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Category: Standard Tools and Equipment

Save Time and Money with These Top Spray Booth Accessories

If you want to get the maximum use out of your paint booth, consider investing in some upgrades. Accessories such as all-in-one control panels, LED lights, and AMUs improve your booth’s efficiency and performance, and special coatings simplify cleaning. Learn more about how to save money with the right accessories for your spray booth.

Mixing Rooms

It may seem easy to just store your paints, primers, glazes, and other chemicals in the corner of your shop, but keeping these things in the open presents a fire hazard. And it’s difficult to clean up accidental spills all over your shop’s floor.

With a well-built mixing booth, you have a dedicated and safe place to store your paints and stains. All of our mixing rooms are ETL-certified and compliant with NFPA standards. Built-in ventilation systems run continuously, removing the fumes and harmful particles created by mixing and storing paint and other chemicals.

Energy-Efficient LED Lights

Your paint booth probably has lights already, but built-in illumination isn’t always optimal, especially for finishing jobs that require a lot of precision. When you upgrade your booth to energy-efficient LED flat-panel lights. The LED lay-in panels are slim and easy to install, and are suitable for both heated and unheated booths. LED panels drastically reduce energy use, costing you less money on each power bill. Additionally, they last for an extremely long time and come with a five-year warranty.  Our panels have up to 60,000 hours of run time, which equates to over 6 years (if you left them on 24/7). Another great benefit is that your energy company may give you a credit for upgrading to LED so the upgrade isn’t as costly as you think.

Air Makeup Units (AMU)

To keep the proper air pressure in your paint booth, you need to replace the air that gets exhausted during operation. The easiest way to do this is with an air makeup unit (AMU), which balances air pressure inside the booth by automatically providing the right amount of replacement air.

Installing an AMU is a better, more-efficient solution for air pressure management than trying to use the HVAC system to regulate the air pressure in the shop. Plus, AMUs are heated, so there are even more benefits:

  • Faster finish times
  • Temperature control for even curing
  • Fewer airborne particles and contaminants inside the booth

A heated AMU can be one of the most cost-effective upgrades for your paint booth.

Air Hose Storage Solutions

Air hoses that are left can be a tripping hazard. Easily keep your air lines stored in reels to your air hoses from getting tangled or tripped on during operation. Many air line reels can be installed anywhere, and come with automatic retraction systems that prevent the hose from becoming loose or unrolling.

Easy-To-Clean Coatings

To keep your spray booth functioning properly, it’s essential to clean the overspray that gets on the ceiling, walls, and floors. This can be a tedious job, but there are several accessories that can make it easier. White Out coating is a water-based spray that creates a film that covers paint booth walls, restoring a “like new” appearance even in booths with extensive overspray. The new white walls improve light quality in the booth. When the film gets covered with overspray, you can simply peel it off and respray the White Out on your booth’s interior.

It’s vital to keep the air inside the booth as clean as possible to reduce dust and debris that can ruin the quality of a finish. This adds to the life of your paint booth filters and keeps your paint booth fan clean. The Grippy Mat is a floor mat that traps dirt, dust, and overspray, reducing the chance that these particles will enter the airflow inside the booth. Our starter bundle includes a Grippy Mat floor covering, particle control solution, and an easy-to-use sprayer.

Operational controls

A paint booth control panel simplifies operation, allowing you to manage your booth’s lights, exhaust fans, and other crucial hardware from one point of contact. All of our ETL-certified spray booths come with electric control panels. If you purchase an uncertified booth model, you can upgrade to one of our ETL-listed control boxes; we have both single-phase and three-phase models.

Optimize Your Paint Booth with Key Accessories

If you want to make it easier to operate, monitor, and clean your paint booth, consider upgrading it with some accessories. We carry a wide range of top-quality options, and you can count on our team for advice about which upgrades are best for your booth and shop. If you have any questions about choosing the right lights, AMU, or control panel for your booth, contact our friendly sales team. We’ll provide expert solutions completely customized for your needs.

What is the Difference Between an AMU & an MUA?

Maintaining good indoor air quality and balanced air pressure is essential for a safe and healthy working environment in any shop. When you operate a paint booth in your shop, it can create problems with indoor air pressure and quality if you do not take precautions. This is especially true in smaller areas where the pressure changes caused by a paint booth can quickly affect the air in the entire building.

Fortunately, there are two ways to maintain good air quality and proper air pressure: providing make-up air (MUA) to the shop or adding an air makeup unit (AMU) to the paint booth. Understanding the operational differences in these solutions as well as the potential benefits can help you determine which option is right for you.

Paint Booth Operation Causes Negative Air Pressure

During paint booth operation, air is exhausted from the booth. While it is necessary to exhaust air in order to exhaust the overspray from painting, this process can quickly change the volume of air in the booth, causing negative air pressure to develop.

There are several problems that negative air pressure can cause:

  • A vacuum effect that pulls dirt and debris into the paint booth
  • Uneven curing of the finish on painted items
  • Poor indoor air quality
  • Drafts and temperature fluctuations
  • Suction that makes the doors and windows hard to open

To restore balanced air pressure inside the booth, air must be added back in to replace the air that is exhausted.

Make-Up Air Balances Shop Air Pressure

To make up the air pressure inside the paint booth, you need to pull in new air to replace the exhausted air. In some setups, a booth will replace exhausted air by drawing in air directly from the shop’s interior atmosphere. However, pulling the shop’s air into the booth can cause changes to the pressure of the shop at large. In a small building, normal paint booth operations can quickly lead to negative air pressure in the entire shop.

Make-up air (MUA) is intended to replace the air from the shop that is used and exhausted by the paint booth. MUA solutions sometimes function as part of the HVAC system to draw replacement air from the outside. It could also function without a HVAC system to push air into the building. This extra ventilation restores air pressure and improves the overall quality of air inside the shop.

An Air Makeup Unit Provides Additional Benefits

A more popular option is an air makeup unit (AMU) which balances air pressure and improves air quality by providing replacement air into the booth itself. An AMU is designed to provide the right amount of air into the paint booth to balance the volume of air exhausted.

Many AMU models offer the ability to heat the air for a temperature-controlled spraying environment. The heating feature allows the AMU to be put into “cure” mode. When in this mode, the paint is cured (or baked) at a very high temperature and is done in less than an hour. This feature increases the production capacity of any shop.

  • Providing replacement air directly into the booth eliminates negative air pressure in the shop
  • AMUs can reduce the amount of dust and other particles that can ruin the paint finish
  • Temperature-controlled air can reduce the time it takes for a finish to cure, especially in colder environments

In large shops that have more than one paint booth, installing AMUs for each booth provides more functionality than simply getting a single MUA solution for the shop itself.

Deciding Between an AMU and an MUA Solution

Paint booth operation creates air movement due to exhaust, and that air must be replaced to avoid issues caused by negative air pressure. A MUA shop solution provides replacement air to the interior of a shop, improving ventilation and reducing air pressure problems. An AMU provides air within the paint booth itself to balance the air pressure. Heated AMUs control the temperature inside the booth with warm air and can run cure cycles that ensure faster, consistent curing.

Standard Tools designs and builds the Sure-Cure AMU and MUA for these different air replacement circumstances. The units are built to a shop’s specific gas and power, CFM requirements and installation prerequisites. Although Standard Tools is a paint booth manufacturer, the Sure-Cure AMU can be built to be compatible with any brand paint booth. All of our air-replacement solutions improve the air quality and production level of a shop. Contact an expert at Standard Tools to get more information on the Sure-Cure AMU and MUA. The team can help you figure out which solution is best for your shop.

What Are the Benefits of an AMU?

Adding an Air Makeup Unit to a paint booth can provide several unique advantages that increase overall productivity and improve finish quality. While the basic function of an AMU is fairly simple, the number of benefits it offers is impressive. An AMU provides a solution to issues created by the air pressure imbalances that can occur during paint booth operation.

Counteracting Negative Air Pressure

During operation, the exhaust system of a paint booth utilizes and then expels a large volume of air. This significant amount of air movement can quickly create an imbalance of air pressure. When air leaves the inside of a booth without being replaced at the same rate, the internal air pressure quickly becomes lower than the external air pressure. A negative air pressure situation such as this can cause several adverse effects:

  • Strong drafts, especially around windows and doors
  • Low-quality indoor air
  • Imperfect paint curing
  • Malfunctioning exhaust fans
  • Poor temperature control
  • Suction pressure that makes doors difficult to open

The Air Makeup Unit fixes these issues by addressing the underlying cause: negative air pressure. The AMU provides air to a paint booth at the proper rate to replace the air that’s lost through exhaust. Many systems can automatically balance the pressure by making small adjustments to offset pressure changes such as a door opening.

Removing Air Particulates

SureCure Vertical AMU

The pressure and quality of the air inside a paint booth can have a significant effect on the overall finish of the coating. When there is negative air pressure inside the booth, it is easy for dirt and debris to be pulled in when a draft occurs. If the air inside the booth becomes contaminated with particulates, it can severely impact the condition of the final product.

An AMU provides clean, filtered air to a paint booth, improving the overall air quality and reducing particles and debris that can compromise the finish of the coating. This setup may also improve the overall air quality in the building itself, because there is no longer a need to draw unfiltered outdoor air inside to address pressure inequalities.

Reducing Curing Time

An AMU can improve productivity by reducing the time it takes to complete a project. It can take an inordinately long time for a finish to cure in cold air. Some AMU models have a heating option that can provide warm air to the booth, creating the ideal environment for optimal curing efficiency. A heated AMU may be especially helpful during the winter months to eliminate prolonged curing times due to cold temperatures.

Improving the Working Environment

An AMU can significantly improve the operation of a paint booth, enhancing both efficiency and finish quality. In addition, there are other advantages that an AMU can provide:

  • Faster curing time
  • Reduced load on a building’s HVAC system
  • Improved indoor air quality
  • Lower energy requirements
  • Less risk of personnel injuries from pressurized doors

Managing shop conditions and ensuring finish quality is easy when there is an AMU system controlling pressure and air quality.

Choosing the Right AMU

Adding an AMU to your paint booth is a simple way to improve your productivity, cut production costs, and ensure exceptional quality on all your finishes. There are several models available, and each one has unique advantages. Contact us to learn about all the options and determine which one is the best solution to your needs. You can give us a call at 888-312-7488 or email us at sales@paint-booths.com.

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.

Buy Before January 1st to Save Thousands.*

With the year winding to a close, you may hear a lot about “Section 179” and how you’re business can benefit if you are looking to purchase some equipment before the new year.

We get just as confused as the next guy when you start talking “tax rate”, “deductions” and “depreciation”. We thought we would do a little research and try to explain how this could be a HUGE benefit to small businesses, we should know because Standard Tools is also a small business that takes advantage of incentives such as this.

When we say ‘equipment’, we mean any large purchase you buy to benefit your business. For example, a heated paint booth to help boost your productivity.  Since it’s an ‘investment’ in your business, it is included in this category.

You can even finance it this year and still write it off to save thousands.

So, section 179 is what exactly? It’s an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves. Essentially, Section 179 of the IRS tax code allows businesses to deduct the full purchase price of qualifying equipment purchased (or financed) during the tax year. Wow! The FULL PURCHASE PRICE will be deducted from your gross income. (As long as the total purchase price is less than $2.2 million on equipment. Continue reading Buy Before January 1st to Save Thousands.*

Standard Tools and Equipment Celebrates 20 Years.

Standard Tools Celebrates 20 years and 20,000 paint booths. Celebrate with us and see how the whole “Paint Booth thing” got started for us at Standard Tools and Equipment. It’s not where you might think.

“When it comes to our people, our products and the customers we serve … we are anything but Standard.”

Happy Birthday Standard Tools and Equipment Co. Continue reading Standard Tools and Equipment Celebrates 20 Years.

Putting a Face with the Voice: The Sales and Customer Service Team

As you walk into the Standard Tools and Equipment corporate offices, the entire front hallway is made up of our customer service, sales team and marketing team. It’s a loud and bustling hallway, answering phones and having some fun along the way.

When you call in and talk to our sales and customer service team, have you ever wondered what the voice on the other end of the phone looks like? Our sales and customer service team is made up of some of the most amazing people I have had the pleasure to know and work beside. We wanted to show you a peak inside our sales center…. it’s a fun place to be. Come see us sometime!

Sales & Customer Service Team


From Left to Right:

Julie Surprenant: Paint booth rock star. Loves to talk to customers from her home state of Rhode Island or fans of her beloved Red Sox. Her office is covered in Red Sox gear and her son’s beautiful artwork. You can tell from talking to her that she’s not “from around these parts”…. and we love that about her.Julie's desk
Fabiola Martinez: Tools USA and Eagle sales and customer service. Makes the most amazing empanadas that everyone in the office can’t get enough of. Seriously, we beg…. it’s sad and pathetic, but they’re that good. She also covers our Spanish sales line.

Wayne Piner: Eagle Sales, Parts and Customer Service. Loves coaching in his spare time and has mastered the art of working with so many women (and acting like he doesn’t love every minute of it.)

Jennifer Patterson: Sales. Specializing in paint booth sales and customer service. The newest member of our team, Jennifer has a gazillion post-it notes at her workspace. She loves talking to people, and you will enjoy her very southern accent! (She may also slip a ‘sweetie’ or a ‘Hun’ in there).

Jennifer at her desk
Bill Daliege: Problem solver. Parts orderer. Manual writer. Detail fixer. Has been with us 10 years and is familiar with the “vintage Eagle machines”. He loves to help you out …. just don’t touch his hat.

Sales posing
Michelle Duncan: Michelle is the team’s cheerleader and coach. You’ll often find her dancing in the hallways, bringing in food for someone’s birthday or helping to solve a customer’s issue.

Gina Gilchrist: Gina is the smiling face you see if you come to see us. She always has candy in her drawer and gum in her pocket, so she’s a good friend to have. She’s been with us for 10 years and can assist in solving almost any issue!

Angie Brown:  She is the team’s fashionista and camera lover, and the camera loves her back!  She is the most cheerful and happy person on the team, and her awesome attitude is surely contagious. If you check inside her desk, you would see that she likes Lysol wipes and multiple packets of ranch … she also always has enough sugar to get her through the day.

Angie's snack stash

Not Pictured: Rosy Gonzalez: Our rock star sales and customer rep, based in Texas!

TOP 10 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE ORDERING YOUR PAINT BOOTH.

When looking to buy a paint booth, there are a lot of factors to consider. It may seem overwhelming, but we’re here to help! Here’s our top ten things to consider when buying a paint booth. Considering these things will help you to determine what booth is right for you and will save you a lot of money and heartache by considering them BEFORE you buy your booth.

1. What are the dimensions of the building? We need to know the dimensions of the space you plan to put the paint booth. How tall are the ceilings?

2. What type of booth you are interested in? We have different styles of paint booths. From open-faced booths to large and enclosed truck booths. We have different air flow styles as well, from cross flow and side-down draft or semi-down draft or down draft … if you have a type or style you’re looking for, be sure to let us know. If you don’t know what type or airflow style would work best for you, no problem… our sales folks can help you determine the best booth to meet your painting needs.

3. What phase and/or voltage run through your building? We need to know the kind of power you have so we can make sure that your paint booth and/or your air makeup unit is designed to work in conjunction with it. Did you know that the majority of the time you can contact your power company and they can give you this information if you are unsure?

Packaged booth additions4. Do you need ductwork? Do you know how much ductwork will you need? One of the reasons we need to know the height of your building is because we need to determine how much ductwork is needed from the top of your paint booth straight out of the roof, plus some! In most states it is required that there is 6’ of ductwork exhausting up from the roof.

5. Are you adding heat to your booth? There are several benefits to decide on a heated paint booth. Heat makes it a more comfortable environment in the winter, but that is not why the majority of our customers decide to add heat. Sometimes, there isn’t enough airflow in the business to provide for the booth. (Click here to see if that applies to you). When you have a Sure-Cure AMU, you are able to significantly increase your production. You are able to paint, cure and cool in less than an hour, making your new booth the hardest working part of your business!

6. Have you contacted your city to find out what is required in your city or in your state? It’s important that you know before you order your booth what is required from your city or in your state. Find out what permits you will need and if there are special requirements, like and ETL-listed booth that you have to comply with. For example, if you have to have an ETL-listed booth, but you order a non-ETL booth, you will either have to order a new booth (that we offer already with ETL) or you will have to pay big bucks to have someone come and certify it. To be absolutely safe, you can always request that a fire marshal come and do a walk-through to advise you what you need to consider prior to ordering your booth.

7. Does your state require you to have fire suppression? It is extremely important to know the answer to this question so you can properly plan. Call your local authorities and get informed. We offer Fire Suppression systems from PyroChem or you may be able to provide a sprinkler system.

STE_SD1000WC8. Do you want your booth powered-coated booth? Not only will your booth be a lot brighter, but it will also stand out and have a professional look to it. See how our booths are powder-coated.

9. Get everything you need in one quick swoop. We offer light bulbs for all of the booth’s light fixtures, as well as the electrical wiring kits that your electrician will need to wire your booth. Get everything ordered and shipped to you to setup and start using your booth. Easily add a supply of intake or exhaust filters to your order so that when they need to be changed, you have them on hand.

10. What other features can I add to my booth? Is there something you want on your paint booth like drive-thru doors, a connected mixing booth or extra lights? One thing that Standard Tools and Equipment does well is our ability to produce custom paint booths. Our engineers can design a booth to fit your needs. If you want your booth taller, wider or brighter… just let us have the opportunity to design your booth for you.

Meet Our Sales + Customer Service Team

Our Sales team B&WEver wonder what the people on the other end of the phone look like? This is our Sales team:

Wayne Piner, sales and parts specialist
Julie Surprenant, paint booth pro
Gina Gilchrist (on forklift), dedicated to great customer care
Michelle Duncan, Inspiring coach & cheerleader for the team (clipboard and pom-poms not pictured)
Angela Brown, committed to exceptional customer service
Fabiola Martinez, energetic sales and customer service professional, Español sales
Bill Daliege, sales rebel and equipment detail expert

Not Pictured: Rosy Gonzalez, Sales rock star and español sales

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