Cheap paint booth?, Maybe...

[jorgensensc]

Hey guys,
I have been procrastinating on my truck because I really need to paint the darn thing to move on. I can't rent a paint booth around here, and It would be a huge hassle to use my garage (I would have to cover everything, then find someplace to store the Bel Air for awhile, etc.) So I saw something that I think could work, but I was going to ask here first. I know hand car washing places around here build shade awnings using PVC pipe in buckets of concrete as the framing and use tarps over the top for shade.. Could I use the same principles using the PVC framing, but instead of tarp use a clear plastic (for good lighting) all the way around and on the ground? Obviously I would tape all of the seams and overlap well and create an entrance/ exit after the truck was inside. I could put a household A.C. filter at one end and my Box fan at the other end blowing out to create ventilation. Would this work effectively? I wouldn't be able to use any heaters inside at all, so I would have to let the truck dry naturally. The weather here has been nasty wet and the temp is going to stay in the 40-50s most days. Will the paint eventually dry, or am I going to have a wet mess for days? I am using Kustom Kolorz Hot Rod Flatz Black. Would a space heater work for warming up the little faux paint booth, or would it stand a chance of melting the plastic inside? Any other ideas y'all may have? I have called several places including MAAco, but they won't use my paint to paint the truck, even If I pay them for their paint. THanks for the advice.
Shawn

Moderaters, I posted here because of the better traffic. If necessary feel free to move it to the paint forum.
Thanks,
Shawn

[cdowns]

instad of wasting money on pvc tubing you could just buy a flea market type of tent and use the framework then after the job is finished you'd have a nice tant for going to swapmeets and for the backyard functions

[Sweet72]

I had been thinking this idea over for a long time. Exactly as you described, but with 3 box fans at one end and 3 large furnace filters at the other end. My biggest concern would be having the proper respirator for the job, and second would be the electric motors in the fans with the concentration of atomized solvents.

[jorgensensc]

Originally Posted by cdowns

instad of wasting money on pvc tubing you could just buy a flea market type of tent and use the framework then after the job is finished you'd have a nice tant for going to swapmeets and for the backyard functions

I thought about that, but most of the awning type tents are upwards of 100.00, then I would have to buy the plastic sheeting on top of that. I think I could build the pvc one for a lot less money... I think anyways.

[72armyswbtruck]

I have seen it done before, I did it in my garage, you really have to worry about the fine paint particles straying past your fan and filter. Also if you use a different evaporater or reducer you can speed up the drying time.

[Bus Ted Knuckle]

PVC pipe is cheap, sounds great to me.

To save even more $, how 'bout this though, assuming you have grass, drive rebar stakes in the ground across from each other in two parrallel rows as wide as you need your "tent", then bow your pvc and put each end down over the rebar stobs. That will give you a nice "quanset hut" style frame. Then you can cover with plastic.

I build these from time to time as green houses, and for my tractor when I can't get it inside.

They hold up very well except in high winds, you'll want to take it down for that.

[corn]

Just wait for a nice calm day & shoot it in the back yard. Scuff & buff & drive...

[jorgensensc]

Originally Posted by Bus Ted Knuckle

PVC pipe is cheap, sounds great to me.

To save even more $, how 'bout this though, assuming you have grass, drive rebar stakes in the ground across from each other in two parrallel rows as wide as you need your "tent", then bow your pvc and put each end down over the rebar stobs. That will give you a nice "quanset hut" style frame. Then you can cover with plastic.

I build these from time to time as green houses, and for my tractor when I can't get it inside.

They hold up very well except in high winds, you'll want to take it down for that.

That is a good idea too. Unfortunaley I don't have any grass where I need to do this (on the driveway in the back of the house, outta sight . It would be really great if i could do it in the front yard.... but that ain't happening!) Glad to see others have tried this before.
Shawn

[jorgensensc]

Originally Posted by corn

Just wait for a nice calm day & shoot it in the back yard. Scuff & buff & drive...

No can do. I am covered up with large century old trees and everything that is in them. The last thing I need is squirrels dropping leaves or bird poo on the truck. There always seems to be some kind of debri floating in the air here.
Shawn

[stllookn]

I live in amongst old/second growth trees and the slightest wind drops needles and all kinds of stuff in the paint. Not to mention the bugs, pollen etc. and other airborne flotsam and jetsam just looking for a place to land. I am going to try a portable cover/garage that is about 20 ft long by 14 ft high and 12 ft wide. I would use a couple of large fans on one end to move air through the thing but put furnace filters on the inlet side to avoid blowing too much junk into the paint area. The fans will be to keep the air inside the tent from getting too stagnant...even with an HVLP gun. I will test this on a couple of big panels when I shoot some primer to make sure it will work before loading up any expensive paint. I am not shooting show trucks here...just want to keep the pine needles and big bugs off the fresh paint.

[shovelhead]

Shawn,
I have a 10 x 20 tent that uses metal fence poles. It is heavy as hell to transport and takes a while to put together, but is a nice shelter when it is up. The tarps are white which would help as far as light reflection and I think I have all four sides. I'm in Port Neches, about 90 miles East of Houston if you wanna come get it.

Shovel

[duane67c-10]

i have painted a bunch of stuf in my garage, just buy some plastic sheets from a hardware store and cover every thing up, wash the floor down good, blow it off, clean it, tack it and paint it. you will need some heat, they say two part paint doesn't cure under 50 degrees and it will run like hell. hope this helps

[byrd]

Originally Posted by Sweet72

I had been thinking this idea over for a long time. Exactly as you described, but with 3 box fans at one end and 3 large furnace filters at the other end. My biggest concern would be having the proper respirator for the job, and second would be the electric motors in the fans with the concentration of atomized solvents.

Sounds good, filter incoming air and then filter the outgoing air before it gets to the fans to reduce the fine particle output and reduce the risk of the paint fumes arcing in the motor. Not that I have done this and no I am not an expert.

[Brock]

Believe it or not I was in Lowe's Saturday and was checking out the PVC section just for this purpose. I figured I could make the frame for about $75 then another $25-$30 for the plastic I think it'll work. I was gonna make mine so I could take it apart (not glue it) and store it. Instead of the concrete buckets I was just gonna put sand/concrete in the pipe probably a foot or 18" up. I like the Quansa-hut idea too The only thing is in order to create a hut thats tall enough you'll have to have REALLY long pieces but I guess thats what they make couplers for huh?

[AuggieStyle]

i will import pics from layitlow. i used to paint in a carport turned spray booth. optimal temps for painting is 70-85 degrees, i painted many cars in my drive way. the plastic i used was the NORTON blue sheeting for masking. it has a side that paint sticks to and doesnt fall off that is the main reason paint looks bad dried primer or paint falls off reg plastic into air then lands on your freshly painted truck.
most important thing truck wheelwells undercariage truck needs to be spotless. no dirt that can fly around in your little paint bubble. i used a box fan in the front to suck air out and a box fan in the front to pull air in and since they were the same brand box fan they worked at the same speed. heater was placed out side the bubble and let the fan pull the hotair in.
i just used tape to secure plastic sheeting and seam the sheets together. i wraped a chain around the rear end and laid the other end on the ground to ground the truck to the driveway(static electricity) also disconected battery.
you will notice the plastic pulling in to try to stick to the truck due to static electricity.
if you wash the surface (drive way) before you paint that helps as well just make sure it is dry before you shoot paint. do not believe the BS about the water helps keep the dust down it helps create humidity which is horrible for painting conditions, especially here in texas. DUST in the air comes from Doorjams wheelwells COWLS drip rails rockerpanels and undercaraiges that are dirty and your spray gun kicks all that up in the air.
YOU are right the paint and body forum here does not compare to the other ones i frequent.
hope this helps sorry so long.

[danny's 72 superchey]

Shawn, i used to do asbestos removal. Build a containment, using 2"x2" lumber, with 6 mil visqueen. Make the panels 4'x8', with visqueen on both sides, attatch the visqueen with a hammer stapler, then use duct tape to cover the staples. You can connect the frames togather with sheetrock screws. When you get the whole enclosure built, put 3 18"x24" furnace filters on one side of the enclosure, and install an remote exhaust source on the other wall. We used a negative air machine, which creates a negative pressure booth. As long as all surfaces are sealed, contaiminates can't enter the booth. When you're done you can tak the booth apart, and store it for future use. Also you must be able to maintain at least 55 degrees for 24 hours in the booth, if you're using 2 stage paint. I hope this helps. You can PM me if you need further help.

[glock35ipsc]

This is the best pic I have access to right now. I bought a 10' x 20' party tent (I'll remember where from sooner or later). I think it cost me $100. I had to cut the legs down to get it to fit in my shop under the garage door opener, but I was painting motorcycle tins so I wasn't worried about the height. But I did have plenty of room. I'm sure you could build the same "shape" out of PVC and cover the whole thing in clear plastic.......

It came with a white tarp for the roof, and I used clear plastic for the sides and duct taped the corners and overlaps real well. On the inside end I used furring strips and framed out two openings for two WalMart box fans, screwed them in, then taped a furnace filter over the outside of each one.

The other end was pushed up against the garage door, and I framed out the entire width along the bottom and taped it full of furnace filters.

So the air moved from high on the shop-side, across and down to the outlet side (garage door).

Here is the link to the one I bought. It's from Northern Tool:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...4845_200304845

Worked absolutely perfect!! If I can remember, I'll throw up some more pics when I get home.

[72 cheyenne pdx]

My Father-in-Law bout something similar to this. He bought it at Home Depot for less than $100.00. He has already painted his plane and we will be doing my truck when we get to that stage of the rebuild.


http://www.that-covers-it.com/portable-garages.html

[kulturekat]

i have a real paint booth and then a make shift one at my house. i have painted more in the make shift one than inthe booth. the first way i built the make shift one was exactly the way you described except with 2x4s and not pvc only because thats what i had at my house. then i went to sams a year or so ago and bought a tent that has sides and everything then just sealed it up even better. so id say youre good to go on the make shift booth. just make sure the ventalation is good and the flow of the air is good because the spray particles will dry and fall on to the truck or car and then will settle and will make a rough finish. also if you are outside even if its sealed id recommend not doing it at night only for the reason of bugs they seem to be terrible at night with lights than at the first sign on daylight in the morning. also the temperature is the most vital this time of year is never a good time to paint a car or anything because of the cold. unless its in a controlled heated booth. just my 2 cents.

[Premium72]

i would say wait till it warms up and drys up a bit. you dont wana do all that work and it cure up rite. the moisture will screwt he paint job up and the temp will only make that issue worse....good luck.

[tommypic]

my opinon the plastic will sweat on the inside and collect moisture , then start to drip water , just like in a green house thats just my 2cent worth

[mnunn454]

If you're wanting a decent or better job when you're done, temperature and humidity control are going to be as important as dust control, so choosing your painting day(s) will be very important. Also, remember to use a vapor barrier on the floor too. You'd be surprised how much moisture comes up from the ground in a plastic tent like this.

[glock35ipsc]

Shawn - More pics as promised. Maybe you can get some ideas from these to make one on the cheap. Also threw in a self shot of my Hobby Air system installed onto my noggin.

[72BLUZ]

this is the cheapest paint booth we could find!!

[AuggieStyle]

i see you have the latest parts painting stand as well.nice.