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So, in an effort of full disclosure I recently sold some items and came into several hundred dollars that I don't have to share with the wife. (muohahah!) That being said, our new house has a room in the basement I can do whatever I want with. As of right now it is unfinished, but I could easily frame it in. I plan to turn it into a perfect painting/terrain building/modeling man-cave and I'm looking for some input as to what you guys would put into yours if you had the room/funds. Obviously, I'm looking for practical advice as I'm on a bit of a budget, but feel free to daydream as well.

Keep in mind, I will be doing the work myself and I don't have a huge building/carpentry background so any suggestions should be along the "do-it-yourself" vein.

As for the room dimensions, I took some measurements today. It's a fairly odd-sized room (my wife's grandfather built the place). It runs 13'x12.5' and I forgot to take vertical measurements. It's a decent sized room. Should fit everything I need as long as I utilize vertical space well.

Here's what I have so far planned:

- Two walls (at least) covered from floor to ceiling with pegboard. This will allow for modular shelving plus all sorts to tool storage and cool accessories.
- a workbench spanning two walls and a corner. this will hold my PC, but give me plenty of space for multiple projects.
- an airbrushing booth (with possible ventilation fan)
- shelving hanging from the ceiling above the workbench for bins of parts/terrain materials, etc.
- Some way to hang/organize my paints. I'm thinking of constructing a board with cut pvc pipes stuck on to slide the paints into.
- Misc cabinets/shelving on the other walls to hold commission jobs in progress.
- A display case for finished painted minis/armies
- Plenty of lighting
- Cool framed mini/fantasy/scifi artwork
- Mini-fridge
- Microwave
- Possible Hepa air filter to deal with filings, dust, etc?
- Photo Box

So... What am I missing? What would you add? Lastly, I'm a bit concerned about what colors to paint the walls? I mean, I don't really want to go with plain white, but I'm concerned that going with a color could effect my ability to paint the minis appropriately because of subtle reflections and such. Any thoughts? What would make YOUR perfect studio?

IMO, you need a TV in there. I love to watch TV while painting.... much more important than mini fridge / microwave.

Basically, just a table w/ good lighting, TV, shelves, and airbrush station seem to strike me as requirements.

duude I so want this room now too. Thou I do agree with Horst, TV would be awesome and being able to through 2 minute noodles into the Microwave have launch, paint models AND watch your favorite DVD/ Blue Ray's movies... THat would be EPIC!!

Well, I will have my PC in the room, so I'm sure I will be watching my fair share of Hulu, youtube, and mini painting dvds.

Your list already sounds good in terms of practicality (barring the art, fridge, and microwave which I would deem frivolous, if not undesirable). Really, the two most important things are lighting and storage. And storage. And storage.

Lighting is really important, but only for a very small area where you're actually working at any given time. A single overhead bulb is good enough for general illumination in a room that size and the painting areas can easily be spot-lit by desk lamps (stand or clamp) or hanging tubes.

The one thing you can almost never overdo is storage. If you have shelves and drawers everywhere you won't ever have to throw out that part you scrounged and never used to clear up space (because you know as soon as you do, it would have been perfect for your next project). Also, if you don't need to jam every shelf and drawer full to brimming just to fit everything, you can actually afford your chosen degree of organization. Personally, I'm an "organized chaos" type of guy. Everything is packed in tight and while you may not know where to start looking for [tool], but I know exactly where it is. For all the table space my workstation has, most has been turned over to storage racks and cans full of brushes, knives, rulers, etc. because I do 95% of my work (cutting, gluing, all[ of my painting) in the same 30"sq. at the center of my cutting mat.

I strongly suggest focusing 100% on getting an ideally functional and comfortable hobby-centric room before you start adding in extras like TVs and microwaves. Make sure you've got a comfy chair and that you can sit/stand with your work surfaces at a comfortable height. Honestly, unless it's a 1/4 mile trek to the kitchen, getting up to refill your drink or grab a snack isn't all that difficult. Actually, many painters would recommend doing so for the short break and stretch. Also, who needs a TV these days? He's already got his computer slated for a nearby spot, which is just as good, unless he planned on killing half a wall's worth of shelving to slide in a massive flat panel or wouldn't have internet access.

[edit:] See what happens when you leave a thread up and don't refresh before responding? You get partially ninja'd by the OP. 15 minutes ago.

well, I have a 43"' flat panel plasma hooked up to a PC in my painting room... and its amazing.

TV is the most important feature of a painting room ><

Let's see some pics of the current space!

Solorg wrote:Let's see some pics of the current space!

Haha, well since we just moved in this past weekend, its literally an unfinished basement room (complete with cement floor) and a pile of my desk pieces and hobby materials... I'll try to get some photos together once I finish putting the desk together as an effective "before" photo.

Sounds amazing!

If it's possible, perhaps run some pipes in for a sink. This way if you do any paint stripping, you can do it in your hobby room instead of the kitchen(and risk the wrath of your wife!). Not to mention, you wont need to trek though out the house to wash your hands, or to refill your painting water.

Dehumidifier. Being in a basement, they can get pretty humid, and you don't want too much moisture in the air if you're using anything in an aerosol format. Not to mention possible(if unlikely) health risks from a damp basement such as mold.

If you take a lot of pictures of you're mini's, perhaps setting up a photobooth?

That and lots of shelves, drawers, other forms of storage. Heck even magnetic strips on the wall for holding metallic tools, but keep that far from your computer as you don't want to risk fething up and magnetic storage media.

Most of this falls under the dreaming category...

1) I'd run a compressor with a larger air tank (10gal +), a pipe system, and quick release air fittings to provide air anywhere in the shop (probably only need two or three hookups at key locations). Personally, I'm always using canned / compressed air to clean off computers and hobby areas. Some PVC & quick release air fittings would be something I'd want in a perfect world. I haven't done my homework though so I'm not sure how piping air will affect your pressure so that might not work if you can't regulate it properly but hey... If you already had a compressor setup then I'd imagine this could work on a budget as PVC is fairly inexpensive and easy to install. This does have limited applications and, if you're going to pipe something and can't do both, I'd go with suggestions #2.

2) I'd also suggest a dust collection system. In my shop this is a life saver and we've got a 2-car garage door I can open. This is even more important if you don't have windows / great ventillation... You basically set the "suck" end up near any place you might be working / sanding / dremeling and it gets rid of all your dust. You might even be able to use it in conjunction with a spray booth to help ventilate it. Obviously double check needed filters and such, I'd hate to see your dust bag turn red from paint or something. This could be piped throughout your entire shop too and it also doubles as a shop vac. Here's a link I found on a quick search that outlines more info than you could ever want on the subject: http://www.airhand.com/designing.aspx. Craftsmen, DELTA, & I think Bosch all make affordable stand-alone units too. Or just a good shop vac, in lieu of this system.

3) A Dremel w/ snake & foot pedal - Like below but I haven't used this, personally. I have a different setup but being able to controll speed on a dremel tool without stopping your work is amazing!


4) Oh, and some good speakers for the PC - more important than a TV, imho. I installed my speakers inside simple wooden boxes with an old white t-shirt closing off the one open side of the boxes to keep them clean of dust. Gotta hear the bass hit when you're painting / sanding / spraying / de-dusting!

Good luck & pics please!

I second the dehumidifier... I can tell you from personal experience what a headache basement mold is on your hobby stuff. ...not only does the mold, literally, give you a headache, I had to spend many hours spraying each darn sprue with bleach, then washing them with soap and water... only to do it again once they've dried, in order to finally get that mold/mildew smell off. Every bit of cardboard/paper/wood had to be trashed.

I still have 2 fully boxed armies down in that basement (see my blog) that I just haven't had the energy to de-mold yet.

My new space is in my attic: http://atticwars40k.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-man-cave-big-ol-attic.html

I've got 1 table for modeling, 1 for painting/airbrushing, and the super huge table for gaming... most important was getting proper lighting too.

This actually sounds very familiar....

Lol. I'm diggin' the peg-board idea. That's gonna rock.

My only other input isn't really an addition to the list, its a suggestion:

Overhead 4 foot fluorescents are good for a lot of light, for pretty cheap. They run as low as $12 per ballast, and the bulbs last for quite awhile. Then, when you need a daylight bulb, You can put just 1 or 2 of the 4ft daylight bulb tubes in the ballast that's mounted above your workspace. Or a daylight bulb in a desktop lamp, the classic way...

Either way, enjoy your space sir. I miss having a man-cave...

Hey there! I consolidated some of these quotes for space...

Thaanos wrote:If it's possible, perhaps run some pipes in for a sink.

Dehumidifier.

If you take a lot of pictures of you're mini's, perhaps setting up a photobooth?

That and lots of shelves, drawers, other forms of storage. Heck even magnetic strips on the wall for holding metallic tools

Fortunately, my room will be next to the laundry, so there is a sink in there that I have easy access to. No need to run pipes. A dehumidifier is a great idea. I believe we already have one, but since I'm still in the midst of unpacking, I'm unsure. lol A photo booth is definitely on the list. I'm in the process of getting some fitting backgrounds for photos now. Magnetic strips are a great idea for tool/brush storage!

Nowoo wrote:Most of this falls under the dreaming category...

1) I'd run a compressor with a larger air tank (10gal +), a pipe system

2) I'd also suggest a dust collection system.

3) A Dremel w/ snake & foot pedal

4) Oh, and some good speakers for the PC. I installed my speakers inside simple wooden boxes with an old white t-shirt closing off the one open side of the boxes to keep them clean of dust. Gotta hear the bass hit when you're painting / sanding / spraying / de-dusting!

1.) I do have an airbrush compressor, but obviously that would not be powerful enough for what you are suggesting. I know you can pick up decent size compressors at Home Depot/Lowes for around $50. I'm just unsure as to how well that would handle PVC piping, etc. The room is small enough though, that just a standard hose would be long enough to reach everywhere. Perhaps if I had the compressor out in the garage, I'd do a PVC system (the basement is a walk-out basement, adjacent to the garage).

2.) Do you mean one of those tables with the holes in it? My father in law owns a custom cabinetry business and he has a couple for his sanding tables. I'm not sure if it would be completely necessary except for a painting booth, but a good shop vac is a great idea. I hate all the metal filings and since I'll be building terrain as well, it would be good to clean up any messes.

3.) I like that dremel, but I currently have a Dremel Stylus http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Tools/Pages/ToolDetail.aspx?pid=1100 which has a built in variable speed. I think I may eventually get something a bit more robust for large scale projects, but for now I'm extremely happy with this little guy. I highly suggest getting one if you don't already have a rotary tool.

4.) I have a good 2.1 speaker system right now which is plenty loud enough. I'm thinking of eventually getting a 5.1 since they aren't that expensive anymore and I do a fair bit of PC gaming. I love the idea of speaker covers though. Might as well protect your investment.

Gunzhard wrote:I second the dehumidifier... I can tell you from personal experience what a headache basement mold is on your hobby stuff. Every bit of cardboard/paper/wood had to be trashed.

My new space is in my attic: http://atticwars40k.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-man-cave-big-ol-attic.html

Ugh, I do fire/water restoration for a living. I totally feel your pain man. At least you have a great space now.

fenrir1997 wrote:I'm diggin' the peg-board idea. That's gonna rock.

Overhead 4 foot fluorescents are good for a lot of light, for pretty cheap.

Yeah, I definitely want to have as much of a modular design as possible to allow for growth/modification as needed. There is a large fluorescent light in there already, but it is the only source of light at the moment. I'm unsure as to whether or not I'm going to add more "room" light. I have two Ottlite's with daylight bulbs for my painting station though, so I'm fine on that front. Never thought of putting daylight bulbs into the existing lighting, great idea!

Have you thought about getting a decent chair out of your budget too?

Snapshot_Superhero wrote:2.) Do you mean one of those tables with the holes in it? My father in law owns a custom cabinetry business and he has a couple for his sanding tables. I'm not sure if it would be completely necessary except for a painting booth, but a good shop vac is a great idea. I hate all the metal filings and since I'll be building terrain as well, it would be good to clean up any messes.

Below is more on the lines of what I was thinking. The table you're talking about probably has this hooked up to it. This also doubles as a shop vac if you unhook the sucking end from the piping and attach a longer hose... But yeah, a shop vac would probably do just fine, especially if you aren't doing a ton of sanding and what-not.

Maybe a window would be nice
Also, since you are planning this I'm assuming you have lots of money, so get a big display cabinet for FW titans etc.

sluggaslugga wrote:Maybe a window would be nice
Also, since you are planning this I'm assuming you have lots of money, so get a big display cabinet for FW titans etc.

Building new windows into existing basement is a nightmare these days. It could just certain places but often you have to be able to use them as an escape. Which baloons thier cost.

Storage is a huge...huge part. My wife yard sales as a hobby so we pick up those cheap prefab bookcases on the cheap. That's an option, it's best to cover them with doors though because it looks less cluttered. 5-20 each at yard sales is worth taking a look. I also got a china display cabinet for free at one. So storage storage storage. If you must buy new Ikea does some shelves with cheap doors.
Have you considered an Island type workbench , sort of like a kitchen? Also doubles as a table for playing if you want. It maximizes work flow too.
Lighting is key, cheap overheads and also some table lamps with Ott bulbs on them is worth thinking about.

Good speakers for your computer.

You just need to be comfortable in your space.