Paint for Hiding Dust in Fabrication Lab

thinktankgroup · Jul 10, 2017

Hi all!

We're opening a one-of-a-kind innovation/fabrication lab (our KUKA kr150 r3100 arrives today!), and we're trying to select paint (wall and ceiling) that will look great and will give us the most efficient work space possible.

Does anyone have any insights or advice on what color of paint and sheen best hide the kind of dust and debris that come with working in this kind of lab? What type/color of paint have you found is a great camouflage for dust and is best for washing down / keeping clean?

BACKGROUND:
- We're working with materials like wood, foam and metals
- Our space is made up of CMU Walls / Metal Decking / Steel Trusses
- We want to choose paint shades and sheens that camouflage dust and debris as much as possible

Thanks in advance for any insights that you can provide!

Milland · Jul 10, 2017

Better to plan on handling dust and debris properly, from all standpoints, especially if you're a startup. You don't want people breathing dust (save their health), you don't want to trip over debris (insurance rates), and there's fire issues, product quality, etc.

Figure out what the major dust/debris generators will be, then produce a plan for handling those aspects. Ask here about ways to do that, some are not that expensive if thought about ahead of time.

Cwalster · Jul 10, 2017

My experience is that it will look messy no matter the color. We run open frame gantry machines doing similar work with similar materials, and it comes down to containment and making things easier to clean rather than camouflaging the mess. Foam in particular will stick to everything. We looked into cladding our walls with FRP panels to ease clean up, but couldn't get management to buy in. I'd look into something similar. You can find them in any color you want too.

I'll second dust collection as well.

Scottl · Jul 10, 2017

Probably THE WORST idea I've ever heard!

Hiding dirt instead of cleaning it. Better to have more cleanable finishes and the materials on hand to make cleaning easy.

Shop vacuum(s) with good filters and suitable attachments including floor sweeps.

bench brushes and dust pans.

Dust mops such as disposable Swiffer floor sweeps both wet and dry.

Trash bag lined waste bins, emptied when needed.

All this of course in addition to suitable dust collection at machines.

Good housekeeping is an important health and safety tool in any shop and adults should be expected to clean up after themselves and that goes for everyone from the lowest ranking technician to the highest ranking PhD.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the signs.

YOUR MOTHER DOESN'T WORK HERE
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF

DanielG · Jul 10, 2017

I've had good luck with light gray when building machine tools. We used RAL7030. It hid the dirt much better than white, but it was still light enough to reflect light. Dark colored walls will make the room much darker.

The building I'm in now has a bunch of walls painted dark gray to about 4' off the ground, and light gray above. The dark gray doesn't show the scuffs as easily, but the room is still light. It also lets you easily repaint just the bottom part of the wall when needed.

Milland · Jul 10, 2017

Scottl said:
Oh, and I forgot to mention the signs.

YOUR MOTHER DOESN'T WORK HERE
CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF

End of the World is nigh - Scottl and I agree on something...

thinktankgroup · Jul 10, 2017

Thanks for all of the insights! We are totally on the same page that dust / debris is going to happen no matter what, and the best way to keep a space clean / hide dust is through regular maintenance and a great dust extraction plan. We are looking into the best ways to do this, as well.

But since we are also painting no matter what, we want to choose a color that will help make our lives easier at the same time. If there is a color / sheen that will work for us and will help to hide the dust and make it easier to clean, on top of regular cleaning and dust extraction, we would love to use that color. Everything we've researched already is pointing to white / light-grey, but I would love to hear any first-hand insights you might have as well.

Thanks again for all the great tips.

DanielG · Jul 10, 2017

Have any of you with clean, well organized shops tried using Roombas or other robo-vacuums?

kustomizingkid · Jul 10, 2017

High Gloss paint so you can scrub it clean easily. Proper dust/smoke/msit accumulators to mitigate said dust.

Scottl · Jul 10, 2017

For working with foam a unit with an electrostatic filter near to the work should help tremendously. I'm referring to a proper industrial unit, not one of those consumer ionizing "air cleaner" units that will embed the dust into paint and other soft surfaces.

Whysosharp · Jul 10, 2017

Maybe a light tan would be nice don't forget to match the trim and curtain rods though or it will be highly inefficient.

Madis Reivik · Jul 10, 2017

Hello thinktankgroup.

A little offtopic but I VERY MUCH RECOMMEND that you open another thread and describe what are your general plans. Because it will probably save you lot money

I sense a disturbance in FORCE but that forum might save you.

Search

Largest Manufacturing Technology Community on the Web

Search

Paint for Hiding Dust in Fabrication Lab

thinktankgroup

Plastic

Milland

Diamond

Cwalster

Plastic

Scottl

Diamond

DanielG

Stainless

Milland

Diamond

thinktankgroup

Plastic

DanielG

Stainless

kustomizingkid

Titanium

Scottl

Diamond

Whysosharp

Cast Iron

Madis Reivik

Hot Rolled

Similar threads