My 12x24 pole building will have a 16 x 12 wing. This will give me 16x24 area for painting. In this wing I want to use it for painting my cars. What advise can I get here about building this section? The ceiling plan is 8ft but I could easily take this higher if I need to.

Get some 3mil thick rolled plastic, I think it is 12 feet wide and install it up top. Take some 3/4" conduit pipe and make you a big shower curtain using the plastic to close off the open side of the booth. You can do all 4 walls if you really want to keep the dust down. Install a ex fan at the back and make a frame to hold some thick filters in the front for fresh air to come in. On your ex fan all you want to do is pull the fumes out, not suck everything from outside in to the booth. Keep your floor wet while prepping down and spraying. Do it in the daytime and not at night so as not to attract bugs into the lights. Get you a self supplied air respirator to save your lungs.

What about using floor registers and pull the air out from the floor?

Just to add a suggestion. Years ago about the time downdraft paintbooths starting showing up. My father and I Fabricated our own. We used I think 2 or 3 5' sections of 6"x12" House duct. we caped one end and ran the other end threw a whole cut in the garage door. We used a cage fan connected to the outside to draw the fumes out. We used a 2"holesaw and put a ton of wholes in the sections under the length of the car. We also reversed a window fan in the back of the garage that in effect pressurized the garage. This keep dust from being pulled into the paint. This setup worked amazingly well. It pulls everything right under the car.

JDHall

John. Keep in mind that most of the "dust" comes from your clothes and reaches the object due to the static electricity caused by the air flow.

Rob

You need to use explosion proof (sealed) exhaust fans,and sealed lighting or else you are basically building a bomb.

Is floresent lighting sealed lighting?