For those detailing in Garage...

Eh, my shop has its own HVAC system and it doesn`t keep the dust down at all. Probably a big part of it is where the Air Returns are...but it`s not running all the time anyhow, and I`m not gonna run the fan 24/7 no matter what.

But that does bring up another point for those with Home Shops- I`m a big fan of separate systems for the garage, HVAC/water treatment/electrical/etc.

RaydiantDetail- I find that I do better with a number of towels than with larger blankets/sheets, but yeah...another thing where you oughta find out what works for you and then do that.

And yeah, that floor drain thing is simply HUGE to me, can`t figure out how anybody does without one. I`ve had one in every shop/garage that I`ve ever detailed in, going back to the `70s. "Sorry mister, I gotta have a floor drain.." from teenage me. But then the house I grew up in had floor drains (real sanitary-line drains, not Gray Water ones) in the basement and garage; I just thought it was normal and I guess I got used to having them.
 
My garage doesn`t have a floor drain(town wouldn`t allow it) so the alternative to me is to squeegee out the wash water and follow with a blower. Works in a pinch.
 
Bill D- I`m glad you`re able to make due without the floor drain (that I can make sound indispensable :o ).

My twnshp originally said "no" but OKed it after all, gather they hadn`t really expected a homeowner to do the commercial-type, EPA-compliant setup. Would`ve been a deal-breaker on the whole home purchase as I was prioritizing the garage possibilities so I`d be able to sell the dealership building without compromising my detailing, kinda a high hurdle I suppose.
 
Bill D said:
My garage doesn`t have a floor drain(town wouldn`t allow it) so the alternative to me is to squeegee out the wash water and follow with a blower. Works in a pinch.
Click to expand...

Bill D.
My garage floor has a slight tilt out the garage door, and I also use a squeegee to remove all the standing water left, so I dont splash it up on the work..
Just having that light layer of dust, dirt, etc., gone from the floor really makes a difference...
Dan F
The Other Coast :)
 
I can`t stand a dusty floor! My neighbors give me funny looks when they see me squeegeeing out the garage
 
Bill D said:
I can`t stand a dusty floor! My neighbors give me funny looks when they see me squeegeeing out the garage
Click to expand...

Bill D --
I know what you mean ! Concrete seems to make dust without any help anyway....

And out here in the Farm Country, no one washes off their garage floor, much less wash their car...
And then they don`t even put them in the garage... :)

Well, my coated babies are easily the cleanest, certainly the clearest and glossiest examples out here forever... :)
No brag, just fact..
Dan F
 
Same here in coastal Florida! If I`m not maintaining my own vehicles I go over to my parents and do theirs. I have a convertible and van to do soon.
 
Bill D said:
I can`t stand a dusty floor! My neighbors give me funny looks when they see me squeegeeing out the garage
Click to expand...

Constantly cleaning the floors here as well! I do wash them down and brush them but still it just seems I won`t be eliminating the dust problem for good and will just have to take steps folks have outlined here. Time to get some high quality flannel sheets hehe.
 
Accumulator said:
Eh, my shop has its own HVAC system and it doesn`t keep the dust down at all. Probably a big part of it is where the Air Returns are...but it`s not running all the time anyhow, and I`m not gonna run the fan 24/7 no matter what.

But that does bring up another point for those with Home Shops- I`m a big fan of separate systems for the garage, HVAC/water treatment/electrical/etc.

RaydiantDetail- I find that I do better with a number of towels than with larger blankets/sheets, but yeah...another thing where you oughta find out what works for you and then do that.

And yeah, that floor drain thing is simply HUGE to me, can`t figure out how anybody does without one. I`ve had one in every shop/garage that I`ve ever detailed in, going back to the `70s. "Sorry mister, I gotta have a floor drain.." from teenage me. But then the house I grew up in had floor drains (real sanitary-line drains, not Gray Water ones) in the basement and garage; I just thought it was normal and I guess I got used to having them.
Click to expand...

In the home garage I am mostly doing rinseless washing on my personal cars so dont really need a drain as i dont produce a lot of run off. For clients cars if its in bad shape ill do the prep out in the driveway them pull it in to the garage to prep etc. I would love to have a drain in the garage to be able to do a full wash though. That would be great.
 
Stokdgs said:
Bill D --
I know what you mean ! Concrete seems to make dust without any help anyway....

And out here in the Farm Country, no one washes off their garage floor, much less wash their car...
And then they don`t even put them in the garage... :)

Well, my coated babies are easily the cleanest, certainly the clearest and glossiest examples out here forever... :)
No brag, just fact..
Dan F
Click to expand...

I really like your idea about going to the local high end body shops. I never thought of that. My personal car needs to be dialed in a bit before I do that though. Hehe.
 
trashmanssd said:
You could try green garage door hinges, I think blow through at those doors is the biggest contributor to dust in any garage. I am going to try them before next winter just to help with sealing up for heat retention.

Green Hinge System - Spring Loaded Garage Door Hinges To Seal Side Gaps While Saving Money and Energy

GH%20Home%20Page%20Picture.jpg


WOW THATS A LOT BIGGER THEN I THOUGH IT WAS, LINKED PIC FROM THERE WEB PAGE
Click to expand...

Hey, I actually KNOW the inventor of this spring-loaded garage door hinge. It does work as advertised, and is especially efficient at sealing out cold winter drafts.
BUT, I also have a brother-in-law who professionally installed (now retired due to heath issues) garage doors and said they cause seals to wear out much faster and are extremely hard on lift motors and chains and guide roller bearings due to the increased drag from the spring-loading. His company will not install them and it voids all warranties on doors and motors if they are found on any doors or lifts they have installed if these spring-loaded hinges are installed by the owner or a third-party contractor.

I guess, pick your poison: better sealing or reduced door seal and lift motor life.
 
RaydiantDetail said:
I really like your idea about going to the local high end body shops. I never thought of that. My personal car needs to be dialed in a bit before I do that though. Hehe.
Click to expand...

RaydiantDetail --
Thanks for your reply !
You want to find the highest end Foreign and German Car Repair Shops...

Here is how it worked for me, when I got hired by this awesome shop in Issaquah, WA, right down the street from the Costco Headquarters Campus, where everyone drives German Cars.. :)

The Clients bring in their expensive Baby for whatever maintenance, etc...

The greatest guys alive, at the front desk, tell them, its going to be X day/s and would they like to get their Baby Professionally Detailed while they have it?
They knew how long I usually needed, factored it in, the mechanics were really fast so I had a nice cushion of time to do my part..

Park it in middle of the huge all- glass 3-car sized Detailing Studio I made, with all the lights on, when I am finished..

Bring Client in, they see their Baby looking so good under all those lights, no defects, perfectly clear, glossy paint, perfectly Detailed Interior, engine, compartment, trunk, etc..
They immediately say - "that is NOT my car!" And it always is.. :)

Client is now in love again with their Renewed Baby, and they come back again and again, to get this done...
Dan F
 
Dan talked about paintshop. Most of them work in an over air pressured environment. So if you where to experiment with ventilation I would ad an incoming air vent which is filtered of course. Then the airbourne dust would be pressured down and not sucked up and try to find it`s way out. Know this is not easy to dial in but think a pro that works with ventilation could measure what kind of vents is needed. With the right over pressure I think it will hold out the pollen and other things from coming in too. It`s important to have the garage as air shield as possible. Cause it would be enough of air coming out in those places it does. The garage doors and the windows is the biggest areas where air comes through even when closed. And it should not be fully air tight either then you would have to ad a smaller out going vent or just a venting hole lol. Be carefull to not make your garages to air tight cause if you are working with coatings you don`t want to have to much of the fumes from them in your system.

To handle dust general painted surfaces is to prefer. So the dust not cling as easly to the roof and walls and floors. A new coat of paint to those parts that could be wet can do wonders to help you have them clean. A damp cloth on a polestick would make it easy to get the dust out of the garage. And the cleaning would be easier to do too.

If you already have air vents you can check with a candle or a lighter. And hold it close to them and see what way the air goes. If the flame goes inwards to the garage a filter could help some of the outside dust to stay away. And you can check around the garage where the flame is affected the most. Then adress those parts that is least air tights in some way. This is both for the dusting problems and the temperature and insulation.

Hope my translation is somewhat okey. It`s way I write alot of text and hope something sticks LOL

/Tony
 
I haven`t noticed any real dust issues in my garage. It`s insulated and sealed well though and I clean the floor regularly. I also try not to generate any dust while polishing and I blow my pads out the side door rather then in the garage. I often leave cars overnight and come back the next morning to apply the coating. I`ll blow them off with the master blaster for any light dust, clean the floor quick, then do my wipe down on the paint and coat it.

I`ve started doing PPF now too so I`m even more critical about being dust free in the garage.
 
Stokdgs said:
RaydiantDetail --
Thanks for your reply !
You want to find the highest end Foreign and German Car Repair Shops...

Here is how it worked for me, when I got hired by this awesome shop in Issaquah, WA, right down the street from the Costco Headquarters Campus, where everyone drives German Cars.. :)

The Clients bring in their expensive Baby for whatever maintenance, etc...

The greatest guys alive, at the front desk, tell them, its going to be X day/s and would they like to get their Baby Professionally Detailed while they have it?
They knew how long I usually needed, factored it in, the mechanics were really fast so I had a nice cushion of time to do my part..

Park it in middle of the huge all- glass 3-car sized Detailing Studio I made, with all the lights on, when I am finished..

Bring Client in, they see their Baby looking so good under all those lights, no defects, perfectly clear, glossy paint, perfectly Detailed Interior, engine, compartment, trunk, etc..
They immediately say - "that is NOT my car!" And it always is.. :)

Client is now in love again with their Renewed Baby, and they come back again and again, to get this done...
Dan F
Click to expand...


Ahh thank you for correcting my misread on the high end car repair shops. Just so has it I have a high end German repair shop not too far from my home. I just need to get my BMW dialed in nicely so I can take it there and show it off a bit. I really like this idea.


SWETM said:
Dan talked about paintshop. Most of them work in an over air pressured environment. So if you where to experiment with ventilation I would ad an incoming air vent which is filtered of course. Then the airbourne dust would be pressured down and not sucked up and try to find it`s way out. Know this is not easy to dial in but think a pro that works with ventilation could measure what kind of vents is needed. With the right over pressure I think it will hold out the pollen and other things from coming in too. It`s important to have the garage as air shield as possible. Cause it would be enough of air coming out in those places it does. The garage doors and the windows is the biggest areas where air comes through even when closed. And it should not be fully air tight either then you would have to ad a smaller out going vent or just a venting hole lol. Be carefull to not make your garages to air tight cause if you are working with coatings you don`t want to have to much of the fumes from them in your system.

To handle dust general painted surfaces is to prefer. So the dust not cling as easly to the roof and walls and floors. A new coat of paint to those parts that could be wet can do wonders to help you have them clean. A damp cloth on a polestick would make it easy to get the dust out of the garage. And the cleaning would be easier to do too.

If you already have air vents you can check with a candle or a lighter. And hold it close to them and see what way the air goes. If the flame goes inwards to the garage a filter could help some of the outside dust to stay away. And you can check around the garage where the flame is affected the most. Then adress those parts that is least air tights in some way. This is both for the dusting problems and the temperature and insulation.

Hope my translation is somewhat okey. It`s way I write alot of text and hope something sticks LOL

/Tony
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response! Currently there is no real ventilation in the garage except the 2 windows and garage door of which I usually keep closed while I`m working unless it gets so hot and stuffy which is usually the case in the summer here so I`ll lift the garage up a bit to let in some air before I pass out. I have been thinking about adding a garage fan or even AC but I really would want to insulate it properly and paint as well.

Agreed on not wanting it air tight while applying coatings I wear a painter`s mask but usually by the end of the process it`s off because it`s so hot and my glasses fog up.

Again I like the idea of wetting and cleaning the floor more often and probably should do this after correction and in the morning prior to coating once I clean off the car so the dust doesnt just pick back up.

RaskyR1 said:
I haven`t noticed any real dust issues in my garage. It`s insulated and sealed well though and I clean the floor regularly. I also try not to generate any dust while polishing and I blow my pads out the side door rather then in the garage. I often leave cars overnight and come back the next morning to apply the coating. I`ll blow them off with the master blaster for any light dust, clean the floor quick, then do my wipe down on the paint and coat it.

I`ve started doing PPF now too so I`m even more critical about being dust free in the garage.
Click to expand...

You have one sweet garage too! Seems to be this will be the process I take as well as others have mentioned and do something similar.

Can I ask what kind of ppf and did you take the training or just learn on your own? Its something I`d like to start learning slowly on small body pieces and at some point probably take some official training.

Loving all the ideas and input. Thanks all.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
Raydiant Detail --
Oh good - there is a high end German Repair shop close by !!!
Agreed - Chad has absolutely the BEST Shop I have ever seen !
He worked on it for a long time, and totally rocked it !

While you are out learning new skills, If I were your age, I would want to be learning Paintless Dent Repair...

I had a really good one on my list when I lived in WA., and he was so busy..
No one I know can come in, spend 15 - 30 minutes and make over $100... :)

He went to a couple of schools, and had a bunch of really old looking tools and that special light they like to use...
And when he was done, there was absolutely no way you could ever find that dent again.. He is that good..

If you decide you want to try this craft out, I can put you in touch with him..

There will ALWAYS be work in this craft... My friend was so booked, the only time he was not working was when he shut off the phone and went on vacation... :)
Dan F
 
RaydiantDetail said:
You have one sweet garage too! Seems to be this will be the process I take as well as others have mentioned and do something similar.

Can I ask what kind of ppf and did you take the training or just learn on your own? Its something I`d like to start learning slowly on small body pieces and at some point probably take some official training.


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I actually attended the 4 day Xpel class back in March with a few other fellow detailers. It`s definitely harder than it looks but I`ve done 3 full fronts now and a handful of smaller jobs. I`ve been doing them at a reduced cost to get some practice but I`ve been happy with how they`ve all turned out...not flawless, better better then the work I see from a lot of other local shops.
 
I live in a heavy agricultural area and get a good layer of dust in just one day. With the new shop, the spray foam I used sealed everything up pretty good. I can leave a vehicle for a month and the dust is hardly noticeable.

mR7V3ev.jpg

ZTt5Nyu.jpg
 
jatleson said:
Moonracer - that is how you do a garage, wow!!
Click to expand...

Thanks - it has been on the drawing board for about 3 years. I finally got it started in December, the foam went in at the end of April.

ZK9dKxH.jpg

2kevQ3X.jpg


Its amazing how well it maintains a constant temperature. Warm at night, cool during the day. Only downfall besides the price is the smell :wacko:
 
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