Advice on a spray booth

[Todd Solomon]

We're about to cement our basement, and I will soon have a lot more room to expand my shop into.

I'd really like to build a small finishing room. With a large project backlog, I'd like to avoid too much construction time. I'm thinking about buying an entry-level open-sided spray booth, then building walls to enclose a finishing room. I'd put the spray booth at one end of the room, and large double-doors at the other, with large filters that the air will draw through.

I'm thinking about this Grizzly, which is $1700:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0533

For a little more, I could get something like this, either the 6' or 8' wide model:

http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/8574.html

My criteria are:
-Quick and easy to construct (time is my biggest constraint)
-Compatible with solvent-based finishes- explosion-proof fan and lights

And thoughts or experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Todd

[Jim Becker]

The one from the auto body place is a bit more comprehensive and larger...you wouldn't need to rebuild to handle larger projects as you would with the Grizzly you link to. In fact, the auto body "version" is very much like the type discussed in the book about spray finishing I've been reading off and on. Do you have the height to accomodate it? Do you have the ablity to vent it properly in the basement situation you seem to be in?

[Todd Solomon]

The one from the auto body place is a bit more comprehensive and larger...you wouldn't need to rebuild to handle larger projects as you would with the Grizzly you link to. In fact, the auto body "version" is very much like the type discussed in the book about spray finishing I've been reading off and on. Do you have the height to accomodate it? Do you have the ablity to vent it properly in the basement situation you seem to be in?

Hi Jim,

I'm leaning hard towards the auto body unit too. I've got plenty of height (about 12+') in this area, because our house is on a slope, and the basement has high ceiling in this corner. Good question on the venting- that's what I need to figure out next. These units usually have a 24" duct, and I am thinking I'd put a 90 degree elbow on it, and have it exhaust out the side of the house. This is out the side of the house that has no windows or doors anywhere close. I know this isn't ideal, as I think you're supposed to build a vertical exhaust stack at a certain height.

I'll mostly spray water-based anyway, but would like to occasionally do shellac and lacquer. I figure that I'll only spray infrequently, so I'm hoping this will suffice.

[Joe Jensen]

Hi Jim,

I'm leaning hard towards the auto body unit too. I've got plenty of height (about 12+') in this area, because our house is on a slope, and the basement has high ceiling in this corner. Good question on the venting- that's what I need to figure out next. These units usually have a 24" duct, and I am thinking I'd put a 90 degree elbow on it, and have it exhaust out the side of the house. This is out the side of the house that has no windows or doors anywhere close. I know this isn't ideal, as I think you're supposed to build a vertical exhaust stack at a certain height.

I'll mostly spray water-based anyway, but would like to occasionally do shellac and lacquer. I figure that I'll only spray infrequently, so I'm hoping this will suffice.

These things move a lot of air. Think about where you will get an air intake to replace the air the duct sends outside. Also, if it's hot or cold outside, the booth will introduce a ton of un-conditioned air into the house...joe

[Todd Solomon]

These things move a lot of air. Think about where you will get an air intake to replace the air the duct sends outside. Also, if it's hot or cold outside, the booth will introduce a ton of un-conditioned air into the house...joe

I live in California, so it usually doesn't get too cold or hot outside. The finishing room will be in the basement, directly adjacent and open to the garage. I will have the garage door open, so the make-up air will come from there.

Todd