Paint Booth........will it work?

[ctandc]

Okay so my paint gun is on the way. (new Sharpe FX100 mini HVLP for $50). It should be plenty for painting my tank and fairings.



I'll be spraying PPG Shopline BC/CC.



I started doing some measurements to put together a makeshift paint booth in my 1.5 car garage...and I just don't think I have the room. It's also an ATTACHED garage so I would have to make sure fumes were well vented. Anyway..with so much stuff in the garage, plus being able to get my bike in and out (I'm getting spare fairings, tank etc to paint so I can still ride at the same time I'm painting) the BIGGEST I could go inside the garage would be maybe 7'x7'.



I think I could possibly get by painting one piece at a time in that space. BUT how feasible would it be to build something in my backyard that was temporary? Something that could stay up for a good while to get some painting done...



Meaning possible rain, colder weather etc.



I was thinking a 2x4 wood frame, say 10'x10' covered in plastic.



I think my electric oil-filled, radiator type heater would keep it warm enough..is that safe?



What about condensation etc?



I'm torn between that or building a 7'x7' (maybe even 6'x6' remember ONE piece at a time) PVC and plastic booth that would be in the garage.



Either booth would be sealed and would use intake filters and exhaust fans with filters.



What lights would be safe to use with either arrangement? I'm assuming that halogen "Work" type portable lights would be safer than those cheap fluorescent track lighting that plugs into an extension cord?



The largest piece I'd be painting (upper / main fairing) is @ 3'x2.5'

In a smaller garage booth (say 6'x6') that would only give me roughly 1.5' of clearance around this part.



I could however hang the part, and possible turn it around when spraying the backside.with it hanging from a wire rig.



So you guys with experience in this type of project, chime in..............



Will the outdoor rig be able to hold up (weather etc)?



Is the cramped space of the indoor booth outweighed by it being indoors?



Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[shovel]

I painted a truck frame in a 10 x 20 tent that I bought from Sam's Club for around $200. This thing has fence poles for legs and supports with a white tarp that uses ball bungees to hold it on. It has ends and sides, all white that reflects light well. I used a cheap blue tarp on the ground. I had one side tied to a chain link fence and two 30 gallon barrels filled with water to hold down the other side. I had it up for a couple of weeks with no problems. the day I painted, the was almost no wind so I left the sides up for ventilation. It rained later that day and everything stayed dry. This is a far cry from a professional paint booth, but a much better option than a crowded garage. Good luck to you. I hope this helps.

shovel

 

[e-tek]

I painted a truck frame in a 10 x 20 tent that I bought from Sam's Club for around $200. This thing has fence poles for legs and supports with a white tarp that uses ball bungees to hold it on. It has ends and sides, all white that reflects light well. I used a cheap blue tarp on the ground. I had one side tied to a chain link fence and two 30 gallon barrels filled with water to hold down the other side. I had it up for a couple of weeks with no problems. the day I painted, the was almost no wind so I left the sides up for ventilation. It rained later that day and everything stayed dry. This is a far cry from a professional paint booth, but a much better option than a crowded garage. Good luck to you. I hope this helps.

shovel

I love this idea! You could re-use it anytime you wanted to paint or sandblast, etc....or sell it to a neighbour you don't like for camping!

As far as how many issues you seem to have, I'd look into renting a booth for a few hours - probably under 100bucks. Call every shop in your town and find one that'll let you use it when they are not - there's LOTS of booth downtime in the day, or every evening, maybe on weekends...plus they'll have the right airsupply, water for the floor, etc etc... Best - thing - you walk away and your garage is the way you left it!

 

[ctandc]

I love this idea! You could re-use it anytime you wanted to paint or sandblast, etc....or sell it to a neighbour you don't like for camping!

As far as how many issues you seem to have, I'd look into renting a booth for a few hours - probably under 100bucks. Call every shop in your town and find one that'll let you use it when they are not - there's LOTS of booth downtime in the day, or every evening, maybe on weekends...plus they'll have the right airsupply, water for the floor, etc etc... Best - thing - you walk away and your garage is the way you left it!

Yeah I can probably find a booth to rent / use..

But about the ONLY free time I'll have to paint will be in the evenings, a couple of hours at a time......and I would rather now have to go somewhere to do it...

 

[mad57]

tent out side will work but no elec heater they spark inside when clicking on could be a hazard, then again my buddys body shop booth heater broke and they used open flame salamander heaters in there all day no problem go figure, but if you have luck like me it will burn as far as lights go explosion proof is best but pricy try to get something some what enclosed for safety, wet the ground before you shoot to cut down on dust. and go at it good luck,mike.

 

[ati2de]

Last year I painted this Speedster body under a hoist that I had covered with plastic, sealed the bottom and seams, and hooked up to a dust collector. It worked perfectly, nothing escaped. The only drawback was size, but it worked for this Model T.

 

[therealjakeg]

Dude just paint it. After all the trouble you should of had a paint shop do it... They have a booth and a baker. PLastic that mo fo up and go to town since the gun is already on the way.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

What about a yard shed maybe an 8 by 12 they sell lowes/home depot. then when you are done you have some extra storage for mowers and such. Mike

 

[Andrew McBride]

I designed a booth out of PVC and heavy plastic. Can easily be taken down and set back up.

 

[krooser]

I painted the hood and fenders of my Peterbilt in the 3rd stall of my shop. I didn't use any plastic or anything else to isolate the hood from the rest of the shop.

the paint fumes were a little intense when I sprayed the hood but not the fenders. I hosed down the floor and didn't get any overspray on the floor.

No dirt to speak of but I did wet sand the hood before I buffed it.

Worked good.