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Top 5 Paint Booth Safety Measures

No matter what kind of paint spray booth you have, it’s essential to make sure you are taking all the necessary precautions to keep your shop and personnel safe. By following a few simple guidelines, you can reduce the risks of fire, air quality problems, and damage to your products. Here are some of the most important safety measures for spray booths.

1. Protect Air Quality

Whether your spray booth is designed for wood finishing or automotive painting, the primers, varnishes, and finishing products that it uses contain hazardous chemicals that can damage equipment and/or create health problems. A properly functioning paint booth reduces the threat of these chemicals in several ways:

  • Creating a closed space for the finishing process
  • Capturing overspray before air is exhausted outside the booth
  • Providing makeup air to maintain balanced air pressure in the booth and shop
  • Heating the air so that the finishes cure faster

To maintain good air quality in your shop, it’s essential to operate your spray booth according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure to use proper exhaust filters and ductwork. Run the ventilation system at all times during spraying operations and for a suitable time afterward to clear vapor from the air.

2. Reduce Fire Risks

Most finishing products are extremely flammable, so it’s vital to take steps to mitigate fire risk. The three components that can cause an explosion or fire are an ignition source, oxygen, and flammable material. Standard paint booth operation converts liquid finishing products into airborne particles, and these particles then collect on equipment and in overspray filters. It’s not possible to remove oxygen from the air in and around the paint booth, so you must control the last remaining element: ignition.

Many actions can create sparks: drilling, welding, and using other types of equipment with high friction levels. You can help eliminate the chance of sparks by installing mats that reduce static and ensuring light fixtures are sealed properly. Make sure both your shop and the paint booth itself have adequate fire detection systems. Automatic sprinklers and other fire suppression measures are essential as well.

An ETL-listed paint booth has an electrical control panel that meets the highest safety standards. Even if your state does not require you to use ETL-certified equipment, purchasing an ETL-listed model can help you feel confident you are mitigating fire risk as much as possible.

3. Follow All Safety Codes and Standards

Safety codes and regulations are in place to help you create and maintain a safe work environment. Paint booth safety requirements come from several different organizations, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Fire Protection Association, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Your state may have additional regulations. While you may not have the time or desire to memorize all the details of applicable safety regulations, there are a few basics you should know:

  • Paint booths should be made of strong materials, such as concrete or steel
  • Booths should have proper exhaust systems
  • Spray booths should be grounded, and electrical equipment should be designed for use in a flammable environment
  • Fans should have integrated spark-arrestor systems
  • There should be a clear space of at least 3 feet around all sides of the booth, including the top
  • You should post appropriate and clear safety instructions

You should only purchase a paint booth that complies with all relevant codes, including specifications from your local Fire Marshall, building inspector, and insurance provider. It’s also essential to make sure your booth is installed by a professional who follows local building codes.

4. Create Safe Storage and Mixing Procedures

Solvents, paints, varnishes, and other flammable liquids must be stored and handled safely. Personnel should wear proper protective equipment during all phases of operation: mixing, moving, and applying finishes.

It’s best to have a designated storage space or room that is separate from the rest of your shop and from the paint booth. It’s also important to mix finishing products in a space with good ventilation and fire suppression equipment. A paint mixing room makes it easy to safely store and mix your finishes.

5. Complete Preventative Maintenance

Setting up your shop and your paint booth properly is the first step to creating a safe operating environment. However, maintaining that environment is just as important. Follow the preventative maintenance guidelines for your spray booth:

  • Replace intake and exhaust air filters according to the manufacturer’s recommended frequency
  • Keep all hoses, fans, and other equipment clean and free of overspray and debris
  • Check your ductwork and seals periodically, and repair any leaks
  • Complete any maintenance tasks recommended by the manufacturer

Routine maintenance helps your paint booth operate safely and efficiently.

Keep Your Finishing Operations Safe

Choosing a high-quality paint booth is the first step toward creating a suitable environment for finishing operations. Other vital safety precautions include performing equipment maintenance tasks, using suitable PPE, and changing air filters frequently. When you purchase a paint booth from us, you can feel confident that your new spray booth complies with all NFPA, OSHA, and EPA guidelines. If you have specific requirements, we can also develop a customized booth for you.

Productivity Challenges In 2020

Productivity Challenges In 2020

It’s a new year in a new decade. At the start of something fresh, it’s traditional to make plans and set goals. It happens every January with new gym memberships and increased sales on romaine. We do it in our personal lives and it’s equally important to set optimistic goals for our business. January is the perfect time to create plans, set strategies and develop tactics for how to get there. During that process, look at equipment needs, personnel gaps, and potential growth opportunities. Once you start brainstorming, excitement will build and you’ll want to get moving sooner rather than later.

It’s easy to get distracted by challenges. Large and small businesses alike face productivity challenges. During these times, leaders look for ways to increase efficiency while also boosting the bottom line. At all levels, keep an eye on improvements to keep the business viable and equip it for growth.

To increase productivity, you need to ask yourself what productivity means to you. It may be better work efficiency, more project profitability, improved job safety or higher quality work produced.

Standard Tools faces these same challenges within our production so we are keenly aware of our customer’s situations. We produce products that offer an affordable way to improve production goals, making it a strong investment for your business in 2020.

Keep reading for our top 5 tips if you’re looking to buy a paint booth in 2020. What are your top goals for 2020 in your business? We’d love to hear.

Standard Tools Production Crew.

Top 5 tips for buying a booth in 2020:

  1. Have a business plan for the new year! This will define what you’re working towards and the strategic plan on how you can get there. This will also outline what your needs are and what you plan to improve.
  2. Select the right paint booth for your needs. It all starts with what you’re painting, what your production goals are and what your investment is. We work with all budgets and can design booths for your specific needs. It’s important for you to know what your local codes and requirements are before you invest in a new booth. Trust us, this saves you a lot of time and headaches in the long run.
  3. Set aggressive goals for the year: Look at what your production is currently and then set a realistic goal for the next 12-months. After you have done that, set an aggressive goal and write down what you need to achieve it. This could include equipment, personnel or other resources.
  4. Do what’s comfortable for you. It’s important to make large purchase decisions with a company where you feel comfortable and with whom you can count on for advice, support and service.
  5. Ask a lot of questions! We have a knowledgeable and friendly sales team that is here to tell you everything we know on paint spray booths. We will ask all the right questions and tell you things you need to consider in the process. We have a team of engineers that can assist in the compliance and design of your new paint booth. You can talk directly with who will be designing and producing your paint booth. Give us a call and pick our brain on everything you ever wanted to know about paint booths, and even some stuff you never knew you needed to know. It’ll help you make a more informed decision and that’s what we’re here for.

Here’s to a prosperous year of achieving your goals. We’re here to help in any way we can, so give us a call at 1-888-312-7488.

Cheers to 2020,

Kat Mendenhall

General Manager, Standard Tools and Equipment Co.

Quality Furniture Made in Furniture Spray Booth

Tanya with Paint Booth Specialist Kelly Goudy
Tanya with Paint Booth Specialist Kelly Goudy

Being based in North Carolina, we are right up the road from some pretty impressive furniture makers. “Furniture Market” is a HUGE thing around these parts and a lot of furniture makers use spray booths to apply the finish to their products.

Back in November, I had the great privilege to meet Tanya Miller at the Carolina Christmas Classic in our hometown, Greensboro, NC.  She along with her husband Josh, own and operate Oak Craft Inc. out of Brockway, PA. They specialize in handcrafted red oak and cherry furniture that is made in many popular styles. I took a few pictures of the quality craftsmanship after visiting with Tanya at the show.

I first met Tanya over the phone in the spring of this year when she called inquiring about needing one of our paint spray booths for their shop, a furniture spray booth. During our conversation in April she shared that she would actually be in Greensboro for the Christmas Classic in November.  I love getting to meet some of our customers face to face whenever I can and this was a great opportunity.

After admiring their beautiful kitchen tables and servers that they had on display (see pictures of those below), we talked a bit about the furniture spray booth she purchased and how it was working great for them.  She was kind enough to share her pleasure in doing business with us and especially how easy it actually was to get the booth chosen, delivered and installed just like we promised. A satisfied customer encourages us in our mission.

We exist to deliver excellence to the automotive and painting industry…every customer – every product – every day.

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Using a Standard Tools Open Face Booth (OFB) for furniture
If you are in need of a quality and affordable paint booth to make your business better, give me a call. If you are looking for some really high quality, hand crafted furniture for your home, call Tanya and Josh. Whichever phone call you make, you won’t be disappointed.

1-888-312-7488

Paint Booths in Military Aviation

Helicopter in Paint Booth

Did you know that Standard Tools and Equipment Co has been the paint booth suppler for several military operations?

I know what you might be thinking, “What would the military do with a paint booth?” Well, we supply very large paint booths for camouflage spray applications on helicopters, Humvees and other equipment. Now you’re thinking, “Ahhhh….”.

With so many paint booth manufacturers based outside the USA, we are proud to be in North Carolina!  It is truly an honor to be trusted to provide top-notch equipment to support our nation’s mission overseas.  We have booths on military bases all over the country and the world.

Enjoy these photos from an undisclosed location! How cool are these behind-the-scenes shots?!

Large Equipment Paint spray Booths

Desert Camo in Process

Helicopter Prepped for Painting

Helicopter paint booth prep

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