While there are a lot of different criteria that can come into play when finding, buying and installing a new paint booth, searching for a booth based on price alone should not be the standard for multiple reasons. For one, not all booths are created equally. They are designed for specific purposes and if you go for the lesser-priced one instead of the one that you need, it could end up being a huge waste of money.
Secondly, when you purchase a new paint booth that is used for commercial purposes, cheaper paint booths may not provide proper safety features to handle the volume. If the ventilation systems, electrical systems, and chemical components are not up to code it can be hazardous for your workers and result in severe injury.
That’s why we have put together these tips to help you find, buy, and install the right paint booths to suit your needs. We breakdown the choices between paint booths based on design, cost, and installation – as well as a few other factors to consider – to make sure that you choose the best paint booth for your business.
Guide to Getting a New Paint Booth
Design
Spray paint booth technology has revolutionized the efficiency of precision body work businesses. From providing mechanized paint jobs that are cleaner and more evenly distributed to offering greater safety for paint booth operators, paint booth design is a major factoring in making the right purchase.
We sell a variety of booth styles at Accudraft to meet the needs of a wide variety of industries. Here are the basics of standard paint booth design:
Non-Pressurized Paint Booths: Non-pressurized booths are the most energy efficient because they do not run on power. However, there are many limitations to this sort of paint booth. It is the cheapest and offer minimal automation.
Pressurized Paint Booths: Pressurized paint booths are our specialty at Accudraft. They take full advantage of all of the convenience and precision of modern technology. Using automated sprayers, ventilation fans, and for some mechanized rollers, these paint booths offer maximum airflow, reduces contamination and debris, and offers more even finishes.
Large Equipment Paint Booths: Large equipment paint booths are made to accommodate oversized equipment and machinery. We sell booths big enough to house aircraft, trucks, boats, cars, and more.
Small Equipment Paint Booths: Small equipment paint booths are somewhat misleading in that small refers to cars and smaller, like motorcycles and electronic equipment. They are a smaller version of the industrial size large equipment booths, do not require concrete pits, and are the most common among body shops.
Drying Rooms: In addition to paint booths, many businesses benefit from drying rooms to help speed along the process. Many of our paint booths come with heat drying technology so that you do not need an additional drying room.
Cost
Beyond the utility of design, cost is a factor especially for small body shops owners who want the most out of their investment but don’t have the budget to afford anything too expensive. Here we have broken down some of the basic paint booths and how much you can expect to spend on them.
Pressurized Booths: Depending on whether or not you get additional features like heat drying, downdraft or side draft technology, pressurized booths run between $15K and $20K.
Non-Pressurized Booths: Non-pressurized booths do not have all of the bells and whistles that come with pressurized booths but if your shop specializes in furniture painting or you own a small garage, you can buy one for as low as $6K.
Large Equipment Paint Booths: Industrial size paint booths that can house aircraft, boats, and trucks cost upwards of $40K, not including the costs to have it professionally assembled and shipped.
Small Equipment Paint Booths: Small equipment booths that are good for small body shops and motorcycle shops can be purchased either non pressurized for around $3K or pressurized for around $25K.
Custom Paint Booths: We also offer customized paint booths at Accudraft where we can retrofit accessories to paint booths from other manufacturers or to create a custom paint booth to the specifications for your particular line of business. Pricing varies based on the type of customization, size of the booth, and any documentation or permits needed for its construction.
Used Paint Booths: When body shops go out of business they sell their paint booths online used. The problem is if you are not careful, particularly for large equipment paint booths, assembly can be next to impossible. Used paint booths can run as low as $1,500 up to around $5K.
Costs for insurance, inspections, shipping, and assembly can push the costs of all of these paint booths higher. Also, making sure that your paint booths once assembled meet federal, state, and local regulations should factor into the costs.
Installation
Installation costs vary depending on the type of paint booth you choose. No matter which design or size you choose, installation should be done by a professional who can guarantee their work. The costs for installation can vary widely but to ensure that your new paint booth meets NFPA, EPA, and OSHA standards and will function properly, it is worth the extra money to get it right.
Are You Ready to Equip Your Shop with a New Paint Booth?
To learn more about the best paint booth for your particular application, we encourage you to contact one of our team members at Accudraft today!