Darkroom Paint

[TheFlyingCamera]

If you are going to print color, then it is critical to paint the walls and ceiling around your enlarger a deep, matte black. This will prevent any stray light from the enlarger from reflecting off the wall and altering the color balance of your print in addition to affecting the density. If you are only printing black-and-white, it's a non-issue as long as any bright wall surface is not too close to the enlarger to throw random reflections onto your prints.

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Chris,

Our last darkroom had flat black paint behind the 6x9cm enlargers. The current one is shiny white plastic. With good safelights and good baffling on the enlargers to stop light leaks it seems to make no difference.

Take a look at the free module 'Our Darkrooms' in the Photo School at www.rogerandfrances.com to see the layouts.

Cheers,

Roger

[GRHazelton]

Another vote for light walls and ceilings, save maybe around the enlarger. Also, if you can get plain white vinyl tile or sheet flooring, it makes dropped things much easier to find. A little flashlight with a red filter is a nice thing to have. A fatigue mat to stand on helps. Don't even think of carpeting; if you ever spill hypo you face disaster as it dries in the carpet and the powder floats around and....

[david b]

I just finished painting my white flat white. The area around the enlarger will be flat black.

[unregistered]

Light to medium flat gray. Cuts down on the reflection a white paint can give, but is light enough to give you some brightness from the safelights.

[User Removed]

I worked in the paint business for a few year. I suggest using Behr "flat enamel" black around your enlarger. The flat enamel is non-reflective, but is more water resistant and can be cleaned...where regular paint is not. As for the rest of the darkroom, I would use about a middle-light gray flat enamel paint. Again, it does not reflect as much light, but at least you can see where your walls are when in the dark! Also, the flat enamel made by Behr can also be cleaned, where flat cannot.