Texas Prep Station Installation, Relocation and Hookup

A Statewide Mix of Prep Demands

Public permit records show steady booth activity in Texas fleet and refinish shops, including a new paint booth for Anchias Fleet Care in Houston, a booth renovation at All Pro Auto Reconditioning in Houston and a paint booth replacement at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth. Booth investments like those usually raise the question of where sanding and priming will happen so the new booth stays clean. On the industrial side, projects like the Davie Defense and Gulf Copper shipyard modernization in Port Arthur and the IAC widebody aircraft paint hangar in Amarillo involve parts and assemblies with very different prep requirements.

Sizing for Vehicles, Panels or Assemblies

A collision prep deck for passenger cars, a drive-through station for fleet trucks and a fabrication prep area for steel assemblies are three different designs. We start with the workpiece.

• Collision and reconditioning: semi-downdraft prep decks with curtains, lighting and optional heat for primer cure
• Fleet and municipal vehicles: drive-through stations tall enough for cabs, bodies and equipment
• Fabricated steel and enclosures: open-face or crossdraft stations with crane or cart access
• Training programs: stations laid out so an instructor can see every student work position

Replacement Air for Texas Shop Buildings

Texas buildings range from tight conditioned shops to open-sided industrial bays. A prep station that exhausts air needs a plan for where replacement air comes from and what condition it is in. Heated make-up air helps primer flash on cool days; in other buildings, the concern is keeping dust-laden outdoor air from entering through open doors. We evaluate the building envelope and recommend a make-up air approach that fits it.

Connecting Into Busy Houston and DFW Shops

In shops around Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, prep stations often go in while the business keeps running. We plan duct routes, roof or wall penetrations and electrical tie-ins so the disruption is limited to short windows, and we coordinate with booth suppliers, electricians and roofers so the station is ready to run when the last trade leaves. Relocations within the same campus follow the same plan in reverse: document, disconnect, move, reconnect and test.

Before the Site Visit

Have ready the largest workpiece dimensions, the floor area and ceiling height, the location of the nearest exterior wall or roof access, and photos of your electrical panel, gas service and compressed air system. If the station will sit next to an existing booth, booth make and model information helps us check how the two systems will share the building's air.