I am purchasing a new house that will have a large 3 car garage with a small shop (in the garage). I am wondering if I can get away with painting 1/4's or do some touch up work without having any problems. I live in CA and some of the paint shops say its okay if I am just doing odds and ends. I plan on hanging up some plastic sheets to prevent overspray.

However, I am also wondering about painting my car again. This would require reshooting the entire car. I painted my car in a barn about 10 years ago and it came out pretty good for my first car. Anyone tried doing this in their neihboorhood? or did you **** off the neihboors?

I live in sacramento and was wondering the same thing. I think I'm going to try it.

You have to move alot of air thru the paint area which makes plastic sheeting a bit tricky. Use plenty of framing. I used a 4 ton air conditioner for a filtered air supply and a 48" shop fan, covered in filter-mat, in a doorway with a plywood cut-out for exhaust. HVLP gun will help cut down the overspray. The filter mat will cut down on the solids, but not the fumes. Make sure the wind isn't sending the exhaust toward your neighbor. The overspray in the paint area will stick to everything, so beware of that.

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Triple Black 69 SS 396

I have known of many guys to do this, I have done it a little my self. If you want the trick to get away with it, here goes.
Pretend you are running a Meth lab! no kidding, as far as the laws are concerned you dang near are. In fact if you had a full blown body shop without a booth they would treat you about the same way as a Meth Lab! If your nieghbors NEVER see you with a complete rolling out of the garage with the windows all masked up and painted, if they never smell the stuff, if they NEVER have to call you on it, you will be fine.
It isn't easy but I have done it. I have been doing small stuff in my garage for years and only one nieghbor even knows it and I wouldn't even think of doing it if they were in their yard or even had there windows open! It isn't right to do that to them, I would be spitting fire if I smelled paint in my home! The city would be called RIGHT NOW! Just assume that they feel the same way.

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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T

I also have done a little bit in my garage, under hoods, under trunk lids etc. I know a professional car painter who did the whole car at his shop however. He told me that there is a hefty fine if they catch you doing this in your garage. There are also certain brands and types of paint that can't be bought in certain counties either.
So be careful, the other guys are right if some one doesn't like the smell it could get sticky.

[This message has been edited by rweiler (edited 01-30-2001).]

Well, thanks for the info. I think I will stick to painting small odd and ends in the garage. As for painting the entire car again, I guess I'll have to find a place to rent or find someone who has a large shop. I know someone in the Bay Area, so maybe he might let me.

I live in Va and the the regulations are not enforced like Ca. I have done some jobs but I dont like to. The possibility of a fire scare me, would be hard to explain. The heavy urethane primers dont put out much over spray because they are thick , paint and work sections one at a time until you get the car ready and then rent a booth or pay some one to shoot the car. hvlp also down the overspray

I painted an entire car in a two car garage. Covered the walls with plastic, wet down the floor to catch dust, covered the side door with filters, and put 5 box fans under the garage door, and used alot of flourescent lights.
Just make sure the neighbors are gone (its best to let them know what your doing so they dont think your crazy or dead), and pray the 5-0 doesnt stroll by, or else your pocketbook is gonna hear about it.

there was alot of dirt, so my advice is to just rent a booth.

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Check out my cars restoration progress, updated 1/28/01 (http://hometown.aol.com/vdubster/cars.html)
"Lifes a crapshoot, but its mostly crap" Warren Fitzgerald/The Vandals
"Ordinary people do F_____d up things when F_____d up things become ordinary." Propagandi
My Chevelle owns me!!!!

I painted my Caprice in the garage (7-8 years ago), and it's black, and turned out awesome with lots of color sanding. The car still looks awesome, even though the paint was an archaic lacquer base coat/catalyzed clear! I've painted recently with DuPont Chroma System and the results are MUCH better and easier to achieve. I didn't wet down the floors because I was afraid the paint would fog. I did, however, spend the better part of the day cleaning out the garage, and letting the dust settle overnight. I sprayed the color in the morning, and the clear in the afternoon/night. Our neighbors are always cool about our garage goings-on, and I know most of the local police (ha).
I still can't imagine how you could paint anything without the neighbors at least getting a whiff of the fumes. How did you guys get away with that?

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Tony Nausieda
1970 SS 396-350hp
Frame-off Resto: Just Say No! 4 years and counting...

Paint at night when there all tucked in their little beds counting sheep. Which brings me to a story that happened to me about 6 years ago. Me and a buddy were painting a 65 mustang for my sister in law one night at about 1:00 in the morning. As we were taking breaks between base coats we noticed the sound of dispatch radios as we were just walking out of the garage. Well I looked out and saw red lights flashing the entire house. Needless to say it was a gut check experience. As we flew through the garage turning the fans comp lights and everything else off we tried not to fall over the car. Upon further inspection it seemed my next door neighbor was having a chimney fire and the fire dept came out all together. Good thing it wasn't a meth lab or I'd been a goner. Anyway they were so busy on the chimney that I cooled from going out into the garage until they were long gone. So you see, you just never know what's going to happen. But as far as my neighbors are concerned one is the mayor of our town and the others are pretty cool.

i live in louisville ky. my father in law has been doing body and paint work in his 2 1/2 car garage for 30+ years. i have been doing it for about 6 years in the same garage. if you take precautions you can turn out some show quality paint jobs. COLOR SANDING MAKES THE JOB!!!! anyways- last summer the someone called the health dept over some oil in the ditch just down from the house ( luckily not from us) and they said "as a hobbiest" we could paint one car a week or threetouch ups a week as long as we filter the exhaust. not a problem, we just use a window fan and put furnace filters over the front and we crack the window open on the other side of the garage to get a cross draft. also a reel good cleaning and wetting everything that can be wet down helps to eliminate dirt. painting at night is asking for bug or two!!


68' chevelle ss in the making

After our '69 Elke was beadblasted (Frame-Off), we brought it home and body washed it, sanded it and then started the PPG Etching Primer and K200 process(s). After a couple of coats of K200, we were informed by a neighbor that we would be turned into the EPA=$2,000.00+ fine. Since we live in a newly built gated community, we took his advice (S-N O- A B----!?)

Oh well. We rented a corner of a local body shop (3 months @ $200.00 a month), and will bring the Elke back home friday. It's really close to being "PERFECT", however, we will block it once more.

Will have it painted by someone after we run it at Edwards Air Force Base (Muroc Dry Lake) this spring.

Team Members Forever.

Richard and Judy White, MAXX2


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