onesickpantera

iTrader: (1)

One step closer to my paint project and need to start prepping my area. What is a good idea for the "hobbyist" to control overspray in their garage?

I was going to get some ceiling tracks to hook plastic to. So, I could have an area surrounded by plastic to paint in then slide the plastic curtain up to the wall. But, shelves, workbenches, etc might make that tough.

I also thought about framing something with 2x2s and stapling plastic to it. 2x2s are cheap enough that I could throw them in with the bonfire wood pile when done.

An 8' x 8' area would be more than enough.

socalstone

I think your 2x2 framing would work best. sounds like a great plan.
I've done some spraying in my garage with plastic hanging from the ceiling. It works but the plastic moves too much. if anyone opens or closes a door nearby the plastic swings and the dust stirs.

POWERPLAY J

Staple the plastic to the ceiling. Pull tight to floor and use 2x4's to hold it down. I made a makeshift booth at my engine builders to do mine. Also place a small fan at ground level blowing out.

Sleeper6

Tacking plastic to the ceiling with some furring strips and letting it hang to the floor works great. If you leave some extra at the bottom and wrap it around a 2x4 of something similar it will keep the movement to a minimum. You may want to lay a sheet on the floor too before you setup to keep the dust down and the cleanup easy. You're basically building a spray booth with minimal framing and plastic for walls.

Don't forget to protect your lungs. The booth will keep all the stuff out of your garage, but it will also concentrate any fumes you're making. A supplied air respirator pulling fresh air from outside would be ideal, but anything is better than nothing.

Edit: Almost the same response at the same time. ....Nice.

jwp

If you have a window near by stick a box fan in it blowing out its a nice added touch

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

If you hang plastic try and do it as close to paint time as you can. The thin sheeting holds a lot of static if you hang it to soon it will pick up dust then start to release it through time. If you do it just before paint it will grab dust out of the air as well as some overspray. Truth be told i stopped hanging plastic years ago though and just cover stuff i want to keep overspray off for a couple reasons. One, my spray equipment is wicked efficient and the transfer efficiency is off the chart so in general i have very little overspray. Two, dust on a shelf or something doesnt necessarily jump off and into a paint job, its about controlling air movement in your shop. You can get paint fumes out without a lot of air velocity but this ties in with efficient spray equipment. When i painted Robs 42 Tiger i was on my second coat before i realized i did not have my fan on. The other thing that helps is learning how to spray a fast clear over large areas, the sooner you can get the surface closed off the sooner you can get on moving air out of the shop. Before i moved into a commercial facility i built a 1600sqft shop behind my residential house and did solely custom street rods and frame off restorations. Did it for years and even my immediate neighbors had no idea, i ducted my shop right out a custom cupola on the roof i had made complete with chicken wind vane on top lol. Most of those old habits never died and i still paint the same way today but on a larger scale.

I will post more on the subject later, to busy at the moment but i have a few more things to ad that will help tremendously

Steve 1

You can use a piece of CSM as an air filter on the exaust side of a shop fan, Works well for gelcoating.

Fenderjack

iTrader: (2)

I did the plastic from the ceiling when I painted the bed for my truck. Like Dave said though, do it as close to paint time as you can. Once you get ready to paint, spray the floor down with water, to keep dust to a min. Any dust that is in the paint/clear can usually be wet sanded, buffed out as it will be pushed to the surface as the paint dries.

John jr

low_psi

Also a quick note when watering down the floor. Only do this once. Do not water down between coats. I never used plastic on walls and ceiling. I have done a few automotive paint jobs in my garage and a few motorcycle tins as well. I just use a shop vac and vaccum all walls ceilings, light fixtures, etc the night before. then water down about 30 min before I begin paining. I always keep the big door closed and put a box fan in the small door way (blowing out) as an exhaust fan. I use a large heavy drop cloth to cover the rest of the door opening. I also use my wall mounted Air conditioner as fresh air intake. I buy multiple 3m furnace filters and stack them over the intake and exhaust of the air conditioner. As the outer filter gets dirty I gently remove it. This works to keep me supplied with clean, dry air and keeps overspray down as well.

I was thinking of buying Shower and tub surround sheets from Home Depot (or Lowes) and lining my gargae with that for my next paint job. They come in 4x8 sheets/ This would allow my walls to be washed down before and after a paint job.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

another thing that helps keep over spray down is gun technique. When you paint your boat its best to split it up into doing the sides on one day and the deck on another. You'll want to to the sides first because they are easier to tape off when you do the deck, just drape a length of paper down and your done. If you shoot the deck first you will have to cover a sensitive and most likely still curing finish and anything used to cover it will print into the surface. The sides, being essentially flat, will not generate much overspray as you are not gunning off many edges, you should be able to do them fairly fast to. If you have good technique it will help keep the haze in the shop down. I usually spray with my vision at an angle to see some reflected light source as i am gunning, this is most important with clear and single stage. With practice you will be able to see exactly whats going on and how. Most good painter know exactly the moment finish coats will run. If i bump a side view mirror or something ya just know lol.

Choosing the proper hardener and right temp range reducer is also a must but its also something that comes with a lot of experience using different products. I can tell you one thing, most quality clears and single stage paints need to be thinned slightly more then the instructions. Its not well known but the manufacturers list a low ratio for reducer in order to keep VOC's down. Truth be told many of those clears dont spray well at those mixes. I know this stands true for just about all of PPG's products maybe some of the other guys will chime in that use Sikkens, HOC, Glazurit, etc . . . .

dont be to worried about any dust that does make it to the finish you'd be surprised what will sand out. Also as you get towards the end remember nothing looks good under fluorescent lights, especially the flat panels that most boats are made up of, if it looks remotely decent indoors it will look great in natural light . . . . . if not . . . drink a Natural Light then it will