Building a Darkroom at Home

Working in the darkroom is a hallmark of being a photographer, as well as a great way to grab a little personal time to really focus on your craft. Having a locked door can provide you with some quiet uninterrupted time as well as help prevent film or images from being ruined from accidental light exposure. Sadly, we can't all pop down to the local darkroom any time we want, so a better alternative is to build one right in your own home.

Location, Location, Location

Garages, sheds, basements and extra rooms are all great places to have a darkroom. Just remember before choosing a location that you'll need access to running water and that the chemicals are hazardous and smelly. You also want to make sure that whatever area you choose, it's completely free of light and that you can only use the space as a dedicated darkroom. That's one reason why basements are perfect locations for darkrooms because they have both running water and electricity. If you have an extra bathroom that you don't need, these are good but you will be a little short on space.

Your Darkroom Supplies

Most of what you need for your own darkroom is pretty basic and won't cost you too much. Besides having to get material to light proof the room, you can make do with the following:

-Trays big enough for 8x10 paper

-3 Sets of tongs

-Chemicals (see below)

-Enlarger and timer (see below)

-Easel

-Darkroom light

The only expensive things you need are the enlarger, which you fortunately only need to purchase once, and the chemicals, which will need to be refreshed now and again. You can often find enlargers for around $200 and a basic timer for about $150 which should last for the lifetime of your darkroom.

The chemicals are a bit more complicated. You can get most chemicals in either powder or liquid form. Powders are more convenient to store but do require mixing, while liquids are more expensive and take up a little more space but are very convenient to use.

At a minimum, you'll need to buy three basic chemicals: some type of developer, fixer and stop bath. It's a good idea to purchase or mix small quantities as these chemicals will go bad over time (developers go bad more rapidly than the others), and keep them in dark areas in plastic bottles (your hands are almost always wet in a darkroom and glass isn't a great idea). A darkroom light will help you see while working with your paper but please know that a darkroom light can still ruin undeveloped film so only develop your film in complete darkness.

The Darkroom Setup

Once you have the chemicals sorted and all of your supplies in order, you're good to go. The best darkroom layout will have a dry side and a wet side - do your cutting and enlarging on a workbench or table, then have another bench or table with your developer, stop bath, and fixer laid out and ready to go. If you have some extra money to spend on your darkroom, then you should consider getting a "always running, always full" darkroom sink so that your prints are always washed free of chemicals. I would also highly recommend a lock for the door to prevent friends and family from accidentally ruining your work, but be sure it is easy to open from the inside in case of a fire.

Darkroom developing and printing can be done in any room that is protected from light, so once you have all of the supplies you can really set it up however your space allows. Find out what works best for you and before long, you'll be printing out photos in no time.


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Autumn Lockwood is a writer for Your Picture Frames. Shop online and see our large selection of unique picture frames in a wide variety of styles and colors. Visit our website and see our beautiful unique picture frames or call 800-780-0699.