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Painting in my garage

Discussion in 'Shop Safety' started by Stout, Apr 17, 2011.

  1. Apr 17, 2011
    Stout

    Stout Member

    Quakertown, PA
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    Nov 1, 2010
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    958
    I'm still about a month away but I will be painting my Jeep myself. I've painted before and though I'm no professional, I'm confident in my abilities. However, I don't have a professional spray booth and will be painting in my garage.

    The problem is that I have a typical 70's split entry house with an integral garage in the basement. I will do all the standard safety things -- make sure there are no open flames, wear a respirator, have a fan or two blowing out, etc. But I'm concerned about fumes travelling upward into the house. Base coat/clear coat fumes are supposedly hazardous.

    Any advice? Hopefully the advice won't be to take it to a paint shop. I really have my heart set on painting myself, I've done everything else on this Jeep myself.
     
  2. Apr 17, 2011
    nwedgar

    nwedgar Now with TBI!

    Newnan, Georgia
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    You can hang some plastic sheeting from the ceiling to create your own booth in the garage to reduce the amount of paint fumes in the rest of the garage and house. Some people have used PVC to make a frame. for the plastic. Home Depot sells large 10x25 rolls of ~3mil plastic.

    I am painting in the driveway right now, but when I roll the chassis back into the garage the fumes still stink it up. I put a towel at the bottom of the door going to the garage and used wide painters tape around the door to seal it off when I'm done. It worked really well, and the next day the fumes are significantly reduced. Of course if you have a forced air furnace anywhere near you might pick up some fumes through the vents too.
     
  3. Apr 17, 2011
    colojeepguy

    colojeepguy Colorado Springs

    At the foot of...
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    I painted mine in my garage (detached) used plastic over EVERYTHING & I still got red overspray all over. I wouldn't do it in an attached garage. If you do, wait for warm weather so you can open up the house if fumes get to be a problem.
     
  4. Apr 17, 2011
    Stout

    Stout Member

    Quakertown, PA
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    There is a window in the garage and I had planned to open it and put a box fan blowing out. This will take care of some of the fumes. I do have a forced air furnace/AC but I will turn it off until the fumes die down.
     
  5. Aug 22, 2011
    Stout

    Stout Member

    Quakertown, PA
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    Well I've been painting in the garage and it hasn't been that bad. I crack one of the garage doors and have a box fan blowing outward. After the paint flash dries (enough to keep dust and bugs from sticking) which is generally about 15 minutes, I open the garage doors. The fumes really aren't that bad upstairs. I try to only paint early in the day so the house has a chance to air out a bit before we go to bed.
     
  6. Aug 23, 2011
    joe51

    joe51 Member

    c. Fla.
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    Put a box fan in one of the house windows or doors and close the other doors and windows. Seal the openings around the fan as best you can with cardboard, duct tape etc. Then set the fan to blow INTO the house and that will put a slight positive pressure in the house and that should cause any air leaks to blow INTO the garage from the house instead of vice verse. That should keep the fumes out of the house.

    Also wet down the garage floor before you start. That will help keep the dust down.

    Regarding putting an exhaust fan in your paint booth (garage). NORMALLY you don't want to do that since it will draw in air and dust at any leaks. Normally what they do is to put a fan blowing air INTO the paint booth through an air filter. That air will be clean and dust free and the positive pressure will blow out any at leaks and prevent the entry of any dust into the PB. In your case, you'll have to decide which to use (exhaust air or bring in air). One help prevent fumes in the house but the other will have prevent dust getting into the fresh paint.
     
  7. Mar 26, 2012
    49T&C

    49T&C Member

    Archer, FL
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    I got one of those cheap 'carports" - with metal skeleton and would have a poly tarp on the top. I just got the framework & set it up outside the shed - on a concrete slab. Put some visquine over the whole thing and used a bunch of the metal spring-clamps to hold the visquine in place. I had a box fan blowing out and a couple of "windows" cut in. I taped A/C filters to the windows to filter the air coming in.

    I moved the car in, wet down the slab and shot the car in the morning (enough light to see clearly, but not so crazy-hot). USE A GOOD RESPIRATOR!!!

    When I was done, I turned off the fan & it became an oven. I left the car in there all day (HOT, HOT, HOT day). The paint job turned out well and I could disassemble the whole thing when not in use.


    49T&C
     
  8. Mar 26, 2012
    LarryD

    LarryD Member

    Gallup NM/ 4 Corners
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    I have done it in an attached garage. I put plastic over the door joining the garage to the house, wife complained it really stunk up the house. I opened the garage door after the paint was dry to the touch but it still gives of lots of fumes. Remember urethane is super toxic.
     
  9. Mar 26, 2012
    jayhawkclint

    jayhawkclint ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

    Oklahoma City, USA
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    I have to sen the family away whenever I do it.
     
  10. Jun 24, 2012
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

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    more air into the room than out
     
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