What colour is your darkroom and why?

[Carrotblog]

Helllo there,

I've just burrowed into a new darkroom and will be able to choose which colour it will be!

Traditionally black is cool and this was almost my choice.

Has anyone any other colour? Reasons to like brown? Reasons to like grey?

I understand some of us have to make do with whatever we have so I'm thankful that I will be able to pick and choose the paint and tiles for mine.

Thanks all.

Miffy

http://carrotblog.livejournal.com/

 

[Goodyear]

I would have thought a light colour, to maximise the benefit of the safelight. If needs, have the enlarger in a black cubby hole.

DISCLAIMER: I don't have a darkroom 😀

 

[rvaubel]

Put the enlarger in a dark cubbyhole. There is always some white light leaking from an enlarger so you want to kill it before it reflects off a close wall down on to the paper. Otherwise a light colors OK, orange would be a good color but pretty ugly. Yellows or anythin g on the red end of the spectrum .
Rex

 

[sf]

my darkroom - when I have it set up, is the color of the wallpaper that happens to be up in whatever bathroom is currently mine for the night.

 

[rardinger]

White. Actually flat black behind the enlarger. Fix light leaks from the enlarger of course but any stray light that does get out will not reflect with the black (flat) wall. Due to the fall of of light intensity, black is not really needed in areas away from the enlarger (other sources of light leaks should be eliminated of course). White is much more pleasing for a small room than all black. Light grey might be fine also. You want the safelight to be reflecting off the walls so the light is availible to see with BUT you want a very low light (a fog test is manditory) and a 7 or 15 watt lamp in a safelight housing with good filters bounced off the white roof will give a soft, safe light and will be enough for a small room. (you really should not be able to read well under a safelight).

 

[olmanwompa]

white. i do have stray light leaks from my enlarger (omega d2v), but these have never affected my prints in any noticeable way. fyi-i highly recommend this safelight-just wait for it to go on sale ($25).

 

[Dougg]

White, making it easier for me to see... though I have brown pegboard behind the enlarger and sink to hang gear on.

 

[rpsawin]

I am building out my darkroom and I plan to use an eggshell or semi-gloss black aroung the enlarger and a white, or maybe medium gray, through out the rest of the area. An eggshell or semi-gloss will be much easier to clean and the surface will not add to the stray light problem.

Bob

 

[Carrotblog]

Thanks for the help guys.

After doing some field work, it looks like I'm getting some good ideas.

Enlarger area: preferably blacked out to prevent stray light or white surfaces causing
contrast loss.

Colour: As most people posting here don't do traditional colour prints, they
don't mind colour wall paper. Colour will cause colour hue shift, so
neutral black/white or 18% grey may be less painful in the long term.

Darkroom: Apart from the enlarger area, white is a popular choice!


I think I will go for carrot-red paint of the egg-shell or plastic wipe-down type except for a black area around the enlarger. The Wratten 1A lamp and red walls will absorb any stray wavelengths and reflect red only.

Thanks!

Carrotblog (Miffy)


I have a bog. I am a blog.

http://carrotblog.livejournal.com

 

[Dougg]

Seems to me there is a Kodak publication on building a home darkroom, and by gum I've got one! You can get one too at
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...644&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

 

[Graham Line]

The ones at the newspapers used to always be kind of a sickly yellowish color, but I think that was because of the guys smoking in them all the time. This hasn't been the case for the last 15-20 years, of course.
Some sort of color-neutral eggshell white is a good idea.

 

[titrisol]

The ywllowish color is awesome, the safelight makes it look bright

Mine is actually off-white since I use the bathroom, but before it was dull gray (blocks) and before it was yellow 😉