Hangar Floor Coating

[dcrogers11]

I'm about 2 months away from moving into my new hangar.  I have 2500 sq. ft. to cover.  Has anyone used a product they were happy with.

Thanks,

Don

[Bennett]

My hanger floor was cracked badly, uneven, and full of small holes. I had the holes filed, added a barrier coat of waterproof paint, and had indoor/ outdoor carpeting laid down.  It's been two years now, and still looks new. Feels great when working on your back under the airplane, plus easy to spot screws and stuff when you drop them. 

[N33GG]

Mine was sealed with a liquid wax that was applied with a mop.  Looks great and fluid spills just wipe up easily.  If you want any striping or centerline markings or other paint on the floor, do it before applying the wax.

[jetdriven]

I would use a gray 2-part epoxy. Be sure to add in the traction additive, as the wet or oily floor is like an ice rink.  Epoxy will not stick to hot tires and pick up when your roll your plane.  I have this in my garage going on 9 years now. Looks new.

[johnggreen]

Don,

The two part epoxy, properly installed, is the "Cadillac" application.  It is expensive and done correctly very labor intensive.  Yes, I have it in my hangar, 4200 s.f., but probably would not do it again all things considered.  We have done other installations in some of our rental properties for commercial/light industrial tenants, and a couple of years ago, I did it in both my garages at my home.

Sherwin Williams makes a very good product and will have the proper installation techniques and tools should you be foolish enough to do it yourself.  Don't let that statement scare you off.  You can, if patient, do it yourself, just be ready to work your butt off.

You must be very careful installing it on a "new" concrete floor that has not FULLY cured, meaning most of the moisture has leached out of it.  On any concrete, new or old, you will have to acid etch it, twice, completely wash it off and let it dry again.

There are some latex products out there that I have seen others do in small retail areas that get a lot of traffic and hard use and saw good results.

The easiest, and most practical is simply a floor sealer; though when you do that, you rule out other options later as most products will not bind to the sealed concrete.

First thing; go talk to the guys at Sherwin Williams and ask them for the name of an applicator who might give you some pointers should you make this a do it yourself project.  If light in you hangar is an issue, check the light reflection tables that they have with their industrial enamels.  You will be surprised as to what reflects light and what doesn't.

Jgreen

[dcrogers11]

Thanks for the input.  I was approaching this as a DIY project as this was above and beyond what was bid out in my new home and hangar project.  The hangar is attached to my home so wanted it to be nice looking and as well as functional.  A portion of the hangar also will funtion as a shop so duribility is also a plus.  The paint or epoxy coatings are what looks to be the way to go.  I'll check out the Sherwood Williams guys and see what they have.  I don't mind the sweat aspect of it and will make it a family project.  Thanks again.

Don

[jetdriven]

You can buy epoxy marketed for garage floors at Homedepot, and spread it with a paint roller.  As John Green says, gt that cement clean.  It looks fantastic.

[jackn]

I bought my hanger from a guy in the auto racing business. Garagetek squares. Kind of over-the-top, but provides great insulation.

[Igor_U]

You might want to look at the Swisstrax plastic tiles.

http://www.swisstrax.com/

While not inexpensive (4/sqft) it looks great and it’s fluid resistant and easy to clean as well.

I just received a couple of tiles as a sample and like them a lot. I am tempted to go with this option as my hangar at KPAE has an asphalt floor. Try to find that lost screw on that!

One benefit of these tiles is you can take them with you once you move out.

 

Regards,

 

Igor

N9514M @ KPAE

[johnggreen]

Don,

Two more cents (or scents?, just kidding).  It appears that you are leaning toward the true two part "oil" based epoxy.  So, here's what you do.

Study every tech manual you can find.  There will be a lot available on the internet if you google it.  You may find some specialty suppliers that are appealing also.  Check with Sherwin Williams because their guys are well schooled even if they have no experience.  Also, look at Pittsburgh Paint's products.  I've used both and splitting hairs, I liked the finished product of PP's a little better.  PP will have tech manuals to study as well.  There will also be some specialty tools you will need that either company can provide; for instance, you will need a big, wide squeegie that is made just for spreading epoxy.  You will also need cleats to put on your shoes so you can walk in the wet epoxy.

The quality of the finished product will be no better than the quality of the preparation; so what else is new?  You will have to acid etch the concrete AT LEAST twice with muriatic acid, flush with lots of water each time and let it fully dry which may take several days.  The tech manuals will tell you how to test for moisture with just a piece of plastic sheet.  Don't get in a big hurry, if you put this product on top of ANY moisture, it will fail, I promise.  You will be astounded as to how much material is etched out of the concrete by the muriatic acid solution.

You will need at least two, maybe three coats for full coverage without any "shading" of color from the underlying concrete.  As to color, I did my hangar floor in a gray as Byron suggested and I assure you it is too dark.  In fact, I am probably going to put a couple of coats of new on it and I will go to a light tan.

You will need to mix some sand grit in the third coat or you will bust your *** everytime the floor gets wet.

Sherwin Williams makes two products, Tile Clad and Armor Shield with Armor Shield being the better, and more expensive.  I'll retrieve some notes and give you an estimate of the cost of Armor Shild, perhaps later this afternoon.

As for being sure the floor is dry, you may even have to run a heater some so you can work in the mornings even in the summer.  Don't forget to work in a well ventilated area unless you want a leg or something to fall off.

Jgreen

[johnggreen]

Don,

A little more info and you are on your own.

Armor Seal comes in two gallon kits at $100/gallon.  On the first coat, you will get a minimum of 200 s.f./gallon.  The second coat, you will get at least 50% more or 300 s.f./gallon.  So, you are looking at about 75 cents for material for two coats, about a dollar for three.

Tile Clad will cost 20% less.

You have me thinking about recoating my hangar now.  Since I used tile clad, I'm just going to put a couple of fresh coats of it down.  Like I didn't have enough to do.

Jgreen 

[DrBill]

When I built my hangar in 2003, we bought a sealer from the concrete supply company that was two part (epoxy type) and CLEAR. It makes the hangar a bit slick when wet but it really makes it nice to clean up spills and just  blow out the dirt.

Still looks good.

BILL

 

[dcrogers11]

John,

Thanks, I'll go down to the Sherwood Williams store next week and discuss it with them.  I'll buy the avgas, beer, and pizza if you want to come down to 0TX1 to practice before your next project.  Sounds like you've had plenty though.  I'm at least a month away before I can do anything as I want this to be the last thing I do prior to rolling 543UC into her new home so it will give me some time to examine all these options. 

I'll post pictures when its finally done.

Thanks,

Don

[johnggreen]

Bill,

I agree, the clear sealer is very easy and workable remedy.  Any floor that will exposed to the oils, fuels etc. of motorized equipment should be sealed.  Fastenal makes a very good one part sealer.  It is, in fact, so effective and inexpensive that we use it, believe it or not, as a curing agent for newly poured concrete.  Not nearly as messy as curing compound.

Don,

Glad to help.  We are in the commercial rental business and over the years have had several instances of it being required by tenants.  In fact, we just redid a floor in Fastenal that had been originally sealed.  We had to grind the sealer off with diamond tipped blades to put on the epoxy and it was a bitch.

One last caution.  Do not let anyone put, lay, or drive anythiing over that floor before you install the epoxy.  Keep it clean and then chemically (muriatic acid solution) etch it.

I called the Sherwin Williams store while I was answering your thread and they emailed some installation info.  If you will pm your email address, I will forward it to you.

Jgreen

 

[Ron McBride]

I have an asphalt floor in my hanger. Do you have any suggestions for this, beside a coating of asphalt sealer?

Thank You

Ron

[johnggreen]

Ron,

I'm sorry, but I don't except:

This may sound "over the top", but if the elevations would allow, you could overlay with a layer of concrete.  If so, don't try to short cut it, the thickness of a 2 x 4 is the minimum and put a control joint every 10 feet each way.  Control means simply a smooth break which you can do after it is poured and has taken an initial set with a soft cut concrete saw which you can easily rent.  It sounds too expensive, but if you do it yourself, it will probably cost only $1.25 per foot for the concrete.

For just about everything I have ever built, and that is quite a lot, I have always said that I learned what not to do the first time.

Jgreen

[Ron McBride]

John

Thank You for the suggestion. I would have to remove the existing asphalt to be able to install the concrete. Locally concrete would run about $1.50 per square foot, plus the pumper. My finish concrete work sucks, I would also need finishers to complete. The going rate is for a Contractor is about $5.00 per square foot after the asphalt is removed and 2' in of soil. I would also want a 12" x 12" footing across the doors, plus steel in the pad.

Thank You

Ron

 

[johnggreen]

Ron,

Those numbers for contracted work look accuraate.  Yes, you would need a very smooth finish for epoxy coating.  I poured the floor for my shop at the ranch myself a couple of years ago and let it get away from me.  It was 1500 square feet, six inches deep with raised side walls and 100 degrees.  I had five helpers, but well, let's just say the surface won't accept epoxy.

The bright side is, you have a hangar and an all weather floor.  Most guys would kill for that!.

Have a good day,

Jgreen

[docket]

Swisstrax.  Easy to install.  I did a 7000 foot hangar in one day with my 12 year old son.  Zero maintenance and covers all of the sins in the slab.

[Alan Fox]

If you're going to do epoxy you might spend a little time at garagejournal.com.  There's a number of people who have done it before and a lot of lessons learned.  You can also find sources for commercial epoxy- products available at home depot or Sherwin Williams are not the same as a commercial product. 

In my garage at home, I installed commercial vinyl tile with a clear commercial epoxy designed for coating vinyl. I would install VCT again, but I would contract out the epoxy portion of the work. 

[KSMooniac]

When I bought my first house in 1998, it was new and I painted my garage floor with a DIY 2-part kit from a local industrial paint supplier.  I also did part of the floor in the basement for an indoor workshop.  I did the muriatic acid etch, but only once.  Fast forward a couple of years and both jobs failed.  I suspect two things... concrete not fully cured and inadequate etching.  The job is a PITA under the best of circumstances, and I would farm this out to a pro next time and get a warranty!  I'd fear doing it on a new slab too, unless I knew for certain that it was completely cured.  

My suspicion is that the pros will have access to better materials that are perhaps more aggressive chemically.  They'll know how to do the all-important prep work.  

A friend built a new hangar a few years ago and he had a nice epoxy coating applied professionally, and also added a clear polyurethane over the top.  It turned out perfectly, and has been very, very durable.  I'm sure it cost him a fair amount, but he's not financially constrained compared to my arena.  ;-)  I never would of thought of top-coating the epoxy, but it worked well.

I'm about to upgrade my garage/shop at my new house, but I'm going to go with a roll-out vinyl floor covering because the concrete is heaved and cracked in a few places.  

[smccray]

Quote: n74795

If you're going to do epoxy you might spend a little time at garagejournal.com.  There's a number of people who have done it before and a lot of lessons learned.  You can also find sources for commercial epoxy- products available at home depot or Sherwin Williams are not the same as a commercial product. 

In my garage at home, I installed commercial vinyl tile with a clear commercial epoxy designed for coating vinyl. I would install VCT again, but I would contract out the epoxy portion of the work. 

[N601RX]

The prep work is key to getting anything to stick.  I rented one of these shot peeners a few years ago at work for our mant department. If you want to get the old stuff up 1st this is the way to go.  The commercial 2 part epoxy will stand up to a year or so of regular forklift traffic, so it should hold up really well in a hanger.

[Hank]

I did my garage at home a few years ago [summer 05] with a Rustoleum epoxy kit from Home Depot. Followed the instructions, mopped it, etched, rinsed, painted [tan, not gray! ugh!], sprinkled--it still looks pretty good except the part extending past the door is now faded from the sun. It wasn't hard, but it's not something you can do quickly [wait for it to get completely dry after rinsing the acid off] and you can't very well stop for a break after you mix the epoxy. Mix it, paint without delay and throw out any leftovers.

[Lee Paladin]

How did it work out? Obviously I'm a fan of epoxy flooring! It is highly durable and will last for years to come.

Prime Polymers