# Building an airbrush paint booth



## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

(Edit 11-03-18: I don't know why the pics keep disappearing from my edits of this build, but I copied it over at Model Railroad Forums here http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/building-an-airbrush-paint-booth.30780/ I included pics, there, as well. )
Not sure if this is the right spot for this, but since it does apply to painting I decided to put it here. (Mods, if you feel it should be else where feel free to move it.)

I am going to be building a paint booth for my airbrushing activities. I will be using ONLY acrylic paints, no solvent based paints for me anymore. (I'm weird enough as it is, don't need to make it worse. Knowhutimean, Vern?) The booth will be 27" wide, 18" high, and 18" deep. It will have a 24" single bulb fluorescent light, and ventilation will be a 50 CFM bathroom fan. Filtration will be a 14x20x1 el cheapo furnace filter, the kind that has loosely knit fiberglass mesh. I've read that you don't want to use a good filter because it will restrict airflow too much.
The fan and light fixture will be independently switched. There will be a 14 gauge 3 wire cord coming into the switch box, and 14 gauge stranded wire cord running to the light, with 14 gauge NM cable powering the fan.

The first thing I did was to prepare the light fixture. The light fixture I am using is a 24" Metalux single T8 lamp fixture from Menard's.
Here I have it laid out and am ready to start wiring it up.









This little plastic connector is how the power wires are supposed to be connected, just push them in. Ummmm......... no. This was promptly cut off and disposed of.









In this pic, I have done several things. I used a 17/64 drill and made 4 holes in the 'dimpled' areas on the light housing. I then used 1/4" bolts to secure the housing to a piece of 27" x 5" of 3/4" plywood. This will be the valance for the light, and I will be making this valance removable from the front of the booth to make bulb changes much easier. The top of the booth will also have a slot cut in it for the cord, but more on that later. The excess length of the bolts will be cut off.
I have installed a 3/8" NM cable connector through which the 14 gauge power cord has been passed. I have also used wire nuts to connect the power cord to the light fixture wires, and installed the ground screw.









The other end of the ballast.









The bolts are a bit long.









The light plugged in and functioning. I ALWAYS use a bulb protector with fluorescent lights. I have seen what happens when one of them shatters, and it's not pretty!









I also cut the 27" by 18" piece of 3/4" plywood for the base.









I haven't decided yet on whether to have solid plywood for the top, or whether to cut a 'sun roof' in the top and use a piece of plexiglass to allow additional light. I'm leaning towards the plexiglass idea. Next I need to rip down some 2x4's to get true 1"x1" strips. But that's it for right now. More to come!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I made one similar to yours many years ago.

I don't know where you picked up the tidbit on the low quality filters. I would just use whatever cheap ones you can get at your local home improvement center. A 50 cfm fan will pull through whatever you mount there.

With only acrylics, you don't have to worry about outside exhaust, just particulate control.

You will, however, want to cover the light fixture with some kind of disposable clear cover so that you can change it out when it gets gunked up with overspray. 

I really enjoyed making mine. I hope you have as much fun as I did.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Well, I've been plugging away at it as time and energy allows. 
I marked the lines where things will go, and drilled some holes for the screws that will be coming up from the bottom into the 1"x1" strips.



I got my 1"x1" strips ripped down from a 2x6 I bought at Menard's. I placed one along each side 1/2" from the edge to allow for the side panels, and when I went to test fit one for the bottom of the filter slot, I realized I hadn't cut any long enough. So I used two cut down to fit. I'm not real bugged by it since this area will be totally hidden anyway.

Here I have placed some strips so you can get an idea how it's going to come together. the space between the strips is where the front of the filter housing will sit.


Next I glued down the strips for the bottom with Titebond wood glue, then used some #8 x 1-1/4" screws from the bottom to fasten the strips into place. They aren't going anywhere!



Next I glued and screwed the side panels on. I used the same screws as for the bottom, except that the screw running into the end of the filter slot strip is a 2" black construction screw. Since that screw is running into end grain, I wanted the extra length.


Here I have slipped the front of the filter housing into place so you can see how it goes together. It's not fastened in yet. I still need to cut out the area for the filter. There will be a 1x1" strip along the sides, front and back, as well as one running along the top. That will give me something to fasten the filter front to, and also provide a fastening surface for the top, and the light valance along the front.


Her is a view of the back. I still need to cut the back panel out a piece of 1/2" plywood. I also need to determine how high off the bottom I want the filter to sit.


The filter size is 14x20x1. Since the sides are 18" and the filter is 14" high spacing it up 2" will center the filter vertically. 18-14=4, 4 / 2=2. To center it horizontally, I would need to have each side 3-1/2" from the outside of the booth. 27-20=7. 7 /2= 3-1/2". Aesthetically, that would look best, but since most airbrushing is done either dead on horizontally or at a down angle, I'm wondering if having the filter a bit lower would actually help improve the entrapment of particulates. I'm also wondering about the placement of the fan on the back of the booth. Should I center it vertically or have it lower to help catch particulates, given the normal airbrushing angles? Or is I overthunkin' all this?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

My take is that you've overthinking it. A 50cfm fan should create plenty of airflow to draw the overspray into the filter, no matter where it's located.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Made some more progress on the beastie.
I decided to cut down on the height of the valance for the light to provide a bit more working room. I also took the light apart and replaced those long 1/4" bolts with some 3/4" long Philips flat head machine screws. These go into some 1/4" T-nuts mounted on the face of the valance. The valance fastens to the booth with some 2" long 1/4" pan head bolts. There are some more T-nuts driven into the back of the 1x1" front uprights. 




The top panel will be slotted to provide clearance for the cable clamp. In this pic you can see some metal protrusions on the light fixture, as well as a small screw which was used to fasten the light socket into place on the fixture housing. 


Those protrusions were bent over and or removed, and the screw was replaced by a 3/16" pop rivet. The top is much cleaner now.


I decided to center the filter in the back of the booth. I cut the front piece from 3/8" plywood. While cutting the hole with my jig saw, the saw just would not cut straight, even though I was using a 1x2 as a cutting guide. The blade just wanted to wander all over everywhere! I thought maybe the blade was just dull, so I went to replace it. No more blades. Off to the store to buy some blades. Came home, put on a brand new blade, same thing. Wandering and wobbling like a drunken sailor! I then took a good look at the saw ( a Tool Shop brand cheapy from Menard's that I've had for a whole bunch of years) and noticed that the blade guide (the roller assembly that is supposed to ride on the back of the blade to keep it straight and steady) was about 1/4" back from the blade!
I don't know how that happened. I tried to move the bottom shoe forward (it's all one assembly on that saw) but to no avail. The saw was history.
I got online to check out jig saws from Menard's, Home Depot, and Lowe's. The 6.1 amp Ryobi from Home Depot had a decent price ($59) and pretty good reviews, so I now own a new Ryobi jig saw. It uses T-shanked blades, so none of the old style U-shanked blades I had just purchased would fit anything I now owned.hwell:
Came home with the saw and tried to fix the mess that the old saw had made. I got the middle of the piece cut out, but it wasn't too straight on one side, as the saw kept wanting to follow the path of the old saw. Not a problem. I took my small Porter-Cable hobby router/laminate trimmer with a straight cut bit and got it all looking pretty decent. Still not 1000% perfect, but good enough for my boss.
Here it is in place, glued and clamped.


I needed a way to pull the sides tight while the glue dried. Now, I know that that amateur handyman, Red Green, likes to go around babbling about duct tape being "the handyman's secret weapon." Not so, young Padawan! 
The real handyman's secret weapon is......... ratchet straps!:thumbsup:


I will need to rip some more 1x1 strips, but I still have 2 2' foot sections of that 2x6 I bought a few days ago. Then I'll frame up the filter slot and give everything a good coating of gloss white latex house paint. Then I'll cut a piece of plywood for the back and figure out where the fan needs to be.
It's getting there!
More to come........


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Still plugging away at it!
I got the filter housing framed in. I still need to add some 1x1" strips along the sides of the booth so the glue on the back will have something to adhere to.


Next I cut out the panel for the back from 1/2" plywood, and started measuring to determine where to mount the fan. The bottom edge of the fan housing will be 3-3/4" from the base of the booth. My chicken scratch lines.


Centering up the fan, and determining where to cut the opening.



Once the opening was cut out (jig saw to the rescue again!:thumbsup, I cut and glued some 2x4" stock for a fan support. If you look closely at the left side of the vertical (in this pic) piece you will see two 1/4" t-nuts. There will be 1/4" pan head bolts holding the fan housing onto the fan support. I will also be driving 2 2" screws down from the top of the support into the bottom piece, and 2 2" screws from the other side of the back into the bottom piece. I won't be relying purely on the glued joints.


These two 1/4" holes will have 3/4" long 1/4 inch carriage bolts coming from the other side of the back and glued as well. These correspond to holes in a piece of 22 gauge sheet metal that I used to make a bracket for the top of the fan housing, and pop riveted it into place.


Now to wire up the fan.
The fan has a removable corner piece that has an outlet with wires attached to it. The three wires from the fan outlet were wired to the corresponding wires from the incoming NM cable, which is secured to the fan housing with a 3/8" NM cable clamp. In the lower left corner you can see the 22 gauge brace I made for the top of the housing.
Astute wiring experts will say "Hey, you didn't ground the fan housing." Read on.


Here is the outlet I mentioned earlier. You can see that the ground wire is riveted to it, and if you look at the right side of the outlet you will see that the ground is actually connected to the outlet support. 
This support snaps into the housing, so the sheet metal of the housing is grounded through the ground wire in back of the outlet, so a separate ground is not needed.
You can also see the brace I made, and one of the 1/4" holes for the carriage bolts.


Here is the fan unit, assembled, wired and ready for mounting. In the upper right is the outlet. 


Time to start wiring the switch box. I am using a deep plastic 2 gang switch box. Incoming power will be through a 6 foot 3 wire 14 gauge power cord. The fan and light will be individual switched. To do this, it is necessary to run two pigtails off the hot (black) wire, and three pigtails off the ground (green or bare) wire. The neutral (white) wires from the fan and light will be wired directly to the incoming neutral, so no pigtails are needed for the neutral. The two hot pigtails run to the bottom terminals of the switches, as do two of the ground pigtails. The third ground pigtail will be connected the the grounds from the fan and light. I diagrammed this out and showed it to the plant electrician where I work, and he confirmed that this is the proper way to power and switch two fixtures from one incoming power lead.

Here you can see the ground and hot pigtails, with two of the grounds hooked to the switches.


Here you can see the two hot pigtails hooked to the switches.


Next thing to do is paint the cavity between the filter housing side and the side of the 1x1's for the back to glue to, and cut the piece for the top. I have decided not to put in a "skylight" at this time. The top will be removable, so I can add one later if I feel I need to.
More to come.......


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Getting closer to having this thing done!
I got both switches wired up to the fan and light. I like to wrap the contacts of my switches with electrical tape as an added safety measure.


I will need to grab a new switch plate next time I'm at Menard's. Accidentally put the wrong letter above each switch, and permanent marker is PERMANENT!


Lots of light in there with the light on!


It's hard to see in the pics, but the fan is running.


The electrical box will be screwed to the front where the clamps are, and I plan to epoxy the side of the box to the booth so there will be no floppiness there.

Then I removed all electrical equipment and cut the top. The top will be held on with 1/4" round head machine screws going into T-nuts in the bottom of the side crosspieces. I glued another strip of wood under the cross pieces to hold the T-nuts captive. They aren't coming out.


I cut a slot for the cable clamp on the light fixture. I do have one extra hole on top that will get a piece of 1/4 dowel glued into it.


I added some handles to the sides to make it easier to move this. These are attached with 1" long #12 flat head machine screws, with flat and lock washers on the inside.



Now, I need to get some gloss white latex paint and give this thing a couple coats. It may be a few days before I get to that though.
Well, construction is complete. I just need to paint it and put the electrical gear back on, but i think I'm done posting about this.
I hope this has helped someone, or maybe given them some ideas about how to build their own booth. 
Thanks for watching!


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

OK, one more post and THEN it's done! (I promise!)

I gave the entire booth a coating of Zinsser PrimeCoat2 primer/sealer.


Then the inside got a coat of high gloss white Pittsburgh Ultra enamel.






The exterior got a coat of tan Dutch Boy latex paint, left over from painting the kitchen.

When all the paint was dry, (boy, THAT was exciting to watch!) I used some metallic duct sealing tape to seal all the joints and hole in the fan, then remounted all the electrical equipment. I used some 3/8" split plastic wiring conduit and some small zip ties to cover and protect the electrical wires. A word about duct tape: the regular product we all know and love as duct tape is not recommended for the very purpose that it's name implies it was created for: sealing duct work. The effects of heating and cooling, dust, moisture, etc. cause it to lose it's grip over time. For sealing duct work you really need some adhesive backed foil tape, such as you see around the fan. Now that's not to say that regular duct tape is useless. Just got to redgreen.com and you'll find all kinds of uses for it!:thumbsup:





I also mounted that little airbrush holder bracket thingy that came with my airbrush to the outside of the booth.


That gloss white paint sure makes a lot of difference in how bright it is in there!



When not in use, the booth will be stored under my model railroad work bench.


I also picked up a lazy Susan bearing for my local Ace Hardware for $6.49


I already have some 3/4" plywood, so I will be making a turntable for my booth as well.

Well, this thing is officially done now. I should be able to test it out in the next couple of days. As Stan Laurel, who could butcher a phrase like few other people could, might have said "The proof of the pudding is in the painting."

Thanks again!
I'll leave you alone now. I promise.


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## DaveInTheHat (Nov 13, 2011)

I made my own spray booth a long time ago. It's served me well. I paint with a with lacquer, enamel, and acrylics. I went with rather expensive explosion proof fan. Your booth should work well with just acrylics. I have a couple suggestions for you. The light on the inside could be a fire hazard if one day you use a spray can. The place where it is mounted looks like it will be behind what you're painting. It may cause shadows on what you're painting. You could cut a hole in top with Plexiglas cover between the light and the booth to give you better lighting.
After I used mine for a while I wish I had put lights on both sides close to the bottom edge.
I give my booth a heavy coat of car wax on the inside and let it dry. I also cut out white posterboard to line the inside. When it comes time to clean I just pull it out. Wipe the wax off and its almost as clean as new.
I put a strip of metal with holes in across the top of my booth so I can hang parts. A metal rod would work just as well. I paint a lot of parts upside down so if any dirt gets in the paint it will be on the inside of the part.
I added a cover to the front of mine so I can paint stuff and leave it in the booth and not have to worry about dirt sticking to the fresh paint.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Copied to http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/building-an-airbrush-paint-booth.30780/
I included pics as well. Don't know why they keep disappearing from my attempts to edit this thread.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Because you don't have access to modify a 3 year old thread, perhaps?

Also, I don't think this site allows photos hosted on a 3rd party site anymore.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

CTValleyRR said:


> Because you don't have access to modify a 3 year old thread, perhaps?
> 
> Also, I don't think this site allows photos hosted on a 3rd party site anymore.


The pics uploaded fine to the thread. They would appear for a few days and then be gone. I did not host them on a third party site, I used the up-loader on this forum and attached them directly to the thread.
The edit button works fine.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I have no idea why the your pictures disappear, I don't know of anyone else having that issue. Exactly how are you uploading them to the forum?

Here's a picture for test...


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have no idea why the your pictures disappear, I don't know of anyone else having that issue. Exactly how are you uploading them to the forum?
> 
> Here's a picture for test...
> 
> View attachment 470850


Following HFK's advice in post #2:
https://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=173198

In my last post of that thread is a link to the thread I was trying to edit (same thread as is the subject here). The pics showed up fine when I left the forum and then came back to check the thread. Then a few days later they were gone. I went through the process, re-uploaded and inserted the pics, left the forums, came back to check the thread, all good. A few days later they was gone agin'! 
Don't know what's going on.
When I click the edit button, the link for my attachments show up in the body of the post. I click go advanced, the links are still there. I click save changes (even though I haven't changed anything during the check) and the post text appears in the thread, but no pics. Maybe the gremlins got them, or there's a time limit on editing pics, but not text? I've got a couple other threads I would like to restore the pics to, as well.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

When I click on your photos, I get a Photobucket error. That's why I said that 3rd party hosting doesn't work.

After uploading the photos (notice that I didn't say creating the links), do you click on the paperclip icon and actually select each of the file names to insert the photos in the thread?

That's always worked for me.

Also, are the photos actually on your computer? This site might treat them as 3rd party hosting if they're on some kind of cloud drive.


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## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

plan on installing a better fan. Those bathroom fans are not powerful and most likely only pull 50CFM when not connected to anything.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

CTValleyRR said:


> When I click on your photos, I get a Photobucket error. That's why I said that 3rd party hosting doesn't work.


There should be pics embedded in the first post. If that doesn't work, I'm not going to bother with the rest of them.



CTValleyRR said:


> After uploading the photos (notice that I didn't say creating the links), do you click on the paperclip icon and actually select each of the file names to insert the photos in the thread?
> That's always worked for me.


Yes. "The pics showed up fine when I left the forum and then came back to check the thread."



CTValleyRR said:


> Also, are the photos actually on your computer? This site might treat them as 3rd party hosting if they're on some kind of cloud drive.


They are on the hard drive of my computer.


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