vacuuming. The simplest solution to (1) and (2) would have been to paint the floor, but to do that I would have had to remove the sheetrock compound and paint splotches, and also etch the concrete surface with acid. That seemed like a lot of work.

So instead I chose to vacuum the floor to remove the dust and loose sheetrock compound, and then covered the entire floor with inexpensive self-adhesive vinyl tile.

Then, to deal with (3), I used 2x2 foot cushioned rubber tiles that are about 1/2" thick. These are intended for shops and workout rooms and are made from recycled rubber. I used black, but there is also a multi-colored version for children's play areas. I found them at Lowes, but you can get them much less expensively at Harbor Freight. These were laid out one the floor only in the areas where I actually can walk - I didn't bother to but them under the sink or work table.

[mrladewig]

Porcelain tile is denser than standard ceramic tile, so it will likely resist staining better. Its also very hard and durable. Its available in solid colors (though the tile). It is usually considerably more expensive than standard ceramic, much harder to cut and much easier to chip or break before installation. Once installed however, its very strong. If you go with either type of tile, you want to space the tiles at 1/8th inch or less in order to use unsanded grout. Unsanded grout is more resistant (not impervious) to staining and does not require a sealant (which won't really work well anyways).

A solid color porcelain tile in gray like Avenue One from American Olean or the Glow tile from Interceramic could be a very good choice. Both tiles have enough texture on the surface to be ADA compliant, good to prevent slipping on a wet floor.

[Eric Woodbury]

I have a concrete base that I painted with latex floor paint. Not much wear in a darkroom, so epoxy I felt unnecessary. I had some soft rubber squares on top of that, but they collected dirt and were hard to clean. Tossed them for a $20 linoleum remnant that is lose on the floor. It is a little softer than concrete and easy to clean. It is real linoleum, not vinyl.

I wear really good shoes for standing when I work in the darkroom.

[Allen in Montreal]

1 dollar per sq ft rubber interlocking rubber mats bought at the dollarama.
Softens the fatique of long sessions in the darkroom.

I have never had a spill worth mentioning, but I would guess it would also act as a buffer for small spills (just throw them away). I have 110 year old wooden floors, so I am a little more careful than I might be with concrete.

[Drew Wiley]

Kodak's recommendations, as noted above, might as well be written in cuneiform.
Super-duty synthetic flooring is readily available, but probably no one with a home
darkroom would want to pay for it. Asbestos tiles aren't particularly unsafe because
it is almost impossible to get the fibers airborne, but at a mfg level this stuff went
extinct in the Jurassic. I use rubber anti-fatigue mats around the sink area etc because vinyl contains plasticizers which will attack certain floor paints and lift them.
Porcelain tiles just means grout lines to mildew and have to clean. A spill of glacial acetic acid will also mess up grout and probably the tile itself (plus your lungs!).

[Neal Chaves]

I have had labs, both in basements on a concrete slab, and in upper story rooms with wood floors. I have found the best flooring to be commercial (level loop) grade glued down carpet. It is water-proof and will hold any dust in the weave until you vacuum again.

[Jess C]

Another vote for a good 2-part epoxy. I did my entire 3-car garage with this stuff almost two years ago and it is holding up quite well. I would not recommend the stuff they sell at H. Depot or Lowes. A commercial grade product is tons better if you want it to last. Here is where I got mine. Not cheap but well worth it IMO. (no affiliation)

http://www.epoxycoatfloorpaint.com/

I used the Rustoleum stuff that Lowes sells in the last darkroom I built but I would not use it again.

[bobwysiwyg]

Jess, just curious, what problems did you encounter with the Rustoleum product?

[Jess C]

Jess, just curious, what problems did you encounter with the Rustoleum product?

The finish is not holding up as well and there really hasn't been much foot traffic. However, all things considered, I find using the Rustoleum product a better alternative to garage floor paint but a little more expensive. But if I were to do it all over again I would go with the commercial grade 2-part epoxy I used for my garage. I drive an Avalanche which is a heavy vehicle with 17" tires and the floor looks as new as it did when I put it down.

I have some pics I took when I did my garage and I will post some shots later when I get home so you can see how the floor turned out. It is expensive but if done right I doubt you will ever have to do anything to it again.

Now all I need to do is figure out how to incorporate a darkroom in the garage to my liking. Right now I don't need a darkroom because I have the use of one at my work (I teach photography) but I will be retiring in the next year or so and will need to build one.

[Jess C]

Here is what I did to my garage floor using a high quality 2-part epoxy.

[bobwysiwyg]

Looks great. How is it in terms of traction when wet? I'm guessing little experiece with snow/slush?

[Jess C]

Looks great. How is it in terms of traction when wet? I'm guessing little experiece with snow/slush?

Where I live I don't have that problem with snow or slush. :D However, the floor can be very slippery but you can use the paint flakes (as I did) and put it down with heavy coverage which adds grip to the finish and you can also add aluminum oxide which comes with the kit to add even more traction. I just went with a heavy application of the paint flakes by ordering a couple of extra pounds since the kit just comes with enough to do a light application.