A downdraft paint booth is a fully enclosed spray booth with a downward airflow design, which many experts agree creates the best environment for high-quality finish work. Downdraft paint booths are usually large enough to accommodate vehicles and other big items.
This type of booth is extremely effective at managing contaminants and overspray. Because the exhaust system requires a pit in the floor, however, a downdraft paint booth can be costly to install.
How Does a Downdraft Paint Booth Work?
As the name implies, a downdraft paint booth is designed to direct airflow in a downward direction, from the booth’s ceiling toward the floor. The air is pulled into the booth through afull length ceiling plenum. In most designs, the plenum takes up most or all of the ceiling and has an integrated filter that decontaminates the air before it enters the booth.
The airflow inside the booth is directed straight down, flowing vertically over the item being painted. This style is preferred sometimes because it controls overspray and contamination.
There is an exhaust pit in the floor that is usually a few feet wide and runs the length of the booth. This area has filters to catch overspray and remove toxic, flammable substances from the air before it’s released through the booth’s pitted exhaust system.
What Are the Top Uses for a Downdraft Paint Booth?
Downdraft spray booths are usually installed in auto body shops that repair, repaint, and refinish vehicles. There are other styles of automotive paint booths available, but a downdraft booth is often preferred by automotive painters.
Downdraft paint booths can also have some industrial applications. They are a good choice for finishing large equipment and utility vehicles.
Advantages of a Downdraft Paint Booth
A downdraft paint booth offers several benefits:
- Pulls overspray and contaminants down toward the floor to create a flawless finish
- Effectively directs airborne particles downward regardless of which direction the painter is spraying
- Improves air quality and creates a safer environment for the painter
- Provides excellent throughput capacity
- Offers a large, fully enclosed space that accommodates big products (e.g. vehicles)
- The downdraft booth has a heated air makeup unit (AMU) to warm the air prior to entering the booth. It also gives a cure cycle to further protect the flawless finish!
Because of the airflow design of a downdraft paint booth, it’s widely regarded as the best option for a high-quality finish.
The biggest drawback of a downdraft paint booth is that it needs space for the exhaust pit to be installed. If your shop can accommodate an exhaust pit for a downdraft booth, it’s a great way to ensure your products get a top-quality finish.
Upgrade Your Shop with a Downdraft Paint Booth
A downdraft paint booth makes it easy to get a flawless, top-quality finish on your products. Our heated downdraft paint booth offers the additional advantage of temperature control, which reduces curing time and increases efficiency.
At Standard Tools and Equipment Co., we are committed to providing every customer with the perfect spray booth for their needs. Along with downdraft style, we offer a wide range of other styles, including the cross flow, side downdraft, and semi downdraft models. If you aren’t sure which option is right for your shop or need a customized paint booth, we can help. Contact our team online or call 888-312-7488.