Frequently Asked Questions

Paint/Spray Booth Questions

What Spray Booth Is Right For Me?
Choosing the right paint booth design depends on both desired quality and facility limitations. We design and customize booths to fit industry and company-specific needs, so we are prepared to overcome the limits of convention to develop booths that are perfect for our customers’ needs. Contact us to learn more about how our booths can benefit your operation!
How do I know which filter is right for my paint spray booth?
Knowing the level of filtration required is key to selecting the right spray booth exhaust filter. Local Air Pollution requirements, capture efficiency requirements and fan static pressure ratings all must be considered when selecting the right filter. 
How can I keep my spray booth like new?

Practice good booth hygiene, maintenance, Use an interior coating or film, Establish a cleaning schedule, Clean clothing and equipment, and Maintain the filtration system.

Learn more in this blog

How can I increase the life of my spray booth?

Replace filters maintain fan performance; Clean on a schedule; Train employees on equipment operation and proper booth maintenance; Use booth coat; and Consider upgrades and accessories.

Read 5 Ways to Increase the Live of Your Spray Booth. 

How can I protect my spray booth through the seasons?

Ensure proper climate control within and around the booth, watch for weather risk factors such as hot and cold weather, and humidity levels.

Read the Guide to Protecting Your Spray Booth Through Every Season.

How can automated spray booths save me time and money?

Automated spray booths can help to limit safety risks, reduce resource waste, ensure consistent spray application and lower operating costs.

Read more in the blog How Automated Spray Booth Systems Can Save You Time and Money.

How can I keep my spray booth like new?

Practice good booth hygiene, maintenance, Use an interior coating or film, Establish a cleaning schedule, Clean clothing and equipment, and Maintain the filtration system.

Learn more in this blog

How do I know if my large equipment paint booth meets safety regulations?

Feel confident with Spray Systems’ dedication to staying up-to-date with all applicable safety codes for your unique industry. Be sure to follow local, regional and federal regulations. You can also check with NFPA, IFC and OSHA as they are the three largest governing bodies when it comes to regulations.

Read more in the blog Ensuring Your Large Equipment Paint Booth Meets Safety Regulations.

How can I prep my spray booth to avoid fires?

Develop and follow a comprehensive safety plan with training, crisis response, and inspection schedules that follow NFPA and OSHA regulations.

Read more here.  

Powder Booths Questions

What are the top 3 important things to know about power coatings?
  • • Manual vs Automatic: Will your booth implement manual or automatic spray applications? 
  • • One Color vs Many Colors: One color booths can take advantage of a reclaiming system where booths with multiple colors requires separate color cartridges.
  • • Powder Only vs Powder and Liquid: Due to different requirements, one paint booth does not typically apply to both types.

Read more in the blog post, What You Should Know About Powder Coatings. 

What are common appearance issues with liquid and powder coating?

Dirt contamination; Surface preparation; Problems during application; Coating composition

Read more in the blog post, Common Appearance Issues in Liquid and Powder Coating

 

Design Element Questions

What types of spray booths do you offer?
  • • Dry Filter – A dry filter booth is the most standard type, and it is less expensive (to start) than other options. Production can come to a stop once the dry filter has reached its capacity, and the time it takes to replace all the filters will vary according to the number of filters in your booth. 
  • • Water Wash – A water wash booth uses water to entrain paint particles into a water curtain and then to the waste reservoir. The initial costs may be more for a water wash booth, but overall, long-term capital equipment costs can be justified as compared to a dry filter booth if you use large volumes of paint.   
  • • Powder Coating – Powder applications are much friendlier to the environment than liquid coatings, and they can be more cost-efficient due to their high transfer efficiency and their ability to reclaim powder. However, the initial cost for powder booths is more than others since this type of application process requires a powder coating oven, which will take up more useable floor space

Learn more about it in our blog post, Spray Paint Booth Filtration: Water Wash vs Dry Filter 

Crossdraft vs Downdraft paint booths?

In a Crossdraft booth, the air enters and exits Horizontally, parallel to the floor. In a downdraft booth, the air enters from the ceiling of the booth and exits through the grating in the floor. 

Read more about it in our blog post, Crossdraft vs Downdraft Paint Booths: Which Airflow Design is Right for You?

 

How do I choose the right booth for me?

To select the most appropriate paint booth, we recommend evaluating the following:

  1. Desired paint quality
  2. Installation limitations
  3. Product size
  4. Operational cost 

Read more about it in our blog post, 

 

 

What are the advantages of Downdraft booth?

Primary advantages of the downdraft airflow design include: 

  • Cleaner booth operations 
  • Minimal contamination of finished surfaces 
  • Increased safety for workers 
  • Flexibility of use 
  • Provides the most optimal finishing environment 

Read more about it in the blog post Spray Booth Design Breakdown: Downdraft Booths. 

Is a downdraft booth ideal for the industries I serve?

Since the downdraft booth prioritizes quality over cost efficiency, it is a prime choice in production environments that demand flawless results. This makes them a popular choice for companies that serve industries like Aerospace, Aircraft, and high-end vehicles.  

What are the necessary requirements during a spray booth construction?
  • •Building Permits
  • •Air Pollution Permits
  • •Compliance with Federal Regulations

Take a look at Essential Design Elements of a Spray Booth #5: Safety Regulations where we address the four common regulatory authorities and their impact on booth design. 

What are the disadvantages of semi downdraft booth?

This design sometimes creates an airflow “dead zone” near the front of the booth causing lazy overspray requiring the attention of the painters. 

What are the advantages of semi downdraft booth over conventional?
One of the biggest advantages of choosing a semi-downdraft booth over a conventional downdraft unit is reduced installation costs. Conventional downdraft booths require a concrete pit below the booth floor to house the filtration and exhaust system. This can be expensive and create operational disruption depending on the size of the booth. 

 

Learn more about it in our blog post, Spray Booth Design Breakdown: Semi-Downdraft Booths 

What is a Modified Downdraft Booth?
Modified downdraft booths, which are also called side downdraft booths, similar to downdraft models except the air is pulled through exhausts along the side of the booth rather than through a floor grating. This may seem like a minor difference, but it has a broad impact on the booth’s optimization and suitability. 
What are the Benefits of a Modified Downdraft Booth?
Modified downdraft booths allow operators take advantage of a downdraft design but circumvents the requirement for a concrete pit, which can be expensive or impossible depending on the workplace. Since the airflow passes into plenums along the base of the booth’s sides, which are placed on a level concrete floor, no pit is required. 

 

Learn more about it in our blog post, Spray Booth Design Breakdown: Modified Downdraft Booth 

What are the distinct benefits of Crossdraft Paint booths?
  • •Lower Installation Costs
  • •Availability of parts and service knowledge
  • •Reduced enviormental impact

Learn more about the crossdraft paint booth here! 

This vs That

Advantages vs Disadvantages of Batch Processing?
  • • The biggest advantages of batch processing are the cost savings, work versatility and even using less floor space than conveyor processing. It’s the ideal solution for companies whose coating process outpaces the manufacturing process. This is the “saving space” option. 
  • • Some of the disadvantages associated with batch processing can be the wait time. It can also be more difficult to recognize and react to issues in the batch processing flow. If an issue is identified, it has affected many parts in the batch proceeding through the process. This leads to more waste when issues are identified. Many of the parts in the batch may have to be discarded or reworked. 
Advantages vs Disadvantages of Conveyor Processing?
  • • Advantages – Conveyor processing can often produce finished products at a faster rate than batch processing. There is no wait time while the previous part is being processed. Conveyor processes can be adjusted to meet customer demands, if a single item is deficient, the line can be stopped and corrected before any other part reaches that part of the finishing process. The ability to halt the line reduces waste. 
  • • Disadvantages – Not all production lines can be continuous. Material handling depends on the processes in the line and the product. 

Learn more about Batch vs. Conveyor processing here! 

What are the 3 Common Aerospace Paint Applications?
  • • Spraying
  • • Dipping
  • • Brushing

Learn about each paint application method by reading our blog post Aerospace Finishing Applications: Spraying vs Dipping vs Brushing. 

What are the differences between Recovery vs Non-Recovery Powder Booths?
  • • Non-Recovery powder booth is the more basic of the two booth designs. The initial investment for non-recovery booths is significantly less expensive than a comparable model that is designed to reclaim or recover used powder. They are equipped with a standard filtration system that catches overspray into replaceable filter cartridges that are periodically discarded and replaced with fresh ones. 
  • • Recovery powder booths can be identical to their non-recovery counterparts aside from changes to the filtration and the addition of a reclamation system. Rather than trap powder overspray in disposable filters, these booths are outfitted with a specialized cartridge-style filtration system that collects the powder so it can be reused—making it more environmentally safe than its non-recovery counterpart. 

Learn more about Recovery vs Non-Recovery Powder Booths here! 

What are the Differences between Spray Paint Booth Filtration: Water Wash vs Dry Filter?

• Water Wash spray paint booths use water as a filtration medium instead of dry filters. Paint overspray is collected and trapped in the water curtain or scrubber section of the washer and then is dropped down into a collection tank. 

• Dry Filter booths use layered filters to separate the paint particulate from the constant airstream passing through the exhaust filter. Dry filtration systems require dry filter replacements. Clogged filters redirect air to a different path of least resistance, which will affect uniform airflow in the booth. Dry filters have a relatively short lifespan and must be replaced regularly to ensure efficient operations.

Read more about it in our blog post: Spray Paint Booth Filtration: Water Wash vs Dry Filter.