Inside paint area

[Blackhood Bill 721]

I'm located in central Indiana. It's now on the colder side here and I'm in the middle of a project. Project now slowed down due to cold and no heated area to paint in. Just wondering what everyone else was doing in a similar situation. Would like to see pictures and maybe an explanation of how and what you have to paint inside to control overspray and paint odor.

[ebinmaine 67,397]

28 minutes ago, Whnewone said:

how ... you ... paint inside

 

Well to put it simply... We don't. Ever.

 

Trina is the one who does most of the painting here.

When it's too cold to paint we keep the parts to be done in the downstairs workshop for at least a few hours to warm them up...  and bring them outside... Paint... Bring them in to cure.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

Certainly not worth the health risk. 

[rmaynard 15,434]

Spray painting indoors requires a lot of prep. The area where you paint must be sealed from any living area. Fresh air ventilation is a must with large enough fan to change the air frequently. Proper breathing protection is also a must. Many paints, especially acrylics, are extremely hazardous to your health. 

 

My advice is NO spray painting indoors.

 

Brush painting with alkyd based enamels is okay as long as you can ventilate the smell.

[WHNJ701 4,165]

all my painting is done by October/November, never inside.  

Plus using spray paint I like letting it cure for a month or 2 before reassembly or use

I also do alot of scale model building too which.  since the weather was humid and rain not much got done this year

[SylvanLakeWH 25,525]

2 hours ago, ebinmaine said:

 

Well to put it simply... We don't. Ever.

 

Trina is the one who does most of the painting here.

When it's too cold to paint we keep the parts to be done in the downstairs workshop for at least a few hours to warm them up...  and bring them outside... Paint... Bring them in to cure.

 

 ...to which I would add - paint also has been inside and warm and I do it in the garage so no wind / wind chill...Quick paint then move inside where warm...

 

Big stuff - wait till warm weather...

 

[SPINJIM 1,981]

I have to paint one small part this week.  Tomorrow, temp will be over 50 degrees, so today I'll bring the part and the paint inside to warm up.  Tomorrow, paint outside (wearing a mask), leave out for half drying,  and bring the part in for final drying.   I was only issued one pair of lungs, so I have to take good care of them.   Wait for the January thaw or until springtime.   Good luck.

    Jim

[Mikey the Monkey 697]

what is the health risk if I do some painting inside?

[clueless 2,983]

Move down here, you can paint outdoors all year long .

[Blackhood Bill 721]

Ok guys I hear what your saying but, I want to do this under controlled everything. Meaning it will be safe in every sense. I agree it needs to be done in a safe manner. I was looking for those who do and what they use if they do.

Edited December 31, 2018 by Whnewone
Spell correction

[Sarge 3,463]

There really is no easy way for a home setup to paint in cold weather - unless you want to build a fully ventilated/filtered booth. Doing so will also require a huge number of heat BTU's to keep the temperature up high enough to get the paint to flow out, that's why no one really does this stuff during the colder weather season.  When I worked for a specialty woodworking shop we had 2 large furnaces running at full power to keep the temperature controlled when using the ventilation fan. Once that job was done, the fan off and temperature stable the furnaces had to go off as well to prevent the risk of explosion from a buildup of fumes in the building. This whole setup required it's own building - no way we could do it in the shop with all the dust, of course. Auto body shops have dedicated booths that will keep the air temperature stable and ventilate the fumes when painting parts or a whole car - all of that air has to be filtered as well. Due to hazardous materials used in the paints and solvents, full body protection is a must as well. 

 

Now, for off-the-shelf spray can paint? Same deal - there are volatile solvents in almost every spray paint available, which is why it clearly states on the can it must be used in a well-ventilated area and breathing protection (respirator) is required. Do folks adhere to these warnings? No..but do so at their own risk. Paint solvents and especially enamel hardeners can actually penetrate your skin and cause nerve/lung damage in short order - this stuff is nothing to play around with and a lot of people are risking their health when they ignore the warnings. Using any of this stuff in an enclosed space increases the risk of fire/explosion very quickly - by the time you can tell the fumes are building up it is far too late. I have painted some small parts in my shed with a Tyvek suit and a respirator in the dead of winter. Running a propane heater wide open to get the small 10x12 warm enough to paint, shutting it off to get the part(s) painted and turning it back wide open to dry them. The finished parts aren't all that great but acceptable. The trick here is the shed leaks enough fresh air to prevent curing fumes from building up and minimizes the risk of fire, but I don't recommend anyone attempting to do it themselves unless they really have the experience to know when the fumes are past the threshold limit. It's a real balancing act of keeping the parts warm enough along with the air temperature, which is why the final product doesn't turn out all that well. 

 

Shorter answer - you'll have to build a booth, filter it and provide enough of a safe heating source to sustain the temperature.

 

Sarge

[Chris G 3,296]

At my old house i built a plastic room in the basement. Framed with 2x4s and on one end I had a little frame built with 2 filters placed in it and on the other end same style fliter setup, but placed in front of a window with exhaust fan. Worked well.

Edited December 31, 2018 by Chris G

[ebinmaine 67,397]

The only "right" way to spray indoors is to set up a paint booth inside something like a garage or shed.

 

Hang appropriate plastic sheeting.

Source the correct air exchange system.

Fresh air ventilation mask.

 

You may find it isn't worth the trouble or expenses...

But if it's something you'll do regularly that's different.

 

[Chris G 3,296]

Forgot to mentio the filters I used were just dust and pollen furnace filters. Also I did were a full face filtered mask. I only went through the headache of building cause I'm always restoring something from a tractor to old furniture. So it was worth it for me at the time. But I still was always careful how much I painted. Usually just a couple parts at a time. 

[rmaynard 15,434]

4 hours ago, Mikey the Monkey said:

what is the health risk if I do some painting inside?

Quite simply COPD, and in some cases DEATH.  The new acrylics use isocyanate (super glue) as a hardener. Once breathed into the lungs it doesn't come out. It hardens. Paint suppliers recommend forced fresh air full face masks and full body covers. 

 

Now that I have properly scared you, regular aerosol cans usually contain no hardeners and are safe enough to use with just a simple mask. However, my philosophy is, if you can smell it, you're breathing it. Err on the side of safety.

[Mikey the Monkey 697]

40 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

Quite simply COPD, and in some cases DEATH.  The new acrylics use isocyanate (super glue) as a hardener. Once breathed into the lungs it doesn't come out. It hardens. Paint suppliers recommend forced fresh air full face masks and full body covers. 

 

Now that I have properly scared you, regular aerosol cans usually contain no hardeners and are safe enough to use with just a simple mask. However, my philosophy is, if you can smell it, you're breathing it. Err on the side of safety.

 

 

Thank you. I will be more careful, that sounds awful