Thread: Where do you paint/overspray/setup question

I live in a rented house, is airbrushing something I can do in the spare bedroom or should I plan on doing it in the garage? I don't want to end up having the walls covered in paint whenever I have to move out. I'm hoping the bedroom will work as the garage gets a little hot in the summer in Las Vegas. I could throw together a fan/filter setup for the spare bedroom if needed, but would prefer not to unless I know it will almost guaruntee an overspray free room.

My main question is what is your setup? And/Or do you end up with overspray on everything? Is there a need to setup a ventilation system out the window or cover the walls with sheets or anything? I already plan on putting something down on the floor to protect the carpet should I drop a jar full of paint.

After getting some practice on newsprint or something, I'll be "attempting" to paint some lexan rc car bodies, boat hulls, general art on lexan or some other type of medium that wouldn't require me to get some real nasty paints in the house. No t-shirts/motorcycles/body panels yet.

I airbrush in my side room off my living room and have very little problem. Just try to keep the pressure down to around 45 psi and you should be OK. When you go up to 50 to 60 psi you will get a lot more and would want a fan and filter set up in the window. Also it depends on the surface you are working on. A hard surface will bounce off a lot more over-spray unless you are working down around 20 psi. The other thing to think about is something to cover the rug, or wood floor. Being that spills do happen.

I most likly will set up a filtration system in the future just for safty sake.

I generally do all my airbrushing outside for smaller portable projects, for indoor work, I use fans and filters for non–toxic water based paints, watercolors, inks, etc., and cover or remove anything from the area where overspray may cause problems. I use plastic sheeting on the floor, and put rubber matting over it. The rubber matting gives me a more cushioned surface to stand on, and it also gives me a platform/work area where I don't have to fight the plastic sheeting getting lifted, shifted or punctured. Another added benifit to the rubber matting is that the cushioning helps protect airbrushes and tools when they*drop or get knocked over. Anytime I am painting indoors, I wear a dust mask or resperator, depending on the type of paint/pigment, air pressure, and work surface.

For you, in a rented place, if you couldn't casually clean up a spill of paints or solvents, and you couldn't casually replace the flooring or wall covering, then you should work in an area that will be more forgiving, like the garage, in the yard, etc. Setting up an umbrella, or small canopy for a work area in your back yard would let you work in the shade, but not have you in constant worry or danger of the spill and mess issue.

I AB everything in my art room that is in my basement. I did det up a ventilation system consisting of bathroom exhaust fams with filters in some PVC pipe that go out to the storage room.
It's working pretty good.
Greger

You can probably get a window mount fan to "suck out" the fumes from the local hardware store. You could "build" a false floor under you to catch any spills and make it a surface that's comfortable for you to work on. The sturdier it is the less frequently you'll have to replace it. Plastic sheeting may only last one use depending on how hard on it you are. It could also last years.

You're a little cooler than I am here in Arizona but I would really try the spare room myself because the garage in the summer is not only going to be VERY uncomfortable it will also really give you problems in the paint handling department. Your paint will dry in the gun very fast and also the amount you need to thin it will change frequently even during a single day.

Desert Rat airbrushers have our own set of problems to deal with.

Post a pic of what you set up.

If you don't do anything that has been suggested above, eventually when (and if) you dust, you will find the most exotic colored dust on everything. I've been painting since last August in my basement without any fans or filtration and have the most colorful dust on everything down there.... I seriously need to clean from top to bottom and then do something about filtering the air.

Cliff