Building a spray booth

Want a good case of "shop envy"?  Check out m38mike's Fall Colors Tour thread.  The pic he's posted with his working two-post lift (as if that's not enough) shows it right next to his visqueen paint booth--inside his main shop.  It's definitely a good idea to build your paint booth.


Edited by Ol' Unreliable - 27 May 2017 at 11:01pm

I have painted many projects big and small in the great out doors with great results.I paint early in the morning with little or no breeze on cool metal. never spray on hot metal and of course chance of rain. Constructing a paint booth would be a big pain plus ventilation is a big problem.
As Shadow said , renting a good booth for a day is a good option,I have done that  myself a couple of times.

I was planning on using two 20 x 20 hepa type furnace filters for the intake and then two 20" square box fans with a 4) 20 x 20 filter box behind them. I would be painting at below 80 degrees as that is what my activator is for.

I'm thinking on using Nitrogen for the Top coat propellant. Thats what I used on my flying model airplanes and I have three LARGE (like 4ft tall) Nitrogen tanks. The advantage is its perfectly dry.

I'll have to decide that when I see if they can be refilled without the expensive testing.

Use a heavy enough visqueen that it won't tear easily. I didn't and I was always re-stapling it to the framework I built.

Mark,
I built a freestanding frame of 2x4 and 1x4 wood.  I hung clear 6 mil plastic on the inside using a staple gun and stapling thru small squares of cardboard over the plastic.  The cardboard keeps the staples from ripping the plastic.  Then I put 1x2 boards against the 2x4 from the inside to keep the plastic in place.  I built my booth originally 10' wide by 16' long by 8' tall.  That was snug but gave me enough room to paint 2 Jeeps and a car, plus lots of separate parts.  I have a 12"x24" air filter for my air intake taped in the wall on the far side from my suction fan.  I have a 160 cfm squirrel-cage fan sucking air out of the booth thru a 4 inch dryer hose and blowing the foul air out of the building.  I don't use a box fan because of all the crap in the air stream that can catch on fire, and the box fan motor is in the air stream.  This creates a negative pressure envelope for the booth.  By limiting the replacement air to that coming in through the filter, I get rid of almost all of the dust, all the insects, and all the plant material that might damage a paint job.  I put my fan on a 16 hour timer so I can leave it on overnight, and it will automatically shut off.   I have four halogen work lights on the frame OUTSIDE the booth to provide light.  I don't want them getting painted, or possibly causing a spark in that toxic air. 

The wood frame is all built on 4 foot spacing.  My upright studs are 4 feet apart.  Across the top I have 2x4x10' studs attached to the 2x4x8' wall studs.  I use the 1x4's as bracing and horizontal members to hang the plastic on.  I was looking for some good photos to share but I can't find any just now.  I'd be happy to take some if you'd like. 

By controlling the air space inside the booth, you are most likely to get a good paint job.  And this design is inexpensive, easy to take down or put up, and it works.  I've had mine up for about 10 years now.  I expanded it once to paint my neighbors horse trailer.  I'm about to take that expansion down. 

I use a HF 2-quart paint pot with 7 feet of hose to the paint nozzle.  I hang the paint pot on hooks along the walls to make sure it remains upright.  By having the spray nozzle separate I am able to paint at any angle, in any space, on the jeep.  It does a good job once it's adjusted to the paint you're using.  I use my regular air compressor for pressure.  I run it through a dessicant filter and a regulator to keep it about 20 lbs pressure.  Much less and I don't get enough push on the paint.  Much more and I get a fog instead of a spray. 

I use a 2-filter respirator and a full tyvex suit when I mix and spray paint.  Even then I usually have to leave my work clothes in the mud room when I go back in the house because then smell bad to my wife.  I do all my mixing and cleanup in the booth to limit contaminants and control the toxic smell of the cleaning and thinning chemicals.  With the fan running, I can stand just outside my air filter opening and I cannot smell any paint outside the booth.  All the contaminated air is getting blown out of the shop thru the 4 inch hose.

I hope this helps.  If you'd like to use it, you're welcome to come by.