Building a paint booth.

[Toyota_Jim]

ok, my guys got done with the wiring in my shop today. Glads thats out of the way, 2 buttons is pretty slick with the conduit bender lol. anyway.

Ive got a loft in part of the shop, 20x12. Under the "loft" in the half of it I am going to put my mill,lathe,and horizontal mill. The other half I want to build a small spray booth, 10x12 with a 8 foot ceiling. I know its small but all im ever paint is machinery parts, or garden tractors I restore. I just want a spot sealed off that I Dont need to worry about fucking overspray.

I know I need a bunch of lights, maybe some on the walls too? Paint the walls white I imagine. The thing im looking for is vent. Do I need a fan blowing out with a filter on it and a hole in the wall into the shop with a filter on it for the intake? Or do i need a fan blowing in with a filter on the exhaust outside?


Metal was delivered for my next building today, 60x100, just a gravel floor and lights, couple big doors with openers, no heat. Something to park the semi's in.

[PTSchram]

I know I need a bunch of lights, maybe some on the walls too? Paint the walls white I imagine. The thing im looking for is vent. Do I need a fan blowing out with a filter on it and a hole in the wall into the shop with a filter on it for the intake? Or do i need a fan blowing in with a filter on the exhaust outside?

For best results, filter inlet and exhaust. Inlet will keep your work clean. Exhaust will keep your neighbors happy. Sufficient exhaust will keep the fire risk down, but plan for fire suppression as static happens with bad results.

[1985CJ7Laredo]

If you're just painting every so often furnace filters can be used for the filtering. I've had good experiences with them in temporary booths I've built in the garage for painting cars/jeeps. You definately want to filter the air coming in and out. Post some picks when it's done!!

[Toyota_Jim]

Do I want blowing In or blowing out, I dont want the fuckin thing windy :D

[braxton357]

If you're just painting every so often furnace filters can be used for the filtering. I've had good experiences with them in temporary booths I've built in the garage for painting cars/jeeps. You definately want to filter the air coming in and out. Post some picks when it's done!!

...Actually, most professional body shops I've been to use the same. As long as you aren't in CA, it doesn't really matter. :D Also, I would use the fan on the exhaust.

[Johann]

In the shop I worked in (not CA) We had furnace filters in the entry doors for clean input air. A crepe paper filter for the outgoing to catch overspray. All lead to a stack with a fan built into it.

Wasnt windy but you could feel a draft when it was on.

If you are using Lacquer you might consider explosion proof switches, lights, and fan motor.

[fj40guy]

Do I want blowing In or blowing out, I dont want the fuckin thing windy :D


BLOW IN:
Pro's... cheaper fan (doesn't have to be explosion proof).
Any cracks are pressurize. Easier to filter the air (only one source
of it).

Con's... fume back into the building. Little scary for explosion
(lights, switches, etc) as cavities in the walls could have a flammable
mixture.

BLOW OUT:
Pro'd you know where the fawking paint/fumes will go (outside).
Any cracks around doors, openings, etc will let unfiltered air into
the spray room.

Safer from explosion, wall cavities, light switches, light all could
allow some fresh air to leak past (which will happen, even if you
think you sealed everything.

Con's... unfiltered air/dust leaking into the room

2x4 with plastic. With air being suck out of the paint booth, simple
to build the 2x4 frame. Stapled plastic on the outside of the frame.
Run tape over staple openings. I you built a BLOW IN frame you want
the plastic on the inside the frame.

For me... my dedicated paint room will have that $$$ 16" grainger fan.
About 1400 cfm air flow. Too much for the paint room, but open the door
of the paint room to a plastic covered spray booth... and I can get a
pretty good air change. Since the fan will suck, I can have an alternate
air draw (up around the peak of the roof) and adjust the air flow.

Paint room: Paint bench is chicken wire. Paint from the top, fan sucks from the bottom. Still need to figure out the best way to put in baffles so the air flow (down draft) is even along a 8' section. (most parts I'll paint are no bigger then 8' x 2')

Yep, furnace filters to limit air coming into the room. Another set to keep the paint from covering outside the building.

Tom :usa:

Edit: 16" grainger fan for $$$$ (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/productdetail.jsp?xi=xi&ItemId=1611767935&ccitem=) Yes, that is the fan I'm using. Should exchange a paintbooth in about about a minute... fast enough to clear the air, slow enough to let paint settle on the rig and not get sucked out of the paint booth!

[Dave_Lucas]

I used a paint booth that had a neat/odd setup.

The booth was a pretty standard narrow closed off room with two large swing open doors at the front. Both front doors had several large filters in them and the rear of the room had a large evaporative cooler (AKA swamp cooler). When the booth was in use you would turn on the evaporative cooler and it would suck air through the filters in the large swing open doors. As air exited the evaporative cooler the paint and air would pass through the evaporative cooler filters that have water flowing through them.

As far as I could tell the system did a great job of cleaning the paint out of the air as it exited the building.

I am not recommending that anyone build a system like this as I do not know if it is a safe/ good setup or not but I always thought it was an interesting setup. Anyone else out there use something like this?

[Sundowner]

you're going to want white walls that are easy to clean. like the prefinished masonite wall panels for bathroms you can get at home depot in 4x8' sheets.

you definetly want the fan sucking the exhaust out through a filter. get a belt driven fan with an off-set motor so you can suck the combustible fumes without going through a fan motor than can spark.

as many overhead lights as you can fit. period.

you want a floor drain or at least a filtered water outflow. dust and dirt kill paint on the lower portions of work pieces, so it's a good idea to keep your floor wet at all times when painting and while the paint flashes