Why does the finish of my spray booth matter?
There are three common options for the surface finish of a spray booth’s walls, doors, etc. Choosing the correct finish can help in showing defects in the item being sprayed and seeing the actual finish applied to the item being coated.
Most spray booths are made with galvanized steel which is a zinc coating applied at the steel mill and results in a spackled gray finish that reduces corrosion (rust) on the metal. The finish has little reflectivity and will lessen as the finish darkens over several years of exposure. This is a very suitable choice for spray booths used to spray many colors including a high volume of white paint or powder coat.
Many spray booths are powder coated during the manufacturing process. This white or light gray durable finish adds a high degree of reflectivity to aid in increasing the light in a spray booth without actually adding lights. A powder coated spray booth used for powdercoating parts may also help in the process since the walls are less conductive than plan or galvanized steel. Powder coating a spray booth can be problematic with permitting in some locations; check with your local inspector before specifying this finish to your spray paint booth manufacturer.
The third option is to purchase a galvanized spray booth and to coat the interior walls with a spray-on booth coating like KATS as offered by ToolsUSA (item # 7905130). This material is easy to spray onto the booth interior and later remove once the overspray has built up to an undesired amount. Applying a new coating of KATS results in a like-new appearance in the spray booth interior.