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Building a Darkroom: Standards
There are several things you will find that fit together because years of construction history has gone into the 'design' of these items. Disclaimer: Warning ! Just because you read it here, doesn't make it safe. Nor does it make it legal.Contents
Plywood2 by 4's
Studs
Electrical Boxes
Framing Nails
Framing Hammer
Drywall Sheets
Plywood
Plywood 4'x8' - comes in many different grades, labeled ACX or AB or CDX. The first two letters are the grade, one for each side, the X stands for eXterior. "A" is the best grade, "D" is the worst. Grading indicates how many "footballs" are allowed on that side of the board, and how "clean" the wood is. For a sink you want AB or AA (good luck finding AA!), for other pieces AC is usually good enough. It also comes in many thicknesses, I've never had a need for anything more than 1/2" thick.2 by 4's
- They aren't 2" by 4", they start out that way at the lumber mill, but they are finished on all sides, and the result is 1 1/2" by 3 1/2".
- They come in many lengths, generally by feet, as in 6', 8', 10' or 12', or studs...
Studs
These are 2 by 4's of a length that allows them to be combined with a top 2 by 4 and a bottom 2 by 4 and still be exactly 8' tall - they are 93" long. The top 2 by 4 is called the top plate or sill, and the bottom 2 by 4 is called the bottom plate or sill. To get a wall 8' LONG, you need to be sure to get 8' 2x4s for the top and bottom plates, NOT studs.Electrical Boxes
- These are between 2" and 3 1/2" deep. This is so they fit in a 2 by 4 wall cavity.
- They have a 'lip' on them that lines up with the outside of the stud, so that when you put the box in, it will protrude exactly the thickness of a 1/2" sheet of drywall.
- The easiest to use ones are blue, and made of plastic, and have nail slots in them, with nails already set up.
- You punch out openings in the back to feed the romex through, with a screwdriver.
Framing Nails
These are usually 2 1/2" long. That gives them 1" of hold after going through the narrow width of a 2x4.Framing Hammer
A framing hammer has several things built into it for framing:- The head of the hammer has a cross hatch or waffle pattern, so it doesn't slip on nails so much.
- The head of the hammer includes a nail remover. Sometimes this works better rocking side to side, instead of pulling straight.
- The head is 6" from front to back - the distance between nails when nailing two studs together, or when nailing drywall - not the same for screwing drywall.
- The distance from the butt of the handle to the tip of the head is the distance between two normal studs. (16" minus the half the thickness of a stud, or 15 1/4") This allows you to lay the framing hammer against the plate to position the next stud.
Drywall Sheets
- These are 48" by 96".
- Normally, you put the ceiling (lid) up first
- The walls are to be done as two rows, one on top of the other, each 48" high.
- Normally, you put the top row up first, butted up against the ceiling.
- When putting in the bottom row, use a crow bar and a piece of wood to create a lever, so you can stand on the crow bar and butt the bottom row up against the top row.
- Where possible, try not to have seams continuous, in either the ceiling or the walls.
- They come in many thicknesses 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", and 3/4". The standard wall sheet is 1/2", it is also the cheapest. The thin stuff is very hard to put up without breaking! The thicker sheets are used in firewalls.
- The edges of drywall are tapered, to allow room for the mud and tape and yet still leave an even wall.
- Studs are spaced 16" on center, so there are 7 studs per sheet of drywall. (3 every 4 feet, plus the first one)
Visitor Comments
The comments stated below are not necessarily the opinions of Andy Hughes or DarkroomSourceDrywall comes in different types. For darkroom construction get the "greenboard" it's a little more per sheet but it's water-resistant (NOT waterproof) and will resist splashes a bit better. If you want to get fancy use the drywall as an underlayment (first layer) and then glue melamine sheets over the drywall with construction adhesive. It's smooth, plastic coated wallboard (Masonite is a brand you'll see a lot)and a nice material to work with.Contributed by on 2000-02-03 00:00:00
