Every Photographer's Dream!

Ever since I took my first photography class, I was hooked. I don't know if it's the artistic side of me, or the problem-solving skills needed, or just the feeling I get when I create something. I'm talking specifically about black and white photography. For all of you enthusiasts out there, I know you hear me. There's a certain sense of "I did that" and impressing yourself that goes beyond "taking pictures". As my high school photo teacher used to say "They're not pictures, theyre photos!". If you're interested, I have another blog detailing the conversion of this room in a lot of detail. You can check out ThePhotoHound if you have a minute.



Regardless of why I love the art, our first stop on this tour is an old bedroom that we are converting into a home darkroom. You have no idea how excited I got when my wife agreed to it. I'm lucky she loves black and white art, but there are strings attached. I have a quota of photos that I need to pump out per month in order to keep the space. Just kidding, but we do plan on decorating the house with some of my better framed photos.



Step 1: Clean every surface thoroughly. The goal here is to remove any existing dust, dirst, grease, or any other build-up so that the spackle and eventually new primer and paint will adhere.



Step 2: Patch all exiting holes, cracks, or imperfections in the walls. In our case, there were many holes that needed help. We used a 4" putty knife ($6) and DAP Drydex Time Indicating Spackle. What's beautiful about this stuff is it goes on pink and dries white. The color indicator tells you when it's time to sand. I think it takes all the fun out of it, but my wife loves it.



Step 3: Sand the walls. I used 150 grit sandpaper and a 6" Random Orbital Sander ($40, already had one) connected to a shop vac. I love these things. They work very well, as long as you keep fresh sanding discs on them. They buffed the walls beautifully, and took away 90% of the imperfections.



Step 4: Sand the woodwork. For this particular room, we've decided to forgo the dark 70's stain on the woodwork and paint it all white. As you can see in the photo, we have trim as well as a built-in shelf. WHat's not picured is a built-in set of drawers as well (upcoming photos). The white will go a long way in updating the look.



Step 5: Prime everything. We're using Kilz 2 latex primer ($17/gal) because it locks out moisture and adheres extremely well.



Step 6: Paint walls. We're using a deep reddish tint in Behr Eggshell that we found in the "Oops!" section of Home Depot. Normally $22 paint, paid $5. I Highly suggest using this method, when applicable!!



Step 7: Tape around trim. We used 2" removable blue painter's tape ($10 for a 60 yd roll, which will do a few rooms). The stuff stays on fairly well, but the key is it won't peel off existing paint like some masking tapes will.



Step 8: Paint trim. This is quite a pain. Even with the primer, it's goint to take 3 coats, and may still remain a little streaky. In hindsight, we probably should have taken more time to sand. We're using Behr Swiss Coffee (almost white) Semi-Gloss ($23/gal) I know a lot of people tell you just to sand just enough to take the gloss off, but if we had to do it all over again, we would have sanded more. Especially with a darker stain. Better adhesion and less bleeding.



Next time I update, we should be reporting some flooring details. Since it's going to be a darkroom, and this room is in the basement, we're planning on keeping the concrete and painting it with a gray enamel. Should be fun. I will also show you the "after" photos of the walls and trim. So until next time!



- John