Need ideas for a nice home-built spray booth

[abedooley]

I've had an idea for a spray booth for awhile now, I just need a little guidance. I want to either build a plywood box or sheet metal box and put a fan on top blowing through a filter and into the booth and a grate or false floor at the bottom with a filter and another fan sucking it out and out of a window. Now my questions are--1. should I just run a fan on top sucking out to the window? 2. What kind of filter should I use. I'd imagine with having a fan blowing in it should be a high quality filter, right? 3. If I do run a fan blowing in and a fan sucking out should the top fan be of low power?? And the guys who have made their own booth, if you could re-do yours, what would you have done differently?? If you could show pics of your own so I can get a better idea that would be great..

THANKS

ABE DOOLEY

[Kenny]

I would skip the fan blowing in, have the fan suck off the side or back, and use inexpensive furnace filters for the inlet and outlet.

Look for a discarded kitchen cabinet, should be about the right size and you can close it up when you aren't spraying.

[MikeMc]

Build an updraft booth....with a fan sucking through a filter....If it "blows" all your gonna end up with is dirty paint jobs

I have a micro-mark downdraft booth .....It's good but not great!

[envious8420]

homemade paint booth

i just finished mine this morning, just need to make a trip to sprawl mart for some lighting.

its a discarded range hood, the fan is awesome but the light is nf.

it is ducted with a dryer tube loosely stuffed with furnace filter material to a dryer vent placed in a window opening.

used 2x4s for the base and a large piece of cardboard the the sides and doors.

the tape holding the doors shut will be replaced with magnets.

30x18x34

there will be vent holes in the bottom with a filter for an intake and there will be a filter for the exhaust too.

the fan is 2 speed but i think ive seen them with 3 speeds as well.

i will seal all seams with clear packing tape.

some may laugh, but its mine, it was cheap and being an automotive painter who uses a full size booth on a daily basis i know what it take to make it work right and well.

Edited June 6, 2008 by envious8420

[m408]

I can only offer a couple of features that I really like about my Pace booth that you might want to consider in your design. 1- It has a rear draw exhaust which not only keeps fumes and over spray out of the room, but seems to help disperse the paint toward the parts I'm painting. 2- It uses a standard 12x24x1 filter. Easy to find at any OSH, Home Depot, etc... and very inexpensive. 3- Single overhead standard light bulb. Again, easy to find and inexpensive.

[envious8420]

but doesnt it also pull dirt and dust directly across your subject?

100% more lights.

parts and cost

range hood-free from construction demo

cardboard-free (most body shops will give you a big parts box, if you ask. may not be on the day you ask but you never know.)

2x4-$5 lowes

4 cfls-$8 at kroger

misc screws, tape, paint-$10?(if all bought new)

[CAL]

Here is mine.

I thought about doing a down draft but for simplicity built it as an updraft, with a venturi design.

IIRC I am just using an 350CFM fan and it pulls just fine. A huge difference is notice without running the fan, which I mistakenly done once. So I know it works.

I couldn't find one I really liked so I built it, all the electrical, compressor, fan wiring, and venting is in the top. It is all self contained with the air plumbed right in the booth. "DAYLIGHT" bulbs and storage under.

I been very happy with it, and don't think I would change a whole lot of anything.

[m408]

but doesnt it also pull dirt and dust directly across your subject?

100% more lights.

parts and cost

range hood-free from construction demo

cardboard-free (most body shops will give you a big parts box, if you ask. may not be on the day you ask but you never know.)

2x4-$5 lowes

4 cfls-$8 at kroger

misc screws, tape, paint-$10?(if all bought new)

I guess it all depends where you are painting Jim.

My "work shop" is in a second bedroom converted into a den/office/ workshop in my town house. Dirt and dust are just typical for a house and I have not seen any problems so far.

[envious8420]

theres the difference, im down here in this dust hole of a basement.

i figured with the updraft any dirt or crud has a better chance of being removeable or repairable if it lands on the bottom of the car or whatever im painting instead of the roof or middle of the door.

[Clay]

I got my ideas (havent done it yet) from this thread that Milt started.

[envious8420]

bad link clay.

Edited June 6, 2008 by envious8420

[Clay]

Sorry, try this one.

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.p...ic=5964&hl=

[abedooley]

WOW!!! Thanks for the great ideas guys. I thought that making the booth the way I was thinking could be way out there, but hey, what do I know? I think since I will be painting in a fairly clean space I will go with the back draft build. And the cabinet idea is awesome!! I was thinking to REALLY cut down on the risk of contamination in the paint that maybe I would put some kind of plexi glass on the front and cut round holes for putting some rubber gloves in like a sandblasting cabinet and keepin the doors shut while I'm painting and maybe cutting down on the chance of contamination all together. On second thought- if I could find a junk sandblasting cabinet and clean it BEYOND belief and put a fan on back that would cut down on practically any building at all?? Sound too good to be true??

ABE DOOLEY

[m408]

WOW!!! Thanks for the great ideas guys. I thought that making the booth the way I was thinking could be way out there, but hey, what do I know? I think since I will be painting in a fairly clean space I will go with the back draft build. And the cabinet idea is awesome!! I was thinking to REALLY cut down on the risk of contamination in the paint that maybe I would put some kind of plexi glass on the front and cut round holes for putting some rubber gloves in like a sandblasting cabinet and keepin the doors shut while I'm painting and maybe cutting down on the chance of contamination all together. On second thought- if I could find a junk sandblasting cabinet and clean it BEYOND belief and put a fan on back that would cut down on practically any building at all?? Sound too good to be true??

ABE DOOLEY

Sounds good Abe, but...unless you are going for the ultimate paint job for shows, contests, and such, don't worry about a few dust particles. I KNOW sacrilege. "Perfect" paint is the least of my worries. Just getting everything to fit together reasonable well is a big enough challenge. But, that's just me.

[abedooley]

Sounds good Abe, but...unless you are going for the ultimate paint job for shows, contests, and such, don't worry about a few dust particles. I KNOW sacrilege. "Perfect" paint is the least of my worries. Just getting everything to fit together reasonable well is a big enough challenge. But, that's just me.

I remembered that my mom has an old wordrobe in her garage that she has never used. I'm gonna go over there as soon as the flood waters go down and get it and put it in my room and pick someones idea and run with it. Just dont know if I need a really strong fan or if a double window fan is enough? THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED...

ABE DOOLEY

[MR BIGGS]

Here is the one I built a few month ago. Since I got into building the Big Rig and larger scale I had to up-grade my paint both. The one I had was 20x20x20 and I could only fit 1/24 scale cars in it. so now I got this monster of a booth and can paint almost anything in it. It's 40wx26hx36d.

this is why I had to up-grade. This is the trailer to my 300 Big Rig.

Edited June 12, 2008 by MR BIGGS

[abedooley]

Here is the one I built a few month ago. Since I got into building the Big Rig and larger scale I had to up-grade my paint both. The one I had was 20x20x20 and I could only fit 1/24 scale cars in it. so now I got this monster of a booth and can paint almost anything in it. It's 40wx26hx36d.

this is why I had to up-grade. This is the trailer to my 300 Big Rig.

I've saw your 300 Truck and it is FU#@!@G BEAUTIFUL!!!!!! That was one of the first models I saw here!! I must have stared at that thing for an hour and a half! NO JOKE! How long did it take for you to build that and then how long did it take to paint? I mean, the paint job looks like something out of the store, but 100 times better!!! WOW!!!!

[MR BIGGS]

Thanks ABE.

The Rig took me almost a year to complete with all the work that went into it. I have never made a Big Rig before so I think thats what took most of the time, not knowing where every thing went. the paint was around a month and the murals around 2 weeks.

[my80malibu]

Here is the one I built a few month ago. Since I got into building the Big Rig and larger scale I had to up-grade my paint both. The one I had was 20x20x20 and I could only fit 1/24 scale cars in it. so now I got this monster of a booth and can paint almost anything in it. It's 40wx26hx36d.

this is why I had to up-grade. This is the trailer to my 300 Big Rig.

Hi MR BIGGS, I would like to build a copy of this spray booth &. I have some questions,1st what did you use for a fan? I have a range hood assembly, Which might work for me. 2nd what are the exact dimensions, At the top in the picture it appears to be slanted inward at the top?. I Would really appreciate anty help you could give me on this. thanks, Gabriel.

[sdrodder]

what kind of fans can i get for lets say a 2 foot wide both that will acomendate model car paintin. Were would i get them? Can u help me because i screwed my paint today and want one now.

[abedooley]

Thanks ABE.

The Rig took me almost a year to complete with all the work that went into it. I have never made a Big Rig before so I think thats what took most of the time, not knowing where every thing went. the paint was around a month and the murals around 2 weeks.

NO, THANK YOU for building such a BADA$$ BIG RIG!!! Do you paint for a living??? If ya dont, you should!! I have seen alot of murals in my 27 years and I have NEVER seen anything that well exucuted! The background goes PERFECT with it! Do you have any pics of your art posted anywhere else?? I.... MUST.... SEE...... MORE!!!!!