Having to deal with vehicle damage is always a pain. Whether it’s a scratch or a dent, it can really affect the overall aesthetic of your vehicle. So you will want to restore the original appearance of your vehicle as quickly as possible. You might decide to give it a go yourself, but this can be dangerous and won’t produce as good results as a professional utilising a spray booth. Using spray booth services can restore your car to its original glory quickly and efficiently, with a high-quality finish that will last.
What Is A Spray Booth & How Does It Work?
A spray booth is a room that is used to paint items in the automotive industry. This can be to repair the bodywork or a car, change the colour of a vehicle or create custom designs, making them a very versatile piece of equipment for any garage.
A spray booth is used to produce an efficient and cleaner paint job and keep employees safe from the hazardous products used in the process of spray work. This works by using an exhaust fan that draws air contaminated with overspray or particles out of the booth to make the air as clean as possible. This also keeps the atmosphere free from dust or dirt, allowing jobs to be carried out to the highest quality possible without fear of contaminants.
An air replacement fan pushes clean air back into the booth, so the air pressure never drops, allowing for a consistent spray. You need to run both fans at the same time and make sure the filters are cleaned regularly for the best results. This is caused by a buildup of overspray particles which will create an imbalance in the air pressure, making the conditions not optimum for the best results.
What Vehicles a Spray Booth Can Help
A spray booth can help with vehicle repairs for a variety of different types. Cars, motorcycles and campers can all be repaired inside of one. It all depends on the size of the spray booth. Most will be able to fit a car and motorcycle, but there are options for customised booths with extended height to fit a camper inside. A general rule of thumb is to have one metre of space around the vehicle or project. There are multi-bay booths or ones or just a single vehicle available, so a whole fleet of motorcycles could be worked on at once. You can technically paint anything you need in a spray booth, with portable models available for smaller-scale projects such as miniature painting.
Haltec even offers booths for smaller repair jobs, featuring insulated panels on two sides and curtains on the other two. This is ideal in a small garage as the curtain walls can be pulled back to optimise space when not in use and to offer smart booth repair for any size and function when needed.
Causes of Car Damage
The most common type of car damage a spray booth can help repair is scratches. Some have obvious causes but you’ll be left puzzled about where some of them actually came from. One of the most common is from rocks and debris. These can be launched into the air by other vehicles, hitting yours and causing damage. These are hard to avoid even with the most careful driving but can cause your car to look worn and damaged.
If you’re washing and drying your car using a regular sponge, dirt can become trapped, which will then scratch your paintwork. It’s always best to use a microfiber towel when cleaning your car and watch your technique. Think about how you dry your car as well, as leaving it to dry naturally can cause soapy deposits to wear away the paint. While it may seem like an ideal method to clean a vehicle, an automatic car wash is very dangerous to your paintwork. Dirt and grit accumulate on the brushes from every car that goes through, meaning the brushes are never that clean and will scratch your vehicle.
Finally, a car accident is probably the most obvious cause of car damage, with the worst damage normally concentrated in the area of impact. For this you may need dents repaired, but after this a spray booth is ideal to restore your vehicle to its original condition.
Reasons A Spray Booth Can Help
Spray booths are a great way to help repaint and repair your car. Here are a few of the reasons why you should seek one out.
Quicker
Using a spray booth will get your scratch or dent repainted quicker and cleaner than any other type of spray equipment. A spray booth requires way less preparation than other solutions and leaves a professional finish, saving you time. Spray booths normally feature a humidity control system, which will help dry the paint faster. By wearing protective equipment, workers need to take fewer breaks as they will not be exposed to as many dangerous chemicals. So if you’re in a rush, a spray booth is the ideal solution to getting your vehicle damage repaired.
Safer
A spray booth offers a safer way to deal with repairs as it is a specifically contained, enclosed area. By having no hazardous contaminants in the air, your repair will achieve uniformity and prevent an uneven finish. Dust and debris will usually settle on paintwork once sprayed, but being in a controlled environment stops this issue. The spray booth filters these contaminants out, leaving the air clean.
By getting your repair done in a spray booth, you can guarantee no harmful substances from outside the booth are going to get on your vehicle.Having no dust on the surface increases the durability of the coating. Particles and fumes from the paint can harm your health and the environment, but using a spray booth keeps these contained so they don’t leak out into a workplace. This will also prevent you being contaminated if you decide to try and repaint your car yourself.
As any harmful contaminants are contained, a spray booth is also environmentally friendly, preventing paint-related atmospheric pollution. It also allows for easy disposal of waste spray paint. Overspray can result in deposits being left around, which are a fire hazard in a workplace. By keeping all painting enclosed in the spray booth, it will prevent any potential fires from breaking out.
Any businesses located close to the spray booth will also benefit from there being no hazardous contaminants in the air, and not having to smell paint all day! So choosing to use a spray booth for your repair and repaint will help to save the environment and keep people safe from harm.
Longer Lasting
The controlled environment of the spray booth allows for a more stable application of the paint and base coatings, which will increase its durability. An even layer of paint will result in a smooth finish, which creates a stronger coat than if it is not even. Spraying outside means that dust, debris, insects and pollen could land on the vehicle during painting and disrupt a good finish, but this will never occur in a spray booth. The weather outside a spray booth can affect the quality of the job, with the ideal temperature between 17 and 25 centigrade. A lot of the time the temperature falls outside this range, so with a paint booth the optimum temperature will be set for the best finish possible.
Use Haltec for the Best Automotive Paint Booth
If you’re looking to install a spray booth, get in touch with Haltec Ltd. We can design a custom booth to meet your bespoke requirements, using our years of experience in the design, manufacture and installation of car spray booths. You can request additional features such as external waterproofing, corner vehicle doors and extended height.
Our automatic paint booths are manufactured right here in the UK and you can be confident that they will meet all known regulations. We’ve built a reputation for quality spray booths and repair bays, so we can find the right product for you to help your business grow. Our aftercare also includes repairs and maintenance for your booths, so give us a call on 01543 673 408 to discuss your requirements or visit our website to get in touch and check out our full range of products now.