Finish Room - size?

Rick Prosser

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377
Location
Midlands of South Carolina
Hope this is the right place to post this question...

I am working on the layout of the shop I am building, and a finish room was suggested. Need suggestions on sizing. I know bigger is usually better, but there are probably some guidelines on a reasonable, comfortable workspace.

Not planning to use any unusual finishes, and hope to build stuff like furniture and cabinets - as well as turning bowls, Hollow Forms, etc.

With no experience with a finish room to draw from, I am wondering about things like:

Dimensions?
Should I keep the finish materials cabinet in the finish room?
Is special venting needed? (Can the DC be incorporated?)
Should the interior walls be a particular material?
Any special jigs/fixtures helpful other than a sturdy table?
 
Usually a finishing room is used only for that so you wouldn't need plumb for a DC.

As for ventilation, you need a source of clean air in and a source for the dirty air out. You could do both via an a exterior wall. As long as you're not spraying flammable material you don't need a special fan (ie water based is fine)

As for size I would think you'd want a table that's 3' x 6' so you can place whatever you need on that.Iif you put the table against a exterior wall (6' side against the wall) you could probably get away with a room that's 12'x 12'. Tha should provide plenty of wiggle room for bringing peices in and out.You could make your table (or bench) with cabinets underneath to store your materials. A lazy susan is very usefull.

Your wall's can be made form whatever you like. OSB is always the cheap and cheerful option.
 
I am not sure if anyone has directed you to Marty's "Birth of a Shop" thread over at SMC ( www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=36894 ) or its continuation and conclusion here called "Birth of a Shop - Final Trimester" (http://familywoodworking.org/forums/showthread.php?t=141&highlight=marty+shop ), but it is the king of all shop building threads and chock full of all answers to all questions you have asked and have not even thought of asking.

Moderators, we should really create a sticky for this thread in the Shop section and a link to the start at SMC.
 
Thanks for the link Bill.

Yes, the thread has been referenced before, and I have been reading thru it.
*Also, the attachments no longer work on the SMC threads, so I don't see any layouts or dimensions.

A sticky would be good too.

Lots of good info, but so loooong - I may not get all the way thru before I have to make decisions. ;)
 
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Rick,
I run a furniture restoration business and thus do a lot of finishing and yes bigger is better. If you are finishing a large piece you need enough room to walk around it, think about spraying a 6 foot long table or a 5 foot high dresser. So idealy you need at least a 10 fot x 10 foot area. Then for small pieces it is nice to have a table. I would think that a 10 x 20 space with a table that you can walk around in on end would work.
 
well rick, my choice is bigger the better to a point.. i have been in marty's finish room and many others.. mine is 12 x16 and i wish it was 16 by16.. i have put a few projects threw it that have had some size to them...you can chk my threads.. the last one i used a old stool for the head board to be able to spint it around to get at all sides easily.. also the table should also be able to have full movemnt around it as well for anything big. i also have a its gonna happen thread that will show you some of my ideas and where it ended up..lighting is important and natural light is great if yu can get it..i run a presurred system meaning i blow in clean airt and push out dirty air.. i need a larger fan like marty has to get my dirty ait our better..right now its going threw the window.. which works but having a bottom exhaust is better to get the fumes out rather in your chest.. also look into a hood for sprayun if yu can find one that your willing to pay the price.. the more yu keep out of your lungs the better off you wil be.. i have went for a long time without one but wont anyomre unless i am a real hurry and only using rattle cans..feel free to pm me if yu have more questions:thumb::thumb: and i willgot and see if i can make martys thread sticky..
 
I've outgrown my finishing room, but you seem to be heading in the right direction for size, lighting, etc. I will reinforce the clean air recommendation, although my first concern was to minimize the dust particles on my brushed-on finishes, figuring that taking care of that would also take care of the breathing issues. When I built my small space I built into it an intake "window" that accepts a standard size furnace filter...and another exit opening in which I installed a fan. So mine is the opposite of Larry's, in that my exit fan pulls clean air in through the filter. I don't do any spraying, so don't need to be concerned about the fan getting gunked up. If you're going to spray I'd think that Larry's solution is the better one. Anyway, my point is that I was amazed at how little dust fell on my brushed-on finishes (almost none) compared to the problem I had before the "clean room" scenario. So that aspect of your design deserves attention. Efficient movement of air to keep a flow of clean, filtered air coming in is probably related to room dimensions and maybe to shape, but I'm not an HVAC guy.

Good luck. Would like to see your design when you get it worked out.

Cheers.
 
You are getting some great suggestions Rick. Lots of Sq Ft is good, as much as you feel you can give to it. Positive pressure also good. I am finishing my kitchen cabs in my shop, no dedicated finishing room. My shop is 13 x 23 with 2 small side rooms of which 1 is full of wood storage. I have found it very tough to finish a full kitchen in there. I am constantly moving boxes from 1 place to another, from the shop to the main basement (yes my shop is a basement shop). I am hand staining with gel stain and that is OK but I am going to spray a clear lacquer final coat and am going to have to rig up a makeshift spray area, that will be more of a pain in the neck. I guess size will depend on what you will be building. Smaller projects will not require as much room then large expanded projects. Good luck on your build and I know I am enjoying following your build:thumb:
 
If you are going to be storing youe finishes in ther then you migth as well figure atleast two feet off one wall will be lots for storage. Then atleast two feet around each side of the bench. Drying racks? These eat up more room. 16'x16 would be the smallest I would go if you plan on doing any large projects or plan on working on more then one at a time.
 
finishing like most aspects of a "shop" is very subjective...

what is the largest piece you plan on building?

the smallest?

how about the materials you plan to use in the finishing process?

95% of kitchens can be sprayed in a 8'x10' area but then you need room to cure out.
most household furniture can be sprayed in an 8'x8' area....again one piece at a time.

do you need a dust free enviornment to cure? you will if you`re planning on using most polys...

more information would be nice:eek:
 
Good info. I had not thought about the storage part of finishing :doh:

Tod - it is subjective. I am kinda learning as I go since I don't have personal experience. Definitely wood turning forms, and probably kitchen cabinets. A bedroom set would be cool, but it will be a while before I can take something like that on as a project. I will be working on smaller stuff in the beginning. My wife also enjoys woodworking, so multiple projects could be in progress at any time.

At this point, I think I will try to plan a 20x20 space and see how it looks in the overall plan. Then adjust as needed. I can always re-allocate part of the room later if the space can be better utilized.

...Ya know, it feels a little awkward talking about using such large spaces for things when a lot of you guys/gals are making do in such cramped quarters. It makes me appreciate my situation, but it almost feels like I have not "paid my dues". I know things will not end up perfect, but with your help - it will be soooo much better than if I tried to figure it out on my own. Thanks:thumb:
 
before yu go and start build partitions rick yu should try using sketch-up to layout your area.. i used it and it helped me alot to be able to visualize the space requirements for the tools yu hope to use in there..and its free from google
 
rick,
for what it`s worth.....i didn`t give up one square inch of floor space for finishing......i spray outdoors if it`s nice or in the shop itself if necessarry.
you`d be supprised what a good finish you can get without giving up floorspace...the ability to move enough air is important if you end up spraying indoors though....and again poly or any slow drying finish doesn`t work well in the shop proper.
 
before yu go and start build partitions rick yu should try using sketch-up to layout your area.. i used it and it helped me alot to be able to visualize the space requirements for the tools yu hope to use in there..and its free from google

I have started to learn to use sketch-up. I have a (somewhat crude) drawing of the floor and exterior walls, and I am working on the interior.

shopshellrooms1.jpg


Great program, I just need some more learnin' to get better at it.
 
i would say you got a good handle on it now and we got a guy that drops in here on occasion that is great at it..Dave Richards.. but there arte others that reside here that wil be able to help you as well..
 
I love the sink in the shop, wish I had one. The next shop will! Suggest you plan on a sharpening station right next to the sink if you use water stones. I am thinking of a counter top with grooves to drain toward the sink and a spray nozzle so that I can clean off my stones and let it drain into the sink. For sharpening you want a low height, not kitchen counter height, but the old bathroom vanity height (new vanity's are kitchen height now) or lower. You want to be able to get over the top of the stones with your hands down low.
 
my home shop is 18'x 20' and finishing tables and it's just right but still a little small for me. Building cabinets I am comfortable with 30' wide x 20' now if you add a finishing room then add 20'

It is all relitive to how much work you plan to do. If small amounts and small projects then 18 x 20 is a good size
 
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