I Want A Home Built Spray Booth

At this point I am planing to build the structure 40'x50'. That is quite a bit bigger and there is no way to get a larger structure on the property.

Mike

 

Don't over-think it. Here's what I did years ago, but pics will have to wait until I dig some up and try to scan em in.

2 walls made of fire resistant 2X4s, 2X6s, and 2X12s. The other 2 walls were framed into the corner out of cheap metal studs. The room was like 20X24 and was "officially refered to" as a spraying and detailing room. That's a nat'l building code term that allows a clean ventilated area for "Occasional spraying and detailing". When you do custom stuff or restoration that area will indeed simply sit for weeks at a time, and major props for considering the cieling of it for storage...AWESOME plan and works like a charm.

Ok, we stood 2 walls up that ran from the back and the side of the shop with the fire code 2X4s. The roof or ceiling was framed up with the 2X12s and run on 12" centers vs 16 to bear more load. We then built some angled support framing that would accept explosion proof lights down each long wall, 4 on each side. In the back was a hazardous location fan inside a sheetmetal box that used 3 washable filters, like for a commercial furnace. The front was a garage door installed backwards. The tracks for the sectional roll up door went up and arced back into the shop instead of into the overhead storage area. The door was then cut open for throw away furnace filters, I think a total of 12 in a 4 section door. The furnace filters fit right into the sectional door back side and didn't need any additional fab. Next, the deck was covered with 3/4 fire proof plywood. In the end we had a well lit, fire resistant, overhead storage, occasional spraying and detailing room built to national code. We rolled some white epoxy on the concrete floor in there about once every 2-3 yrs, we painted the walls in bright satin white over the 5/8 Firecode C drywall on the walls. A fire extinguisher in each corner finished it off, along with a pre-hung residential metal entry door with a magnetic seal. I did several national champion finishes in that room, and was able to line up 11 HD metal shelf units on top to safely store parts of on going jobs. The shelf units were 24' deep and about 60" wide. I still have 1/2 dozen of those that I use still today. You can easily figure out the air and filters, electrical, etc. I did have a dedicated compressor to it. It was an old Wayne that was the dryest air compressor I'd ever owned. With all the materials in place it took 3 of us under a week to have it turn key ready, when we moved it it took about 3 days. The drywall is the **** part simply cuz I hate that ****. I hope it makes sense how I described it, AND you don't really need it to line up with one of your overhead doors. Stuff it in a corner.

 

Here's mine.....Tarps and no wind.

 

One way to save money on the lighting is to mount the lights in the interior wall with sealed gl*** on the spray booth side and open to the shop on the other side.

Effectivly, you have non-explosion lights shineing into the booth through a window.

You could do the same with celing lights.

Windows on the outside wall could be fitted with temporary lights also.

Heating is a necessary evil for paint. I would install a row of filters along the top of the interior wall takeing air from the shop. Open a window on the other end of the shop.

I would place two fans outside, takeing the air from the floor level (coldest air) in the booth on the opposite side. Place paint arrester filters over the openings on the inside and do not leave in place when not painting. (No paint, no paint booth)

Keep your paint hidden in an old gutted refrigerator (cheap metal cabbinet) with shelves on the other side of the shop.

 

Local body shop supply is advertising these:

http://www.retractablepaintbooths.com/

Might br the answer.

Canuck

 

F-that, I hate working on trucks and motorhomes, "sorry it won't fit threw my door" is a polite excuse!

 

If you haven't selected a building 'type' yet, these guys are advertising some low pricing on the radio:
http://www.gensteel.com/?source=bing_steel buildings

These buildings are easy to ***embly (at least the small ones ..
http://www.steelmasterusa.com/

.

 

put radiant heat in the floor you will thank me
huron valley sales
151 S Industrial Dr, Saline, MI 48176

(734) 944-5200

 

57 Chevy . . you and I have a lot in common. I retired last year after 30 years teaching Industrial Arts/Tech Ed. I taught Autoshop, Engineering ( PLTW ) , Architecture, Machine Shop, Woodworking, Electricity, etc over the years. I now am doing restoration work full time. I could not be happier. I took the pension and ran, did not look back. I have built 2 paint booths so far in my garages I built. I am in the process of building what should be my last shop. I just finished concrete a couple weeks ago. A paint booth will be built in here as well. It's 56' x 64'. Here's a pic and I'd be glad to offer help or insight into what you want to do. As was stated, you can never have too much light, but in the 31 years of owning spray booths, I never used an explosion proof light and never had a problem. Positive pressure booths are the best they say . I always had a negative pressure. Not sure what I will do with the new one. Good luck.

 

when i painted my chevy, i did so in my garage at home. i bought a bunch of ZipWall poles and a roll of heavy plastic. i created an enclosure that way. i stuck a couple of furnace filters in the access hole in my ceiling and stuck an industrial fan in the doorway.

worked out pretty darn good and the materials only occupy a very small space in the corner of the garage

 

Skid . . very funny. There is a reason . . lawyers. Ask around . . .

Also, a paint booth is a paint booth in my eyes. No wet sanding or such inside.

 

they also make, but i cannot seem to find, a portable downdraft ventilation system that you can use. i'll keep looking for it. i came across it a few years ago when i was contemplating outfitting my shop.

 

I have built a couple of booths and it has been expensive buying the individual items (fans and lights) Check Craigslist and other cl***ifieds. I have seen used spraybooths for as little as $1200.00. You might get lucky and get everything you need...lights, fan, etc for a fraction of building a booth.

 

Funny how when someone like you posts something that would fit the bill and work really well it is often overlooked and sometimes just ignored.

These retractable booth systems are amazing and best of all leave the space useable for other things.

That alone would make the cost justifiable in my eyes.

 

Blue One, I was not ignoring Canuck. I looked at the link, I have seen it before. I simply am not interested in a temporary spray booth. These use negative pressure which can **** in dirt anywhere that there is a leak. I am planing on a positive pressure down draft type for the cleanest possible painting environment. The commitment of floor space is no real concern. The spray booth is just a room in the shop. I will also have a couple of my cars kept in storage there. If I need the shop floor space one of my cars can be easily shifted into the spray booth. I may be playing a shuffling game but in a busy shop is that not always the case?

I can't remember who suggested HGR but I would like to thank them. I have looked there before for machine tools but never thought about paint shop equipment. I have been watching both E-bay and Craigs List with no luck thus far. I will keep watching though.

The Ideas are great! Please keep them coming!

Mike

 

Looks like it would work good for the back yard painter. Had a similar idea to build one of these a long time ago.

 

I wonder what one of those retractable booths cost? I bet not cheap at all. So where do the fumes go once the particulates are filtered out?? Isos are not filtered . . into your shop?? yikes

 

I just checked $10,250 for the basic model . . yikes

 

With that being said and the drawbacks of retractable booths being pointed out, fumes and cost as well, that would point me in another direction.

I think I would lean then towards a proper professional paint booth.
I have seen a couple advertised here locally on Kijiji from a shop that was closing.

They were relatively new and up for grabs at a bargain price.

With the US economy what it is I would bet that there are plenty of pro booths available also at bargain prices.

For what you want that would be the direction I would go.

 

we paint or painted cars and bikes for a living. what i did when we buit or new shop which is 48x60 is just build me a room in it plywood for walls and ceiling. cover it in white paint and lites.but for some unknown reason i only have one small exhaust fan in the side wall.when we are ready to use it i open the barn style boors ant the end of it and blow it our GOOD with air.ceiling. walls lites floor.all of it. then we water down the floor and go after it.fan must work pretty good because the outside of the shop where the fan is looks to about 50 different colors lol.we have few little dust in any paint so far.but i do plan on putting in a bigger fan. the booth holds my gl*** willys and a harley trike. when not in use.this thing is about 18 x 36. takes a chunk out of working space that i really need.

 

Booths for sale.

http://for-sale.yakaz.com/spray-booth-for-sale

I'm sure there are others, probably downdraft style and less $ too.

 

I converted a Morton building that was used to store everything and covered the walls in a 1/8 " slick white board, can't remember the name of it but bought it at Home Depot ,added a dozen 8 ft lights (need more) and use it for body work and then clean it all up and then paint in it it, size is about 32 x40 I have another building to ***emble and fab so I just wanted a body/paint shop. I also bought a exhaust fan from Grainger that is totally sealed fan cooled but not explosion proof. I also added filtered inlets from the other side of the building. I've painted 5 or 6 projects in it including a Hot Rod Flatz on a 48 Ford that came out as close to dirt free as anything I've ever done. My bud that I painted it for cleaned the shop for two days, washed the ceiling ,walls and lite fixtures He did a great job. That is the Pain in the *** part of it, the cleaning before painting. my total investment was $3800 and a lot of labor
I have a picture of my 66 sitting in the shop but no pics of the whole room. have fun teacher

 

damn...maybe I'll stick with my idea to build my own.

 

Lots of input on how many cars will fit in and what lights you should use and what fan you should use but on a paint booth that will be used quite often my question is where are the paint fumes and particles going to get blown to when they leave the paint booth's exhaust? I could probably get away with a bit of paint residue as I live in the middle of 70 acres of alfalfa and the closest house to mine is a quarter mile away. But if you have close neighbors is the paint drift going to get close to them and theirs? Noise is one thing but filling the neighbor hood with paint fumes if you have close neighbors is probably the quickest way to piss off the neighbors.

A guy might recycle the intake filters to the exhaust side of the system to catch a lot of the paint particles so there isn't a big swath of color out behind the building and help some but if the neighbors smell paint all the time or the paint particles drift over their way you won't see or hear the end of it.

Man right now I wish I was able to plan a 2 car garage with an 8 ft ceiling that I could have room inside to work on a car or two without depending on good days with no wind or rain or extreme temperatures. The one you have planned sounds great.

 

The retractable is for places where space is a problem and where money isn't, Not really a home painter thing.

I once visited a painter and saw his shop where he painted. I saw some vehicles is did and they looked good, free of dirt. He paint area was a mess IMO. he said he concentrated on two things . . 1) he always grounded the body before spraying and 2) he never stirred up dust by cleaning It is the truth, that is what he said. He had beams going through he paint area and dust was measurable on top of them, even from where I was standing. He said his son had a half million dollar shop with downdraft etc . and that he some had more dirt problems than he had. No saying to copy this old man, but it was interesting.

 

Oh I believe it. A lot of folks on the HAMB would **** themselves if they saw the conditions my dad painted stuff in. All things considered the stuff he painted came out pretty good.

 

Thought I would post an update. First off I am only going to install 8'Hx10'W doors. I have good reason for this as my brother has a landscaping business and I simply do not want to work on any of his trucks heavier than 1 ton. This way I don't have to tell him no . Over the winter I found a 36" Robinson axial fan on Graig's
List. It will easily push enough air for my booth. I have the building permit in hand and I will be breaking ground in August.

Mike

 

Perhaps two or more smaller fans would be cheaper or more easily obtained.

 

just because it's 36" fan does not mean it has they right cfm. Also is the motor mounted it the air flow? If it is, it needs to be explosion proof. My self I would not use a fan like that.

 

Congrats on the upcoming groundbreaking. I do believe you'll be much happier with the 10' wide doors. If nothing else its much easier when pushing non-running rides in and out. Hope you'll share your progress here,my 35 x 60 sorely needs a painting area. BTW,you'll get a kick out of
this pic of me painting my 57 wagon in 1975. Up the road,in Columbiana... Of course its going to need redone sometime here in the future.