Keeping the Darkroom Dark

We have some suggestions on keeping your darkroom dark:

1. The majority of darkroom failures revolve around the door not being “light-tite”. The best solution for bad darkroom doors is to replace them with a metal exterior door with a threshold and magnetic seals around the edges.
   

   However, outside of door replacement, here is the website for ZERO DRAFT where you can find many different seal types that will aid you in keeping the light out. The C-Folds and Alumafin seals work well.

   

   Many of these kinds of seals are available at your local hardware store.

2. Check your safelight for white light leaks. These can come from an improperly sealed safelight or a filter that is cracked or peeling. We can get replacement filters for your safe light (just call). For present day film types, the filter should be at Kodak GX-2 type or equivalent filtration levels, the bulb should not exceed 15Watts (most people will use a 7.5 Watt nightlight bulb), and the distance between the safelight and the counter and top of processor must be at least 4 feet.

1. Drop in ceilings are notorious for letting light from adjacent rooms into the darkroom. Our suggestions for this are to cover the ceiling above the tiles in thick insulation and possibly a heavy mil black plastic being sure to seal the edges.