Spray painting indoors is definitely not as common as using the garage, a studio, or your backyard as a workshop when painting but it still happens. Of course, if you’ve got both options at your disposal, it would be preferable to take your spray gun, paint and head outside. Sometimes, however, the only viable option is to spray paint indoors. When doing so, there are a few guidelines that should be taken into consideration to avoid trouble down the road.
You can spray paint indoors but it should be done in a spray booth in a room where both doors and windows can be opened to ensure proper ventilation. It’s also important that you wear a mask to protect yourself from respiratory problems caused by the fumes. To reduce aerosol emissions or spray exhaust to a minimum, make sure to set up extraction fans when painting. Never ever use a household fan, they can explode. Lastly, make sure to cover surrounding furniture as particles of paint will blow throughout the room.
With that said, always opt for spray painting outdoors if the option is given.
Simply put; Yes it can definitely be done but you can do harm to any creature living under the same roof if the proper safety precautions aren’t applied. It’s easy and doesn’t take a very long time to set up the perfect shop or studio at home.
Spray painting or spray finishing can be dangerous. This article shouldn’t be considered as “instructions” or “advice”. If you decide to spray paint indoors, you’re doing it at your own risk. I do not take any responsibility for your health, the health of others, or any property damage you may cause when spray painting.
Is Spray Painting Indoors Really Safe?
We scraped the outer crust of this subject earlier in the article, now let’s dig deeper and consider the risks and benefits of spray painting indoors.
In a year, I’ve lived in this apartment for 10 years. That’s quite some time in an apartment. During those 10 years, my enthusiasm towards painting grew more and more and as my folks moved out of their house, their garage was out of my reach. This meant I had to adapt to the situation and find alternative solutions that would work well for me.
Financially, I didn’t really want to spend a lot of money on a studio or rent for a garage. It wouldn’t be as convenient as visiting my parents, where I had all of my stuff, which I now had to keep at home. Instead, I started researching the possibilities of spray painting indoors in an apartment and as it turned out, there were quite a few.
I bought everything I needed and chose a remote room in the apartment where I could spray paint and now I’ve used that space for almost 5 years with no health complications or damage done to the apartment. This is what I’ve learned.
It isn’t the safest option. To be honest, there are possible health risks associated with spray painting indoors. The fumes are carcinogenic, people use household fans (which can explode), and different types of exhaust emission may linger in the air for a long time. I do not recommend or condone this as a safe option, I am simply sharing what I’ve learned and how I would approach spray painting indoors.
First and foremost, the room that you’re spray painting in NEEDS ventilation. You should be able to open some windows and, preferably, a door or window on the other side of the room to create proper ventilation. You need to have a constant supply of fresh air in the room at all times. The room or space should also be remote. You don’t want to stay close to the kitchen or any other space where you spend a lot of time, as the fumes may spread.
Spray painting creates fumes, which are blown away by the wind when painting outside. Inside, however, they linger in the air for much longer unless they’re extracted or removed by circulating air. To mimic the effect of the wind and create proper ventilation, I set up extraction fans pointing towards the windows in the room.
You may be tempted to use domestic fans and I’m sure you can find plenty of people doing so but I suggest that you invest in a proper extraction fan. Most spray paints contain strong chemicals and domestic fans aren’t designed to handle them very well. This means that your domestic fan can take damage from the chemicals. Sometimes the chemical reaction can be strong enough to start a small-scale fire inside the fan.
It’s becoming more and more obvious that you wouldn’t want to spend much time in an environment where these chemicals are present without using a mask. Proper P.P.E (Personal Protective Equipment) is really vital, and most times, very affordable. The most important piece of equipment is the mask, which protects you from inhaling paint fumes lingering in the air.
The short-term effects of inhaling fumes can be nose, throat, and eye irritation along with nausea, headaches, and dizziness. Other things, such as breathing problems, may come if the lungs are exposed to paint fumes frequently.
Additionally, it depends on what type of paint you’re using – but more on that in another article.
The second piece of equipment is a pair of gloves. Some chemicals which can be found in paint can be ingested through the skin in case of exposure. The following chemicals can commonly be found in paint;
- Acetone
- Xylene
- Toluene
Spray cans also contain propellants. They’re often a mixture of flammable gases, such as butane and propane.
Wearing a pair of chemical-protective gloves will protect you from that at all times when painting. This should be used both inside and outside to reduce the risk of long-lasting ailments and short-term effects.
Covering up your skin, mouth, eyes, and nose is definitely going to be the most important thing to do when spray painting. Now that we’ve got that covered (no pun intended), we can start looking at our surroundings.
Living creatures first. You want to keep pets and other family members out of the room at all times. The effects and risks of spray paint fumes will vary a lot depending on the animal. When exposed to paint fumes, most pets (such as cats and dogs) experience the same symptoms as humans – irritation, nausea, etc.
This isn’t true for all pets though. Small animals such as birds and hamsters can die from the toxic fumes. Keep that in mind. If you plan on spray painting at home – do the research needed or talk to a vet to make sure that your pet isn’t harmed in the process.
If there’s furniture nearby or in the room you’re spray painting in, you should cover the furniture or move it out of the room.
You may have the steadiest hand in the world but paint particles and overspray can still ruin a perfectly fine couch. There are too many things factoring in so to be on the safe side, cover the surrounding furniture in plastic to prevent splatter.
The last thing to take into consideration is a spray booth. Spray booths are like pop-up workshops where you can place the object you’re spray painting and have the tent take most of the over-spray. Spray tents come in different models, some with ventilation and lightning and some with none of the above.
Getting a high-quality spray booth is something you should do to minimize the risks of spray painting indoors even further. Additionally, a spray booth will minimize the risk of making a mess greatly.
How To Spray Paint Indoors Safely
Let’s cut to the chase. You may have gotten the feeling that there’s quite some risk involved with spray painting indoors. You may also have read on forums, such as quora, that there is very little risk involved or even extreme risk, depending on the author.
Well, there are risks involved but here’s what I think you should do to minimize the risk if you do decide to spray paint indoors.
- Use a well-ventilated space with doors and windows to allow proper air-flow
- Set up extraction fans to remove as much paint fumes as possible
- Use a high-quality painting mask with a filter and chemical-protection gloves
- Keep pets and other family members out of the room (preferably out of the apartment until the fumes have dissipated)
- Cover up furniture, walls, and other things that you don’t want to accidentally spray.
- Use a ventilated spray booth or tent to minimize the spread of the spray
- Never spray over areas that emit heat, such as power outlets
- Avoid spray painting on wires that may be damaged
- Opt for water-based colors rather than oil or solvent-based, as they cause less side effects if you were to be exposed to them.
- Avoid spray painting indoors if there’s a pregnant woman living under the same roof
- Use eco-friendly paints with low levels of VOC. Voc’s, also known as volatile organic compounds, are compounds that vaporize at room temperature and enter the atmosphere. Paint can release these toxins for years following the initial painting.
How Do You Spray Paint Indoors Without Making a Mess?
It’s easy to make a mess when you’re spray painting, it really is. Imagine adding a fan to the equation and you’ve got a full-on spread of paint particles. They will be everywhere unless you’ve covered the entire room – which can be a time-consuming procedure. The perfect substitute is a spray booth. I mentioned it earlier in this article but the spray booth is the answer to the question.
Instead of covering everything surrounding the object you’re painting, you simply surround the object using a spray booth. The booth will be used as a little bunker where the object can be painted without causing any collateral damage.
Spray booths come in cheap and more expensive alternatives, both offer the most basic qualities but the more expensive ones often come with LED-lights and built-in high-quality ventilation. Here’s the one I’m using when I spray paint small-scale objects. It’s placed on a pop-up table in a remote room in my apartment and it has reduced the clean-up substantially.
Can You Spray Paint in a Garage?
Areas connected to the house but still remote, such as the garage, are suitable for spray paint. The same principles apply though – the garage has to be well ventilated. You shouldn’t spray paint in a garage with no windows and a closed garage door. No, no, no. Open up the garage door, the windows, and place fans if there isn’t proper air circulation in your garage.
Otherwise, a garage is definitely a suitable room. You can open up the garage door a couple of inches and place extraction fans at floor-level, as most solvents are heavier than air, they will sink to the floor. Try to get as much cross-flow as you possibly can – open up windows on opposite sides of the room to achieve this.
Can You Spray Paint in an Apartment?
Yes, we’ve covered this subtly earlier. You can spray paint in an apartment if the designated area has the required qualifications, just like any other room used when spray painting. Make sure your neighbors aren’t affected by your hobby as you may cause damage that you will have to pay for – which could end up costing a small fortune.
Can You Spray Paint in a Basement?
Same qualifications as other areas apply to your basement too. You can spray paint in your basement if;
- There are doors and windows that can be opened to create cross-flow.
- You have access to extraction fans and they can be placed so that they blast paint fumes out of the basement.
- You use a mask/respirator throughout the entire painting process.
You don’t have to spend a lot of time in a room filled with paint fumes to experience side-effects. You may feel fine the same day then wake up the next day coughing your throat out. Take care and make sure to do the required research before you decide to give it a go. Thank you for reading.