Any ideas for a make-shift paint booth?

[83imp]

I did some touch up work on my old daily driver a couple months ago, but I only did a section of it from the front wheel to the rear wheel below a body line about knee high.  Basically a 12"-high by 7 or 8ft long section.  When I did it, I covered that car and my Imperial and then wet the floor down really well.  I only got a couple small particles in the base and they came out easily.  I have a feeling if I do that for a whole car, I'm not going to get so lucky with the dust/dirt.

On a VW site that I belong to, there was a post a long time ago where a guy build a temporary paint booth inside his garage using 2x4s, heavy plastic film (3 or 4mil), and lots of staples.  His makeshift booth also had some fans and used a couple furnace filters attached to the fans to filter the incoming air.  However, it seems that the wrong fan choice could be detrimental to the finished product and possibly deadly if the motor sparked. 

Anyone in here built a temporary paint booth in their garage?  Any input or ideas are welcome.

[Midnight Special]

You can make a "disposible booth with Industrial plastic sheeting."  Comes in 48Inch wideX100ft roll.  Make it 10'tall and the length of your car.  An Old Pit tent frame worls well and ya can use paper for the tops and the palstic for the sides.  I painted mune in the garage and used the plastic, took 4 hrs to put it up, 1/2 to tear it down and worked well .....one bad thing is static....but ya can make it work

[ski]

I like Bill's method.

http://www.bigblockdart.com/resto/repaint/repaint.shtml

[83imp]

I like that.  My only problem is the size of my yard and the local "covenant" in our housing area.  I'll have to put mine up inside my garage which will be fine width-wise, but I'll be limited to an 8ft height.  Great info though.  Thanks!

[Jim_Lusk]

Nothing wrong with inside the garage unless there are any pilot light devices (heater, water heater, etc.) or spark sources. I primered my GTS many years ago in a garage with plastic stapled up. We painted Alan's Barracuda and primered Jeff's Dart in my carport with just plastic. Dust is an issue anywhere but a good paint booth.

[Duster Five-O]

I like Bill's method.

http://www.bigblockdart.com/resto/repaint/repaint.shtml

I did one exactly like Bill's. It worked very well and you don't have to worry about lighting.

[Ryan (Strange246)]

Check out www.autobody101.com lots of great ideas and info over there...

[83imp]

I took a look at Autobody101.com and there were a few posts talking about building one with 1" PVC and clear plastic.  I've got a feeling that may be quite a bit more expensive than the wood, but I could be wrong.  However, it would be very easy to pull apart, store, and reuse at a later date.  I'll have to price the PVC this weekend.

[DJVCuda]

I have a 24X36 garage that I conver to a paint booth now and then, I use heavy plastic spapled to the cieling, and weights on the floor ( manifolds etc)  I use 2 fans - one in the cieling PULLIN the fumes into the attic, and one in tha attic pulling them outside AWAY from everything. I keep the garage door closed but open a side door and cut a hole in the plastic there, and filling it with either heater air filters or you can get rolls of it which is what I ised last time - thats my filter, and the fan pulls the air out of the " booth" the walls suck in pretty good and it keeps the incoming air clean, and leaves less overspary on the floor for me to clean up - I do it as cheap as I can with what I have.

I did abj's primer job, a touchup of my cuda, 2 motors, and my womens front end reapir in it and couldent be happier wwith the results. Just make sure that you leave a big overlap to make a passageway so when you go in and out it seals you in there, and use a fresh air respirator, cause it will kill you.

i'll dig up a few pix... I know Joe has some of his dart being painted...

here is the booth last time I set it up - for a spot repair..




 

here is the finters in the background - - the fan is above the engine compartment in the cieling pulling...




I started using the roll of filter media cause it was a paint ot tape up all the little filters in the door...



and dont forget the fresh air respirator if your gonna do it.. and the paint suit - you wouldent believe how much dust is on your clothes and hair .....
dont mind my fingers...



aside from the respirator it costs me about 20 bux in staples, paint, and plastic to do the booth... the filters only filter outside air, so no apint gets on them, and if stored proiperly will last a long time...as long as they stay in the right direction.

[83imp]

Well, today I took a bent wheel by the local body shop I have always used to have it sent off for repair.  I've had some sort of body work, paint or tint done at least once on about 11 or 12 different cars down there in the last 10 years.  The guy that runs the shop also teaches at our local vocational building and he was my neighbor the last few years I lived with my parents.  We got to talking about my Imperial and then he brought up the hazards of painting in a garage with base/clear systems.  Thats when he said, "Why don't you just bring it down here to the shop or at the school and shoot it?  We've got the booth and fresh-air system you can use.  You've brought enough work to me over the last few years that I'd let you use it no charge.  Just let me know when you want to so we can wash it down and everything before you bring it in."

I instantly thought of the money savings of not having to buy a bigger compressor, a 2nd gun since I'll be using my current one for primer, and the materials for my temporary booth.  I will still do the jambs at home, but I'm not letting this pass me up.

However, he did confuse me on the use of POR-15...but thats another post.

[Bakaruda]

I would put 4 10x10 filters to 1 10x10 so the air will not suck the both in on you.

[Midnight Special]

Just remember whatever you do, if a "neighbor" sees you and complains...the fines for an unapproved paint booth is steep.
(Anotherwords be damn careful)

[azz7772]

make some friends who are in the body and painting business then after a while they could pull some strings to let you use someones booth on a weekend night for free or a small fee.

[83imp]

The guy that runs the shop also teaches at our local vocational building and he was my neighbor the last few years I lived with my parents.  We got to talking about my Imperial and then he brought up the hazards of painting in a garage with base/clear systems.  Thats when he said, "Why don't you just bring it down here to the shop or at the school and shoot it?  We've got the booth and fresh-air system you can use.  You've brought enough work to me over the last few years that I'd let you use it no charge.  Just let me know when you want to so we can wash it down and everything before you bring it in."

I instantly thought of the money savings of not having to buy a bigger compressor, a 2nd gun since I'll be using my current one for primer, and the materials for my temporary booth.  I will still do the jambs at home, but I'm not letting this pass me up.

[Jim_Lusk]

Yes, that'll work much better.