Spray Painting in garage

LegacyIndustrial · Jan 30, 2011

Gang:

I spray paint (automotive type painting) in my garage. Not whole cars, but small pieces of equipment, projects, etc...

My garage is getting to be full of stuff that I don't want dust and over-spray on. Does anyone have a good inexpensive curtain system to keep the mess contained to one area, temporarily?

I was thinking about a 3 sided curtain system on tracks. The 4th side could be my garage door which I could keep down 2/3 of the way allowing for fresh air to come in and out. This would also be good for when I wet the floor to keep the dust down.

Thanks,

isaac338 · Jan 30, 2011

I was thinking tarps stapled to 2x2s. The 2x2s keep 'em weighted to the floor, and just hook them to some vinyl hooks in the ceiling and unroll. When you're done, just unhook them and roll them back up.

Simple and cheap.

caper150 · Jan 30, 2011

I took a vinyl coated cable(ie: Clothesline) and ran it across my shop, supported it with J-hook so it wouldn't sag and ran it though the eyelets on a tarp and then bungee it to the wall so it's out of the way when not in use.

PSYKO_Inc · Jan 31, 2011

I'm thinking clothesline, shower curtain hooks, and tarps...

Kevin54 · Jan 31, 2011

Buy a roll of Sharkskin that is used to cover the car when painting. Thin plastic sheeting, but you get something like 10' x 400' roll for like $30. A little goes a long ways in covering items that you do not want overspray on.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/autobodydepot/ItemDetail.aspx?ItemNo=USC+36114

mikester · Jan 31, 2011

Ive always wanted to do something like this too. Ive had to clean up overspray on stuff quite a few times. Im liking the idea of a tarp with shower hooks. Use conduit as a rail and have a curtain in two pieces that slide in to the middle. This might work in my case. GOOD POST !!!

NUTTSGT · Jan 31, 2011

If you want to get even more sophisticated, I believe there have been a couple of threads on this type of subject, paint boothes. You could scale down a version to fit your needs.

I forget where I got these pictures from but I thought it was a great idea and saved them. This is not my garage.

Stephenw · Jan 31, 2011

Here is a wiki for a small paint booth...

http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Paint-Booth-in-Your-Garage

Killer95Stang · Jan 31, 2011

Why not wait until one of the Ez-up type tents go on sale ($59-$69) then drape plastic or tarps from the sides. Seems like an easy solution for spray painting and can be folded up and stored for later use.

Otherwise, I've built something similar to the PVC frame posted above, for painting items outside.

NUTTSGT · Jan 31, 2011

Killer95Stang said:
Why not wait until one of the Ez-up type tents go on sale ($59-$69) then drape plastic or tarps from the sides. Seems like an easy solution for spray painting and can be folded up and stored for later use.

Otherwise, I've built something similar to the PVC frame posted above, for painting items outside.

You have to watch those really cheap EZ-up copies, the legs bend so ever easy.

Falcon67 · Jan 31, 2011

Stephenw said:
Here is a wiki for a small paint booth...

http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Paint-Booth-in-Your-Garage

" The suction of a box fan on high speed is enough to hold a furnace filter in place. "

Um, suction + flammable paint fumes + cheap open case fan motor - sure, let's do that.

56nash · Jan 31, 2011

if it is being used as a pressurized booth with the fan feeding filtered air into the space, what is the risk?

Falcon67 · Jan 31, 2011

56nash said:
if it is being used as a pressurized booth with the fan feeding filtered air into the space, what is the risk?

Not as much if the fumes are vented so they do not loop around and come back in. Most cheap booth setups do that. That's the way I set up the shop to paint a car. The Wiki article has the fan pulling fumes out. Note that a 20" box fan doesn't really move that much air. For a small booth, it'd work. I used two for a car and it wasn't enough. What I'll do in the future is go find a smaller used swamp cooler. Put filters around that and use it to pressurize a booth nicely.

R6 Racer · Jan 31, 2011

I use a tent. Bought it used for $20.00. Cut a hole in the back & I put a 24"x24" box fan in the hole with a furnace filter in front of the fan.
Fan draws fumes & overspray threw the filter. Works fairly well, was cheap & takes up almost zero space when not in use.

Steve

rickairmedic · Jan 31, 2011

I have built several PVC paint booths over the years and they work great for a temporary booth . The best thing about them is when not in use they can be broken down and put away in very little space.

Rick

archirelic · Jan 31, 2011

I have a zipwall deal I utilize when working on interior projects dealing with a lot of dust/fine debris for clients. I'm sure with a slight modification to one of the walls, it could be suited to fit your needs. The great thing about this also, is that it all breaks down into a convenient carry bag.

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.zipwall.com/prod-desc.html

And like I said, a slight modification involving a box fan w/air filter ~~could probably be fabricated up in no time. Cost may be an issue, but the idea that this breaks down to almost nothing is an awesome idea especially if you've got limited space.~~

snowphun · Jan 31, 2011

Killer95Stang said:
Why not wait until one of the Ez-up type tents go on sale ($59-$69) then drape plastic or tarps from the sides. Seems like an easy solution for spray painting and can be folded up and stored for later use.

Otherwise, I've built something similar to the PVC frame posted above, for painting items outside.

I did the EZ up tent, worked great. So much simplier than the PVC rig. Cheap plastic sheeting from Home Depot in the paint section, you canget thicker stuff if you want to reuse. Worked out great, used a respirator.

jayoldschool · Jan 31, 2011

I think one of those temporary garages would make a great spray booth. My garage is big enough that I could set up a temp garage inside...

Colonial Cobra · Jan 31, 2011

I've done several cars in mine. Used plastic for walls on the first one and tarps for the others. I made inserts for the two side windows, one to hold filters and the other to hold a scroll cage fan.
I may look into something like NUTTSGT did above in the future.

Stephenw · Jan 31, 2011

Falcon67 said:
Um, suction + flammable paint fumes + cheap open case fan motor - sure, let's do that.

There are no brushes in the motor of the typical cheap box fan. Usually they are shaded pole induction motors. The arc potential is in the contacts of the switch when turning the fan on or off.

They're obviously not explosion proof, but I feel they are relatively safe. I would not turn the switch on or off if I thought there were explosive fumes present. You should use your own judgement when deciding if it is a good idea to pull fumes through a box fan.

minhster · Jan 31, 2011

archirelic said:
I have a zipwall deal I utilize when working on interior projects dealing with a lot of dust/fine debris for clients. I'm sure with a slight modification to one of the walls, it could be suited to fit your needs. The great thing about this also, is that it all breaks down into a convenient carry bag.

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.zipwall.com/prod-desc.html

And like I said, a slight modification involving a box fan w/air filter ~~could probably be fabricated up in no time. Cost may be an issue, but the idea that this breaks down to almost nothing is an awesome idea especially if you've got limited space.~~

~~I just watched the video on their website and it's pretty sick! I can't believe I never found them earlier!~~

PECVD2 · Jan 31, 2011

1 inch conduit festival canopy frame (12x16) with 2-3mil plastic a couple of filters, fan (explosion proof), and a kiddy play tunnel and your set.

sfckiddo · Jan 31, 2011

i guess i was just lucky for many years. i painted with all types of materials including laquer and had a plain old fan for exhaust, not only that but a wood burning heater. overspray would be like fog and i never had a fireflash or explosion

hldtyt · Jan 31, 2011

I realize this is not air tight but for "small" paint projects what about something like the hospitals use for privacy. http://www.colonialmedical.com/product.php?productid=18881

Steve_P · Jan 31, 2011

half inch conduit and heavy plastic sheeting. The fan motor is enclosed but obviously not explosion-proof- the filters are not in place, they go in front of the fan.

TheGrooveking · Feb 1, 2011

NUTTSGT said:
If you want to get even more sophisticated, I believe there have been a couple of threads on this type of subject, paint boothes. You could scale down a version to fit your needs.

I forget where I got these pictures from but I thought it was a great idea and saved them. This is not my garage.

That pure genius! I will borrowing that idea! Thanks,

TheGrooveking

ebfabman · Feb 1, 2011

Have you considered turning the fan around to make it positive pressure air flow so the plastic won't get sucked in? Maybe put the plastic on the outside of the conduit?

91FE · Feb 1, 2011

archirelic said:
I have a zipwall deal I utilize when working on interior projects dealing with a lot of dust/fine debris for clients. I'm sure with a slight modification to one of the walls, it could be suited to fit your needs. The great thing about this also, is that it all breaks down into a convenient carry bag.

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.zipwall.com/prod-desc.html

And like I said, a slight modification involving a box fan w/air filter ~~could probably be fabricated up in no time. Cost may be an issue, but the idea that this breaks down to almost nothing is an awesome idea especially if you've got limited space.~~

I've got something similar, but way cheaper, from HF. Got mine for $8/ea on sale and work perfect. I use them to create a temporary dust barrier while renovating the house.

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-in-1-support-cargo-bar-66172.html

Drdaves49 · Feb 2, 2011

sfckiddo said:
i guess i was just lucky for many years. i painted with all types of materials including laquer and had a plain old fan for exhaust, not only that but a wood burning heater. overspray would be like fog and i never had a fireflash or explosion

Same here....the shop would be so foggy you couldn't see, then the gas furnace would kick on......course all I ever shot back then was lacquer of acrylic enamel (centari). Is the new paint( I quit painting in '91....just lacquer) that explosive? Seems like I've shot urethanes with a kero salamander goin.

RAYJAY · Feb 2, 2011

Drdaves49 said:
Same here....the shop would be so foggy you couldn't see, then the gas furnace would kick on......course all I ever shot back then was lacquer of acrylic enamel (centari). Is the new paint( I quit painting in '91....just lacquer) that explosive? Seems like I've shot urethanes with a kero salamander goin.

same here tee shirt and jeans not even a dust mask, compressor in the same room and gas heat ..... :headscrat

sberry · Feb 3, 2011

Put filters around that and use it to pressurize a booth nicely

Have you considered turning the fan around to make it positive pressure air flow so the plastic won't get sucked in? Maybe put the plastic on the outside of the conduit?

You do not pressureize a paint booth, you draw air in, **** it out. http://dodconf.swri.org/2003Papers/Thelen.pdf

LegacyIndustrial · Feb 3, 2011

I appreciate all the ideas, my head is swimming.
I was gung-ho to make a wall on rollers until I saw the zip-wall gadget.

ebfabman · Feb 3, 2011

Plump · Feb 3, 2011

I used some schedule 80 pvc with brackets on the ceiling to suspend some plastic sheets. Just grommet them and use the old shower curtain hooks you probably have laying around or can get for $.99. Velcro on top to roll them up and out of the way. Cost me about $30 for an 8' by 8' painting booth. If you're doing something more involved than me, ventilation would be a concern but this is small stuff, just want to keep the shop clean.

Tundra · Apr 3, 2011

Great idea what Eric has posted with those pics.

NUTTSGT · Apr 4, 2011

I have to add again, incase some of you guys missed it. I merely saved those pictures from somewhere on the internet, maybe here, I don't remember.

Those pictures are not mine, not of my garage, nor my idea. I can't take credit for it, even though I think it's an awesome idea.

I just felt it was a great idea and wanted to pass the idea on. The credit goes elsewhere and to somebody else.

So to the creator of that idea . . . . :thumbup:

MG David · Apr 4, 2011

You don't say what paint technology you are using. I use HVLP in my garage and the amount of overspray on small jobs is quite limited.

alberto · Apr 4, 2011

NUTTSGT said:
I have to add again, incase some of you guys missed it. I merely saved those pictures from somewhere on the internet, maybe here, I don't remember.

Those pictures are not mine, not of my garage, nor my idea. I can't take credit for it, even though I think it's an awesome idea.

I just felt it was a great idea and wanted to pass the idea on. The credit goes elsewhere and to somebody else.

So to the creator of that idea . . . .

It was posted here somewhere. If you search for paint spray booths or similar, and look through each thread you should find it. If I recall correctly, it was not the first topic, the fellow that did it added it to someone's else's thread, so it will be buried a bit. I remember 'cause I was thinking it would be hard to find later.

V-10 Killer · Apr 4, 2011

Careful what tarp you choose to use if you go that route. When I was in my teens, I tried painting my first car, and tarped off the garage with cheap 4 mil poly sheeting. Boy was I pissed when a gust of wind hit the sheeting and flaked off overspray all over my wet primer. Luckily I fixed it before I did the color coats...

*edit*

Drdaves49 said:
Same here....the shop would be so foggy you couldn't see, then the gas furnace would kick on......course all I ever shot back then was lacquer of acrylic enamel (centari). Is the new paint( I quit painting in '91....just lacquer) that explosive? Seems like I've shot urethanes with a kero salamander goin.

This reminds me of the same time I mentioned above. I had a thermostat controlled salamander in the corner kick on when I had a nice fog of primer/thinner in the air. I really think angels were watching me that moment :shocking:

58Yeoman · Apr 4, 2011

Be careful when using hardeners with your paint, even Centari. Even some of the newer paints can kill you, or make your life unbearably hard. Years ago, I painted the inside of a PU box outside, using Centari with the hardener, and I still got sick. Dust masks don't work, and even cartridge masks can't handle some paints. I haven't painted since the middle 90's, but will still use my old Binks gun when I paint my current project, if I ever get it done.

I too, have painted in my garage with no more than a box fan or furnace blower blowing out the fumes, with a wood burner cooking away in the same garage. I guess that's why they call me Lucky Phil at work?

Spray Painting in garage

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