Written by:Tracy Beach
Plant Manager at Standard Tools & Equipment Co.
For many years shop owners designed and built their own spray booths. Over time a small number of manufacturers realized that they could design, make and sell booths that were more efficient, safer and ready to build. Standards were written to define the requirements of these units. Standard Tools is a in the spray booth industry today because of the level of quality in their products.
The sales and engineering team at Standard Tools can talk with you if you are researching the prospect of getting a new spray booth. We can save you a great deal of stress, time and money while providing an efficient and safe spray booth.
The are four ways to get a spray booth in your shop:
The Homer -– Home-designed and Homemade. The design task is actually more important than the building tasks since the design should meet certain codes that define construction, air flow, emergency egress, electrical and fire protection aspects. This project is much larger and much more expensive than you can anticipate and will end up as a booth that doesn’t meet code, has no history and may be a fire hazard. (There is a reason that a certain Simpson is named Homer.)
Pre-designed or Pre-engineered – Standard Tools has trained and skilled engineers who reference accepted standards, use CAD modeling to design the unit, verify construction and air flow performance, and provide a manual that details the installation and maintenance manual. We have skilled fabricators and welders who build booth components everyday with specialized equipment. We have packers who inspect each panel and door, and then kit the parts to ensure safe transport. Many of our team members have assembled spray booths and bring that experience into their manufacturing jobs.
ETL-Certified – Standard Tools offers this optional kit with our most common spray booths. This option means that the booth has had a hands-on evaluation by Intertek, a third-party testing firm that has been around since the 1880’s and is the leader in spray booth certification. This option eases the permitting and insuring processes.
Turnkey – A firm can design, build and install your spray booth. They may be hired to take care of the local permitting process. They will be in your shop, often doing tasks that you could easily do yourself. Standard Tools does not offer this option directly but can direct you to some of our distributors who do provide this service. This is a suitable option for a new shop with limited help.
Most of our customers elect to buy a pre-engineered booth, install it themselves and hire contractors for specific tasks like electrical, fire protection and ducting tasks. We feel like this is the best option for most customers with adequate help who buy average-sized booths. Call us toll-free at (800) 451-2425, Ext 125. You can also email us at kellyg@standardtool.com