The complete assembled paint booth. The 90-degree dryer vent connects to the board that goes under the garage door.
It gets cold in the mountains of Colorado. Often the temperature is too cold to spray paint or primer outside. I didn’t want to build a dedicated paint booth for the few times when priming and temperature didn’t coexist, so here’s my temporary downdraft paint table. Approximate cost was about $50.
Instructions
1. Cut a 4-inch hole in a long board. Cut the board to length to fit under the garage door between the frame joists.
2. Cut one of the foam boards in half to 20×32 inches for the two sides. Cut slots for the boards halfway down (16 inches), 1 inch from the edge. Do this the opposite of the photo. I learned later it’s easier to slide the sides down than the back and front.
Slots cut into the foam boards. The slots should be cut so the ends are the last part to slide down into the upward oriented slots in the wide boards.
3. Cut a 4-inch hole in a side or back for the dryer vent coupler. Lay down some paper or a drop cloth and assemble the box.
4 Cut a short section of dryer hose to connect the bilge blower to the vent coupler. Attach it to the bilge blower and secure with Velcro or tie straps. This part stays together for future use. Insert the other end of the vent coupler into the hole cut in the board.
The business end of the paint booth showing the blower connected to the side of the booth.
5. Connect the remaining vent hose to the output of the blower and secure with Velcro. You want this side to come apart for storage, so Velcro works best.
6. Release the garage door lock and open the door enough to insert the board.
7. Close the door on top of the board and insert the 90-degree dryer vent. This keeps heat inside and fumes from coming in. Make sure it’s not pointed at the wife’s new car!
8. Connect the dryer hose.
9. Lay the baby gate on top of the box.
10. Hang the shower curtains to contain overspray.
11. Hook up the power and paint!
Parts for the blower and hose. Note how the blower is mounted to a piece of scrap board.
Optional
I mounted the bilge blower on a board with a coaxial power jack matching the plug on the power supply. I also made a filter for the inside, but it works fine without it. For a larger paint booth, you could make a similar version from 1/4-inch plywood.
Disclaimer
This is not a replacement for a real paint booth, but it works great for small parts. Wear protective gear per the manufacturer’s recommendations.
