Frequently asked questions coating aircraft hangar floors…

It may seem obvious, but just why is a primer used with floor coatings?

Aircraft hangars have the same concrete flooring as most other facilities, but the way to go about coating that floor will differ from other concrete floor surfaces.

Primers do two things: They initiate bonding to the surface of the substrate, and in turn create a bond with the coating system placed on top of the primer. That’s called inner coat adhesion or a chemical bond.

A primer’s lower viscosity gives it the ability to penetrate deeply into the pores and capillaries of concrete flooring and to create what is called a mechanical bond, so it’s actually bonding to the teeth of the floor surface. So, that’s why a primer is very important to start off with.

Floor Preparation For Aircraft Hangar Floors

Now, that’s assuming that the airplane hangar floor surface is prepped. Proper floor preparation is essential prior to even thinking about applying a primer. Floor preparation will eliminate any air compression in the slab.

There is a particular test to perform prior to floor preparation in order to find out if the floor slab is less than three pounds of pressure per thousand square feet for 24 hours.

If you’re less than three pounds of pressure (some manufacturers go by four pounds) in a concrete slab to be coated you’re good to go with applying a thin mil coating system.  And applying a primer is going to help with penetration into the pores of that slab, to keep moisture in that slab, assuming that you’re within your range of water vapor drive of three pounds or less.

Now, there should be a lot of care taken to define the type of preparation that will be used on a concrete slab, especially if you’re putting down a thin mil coating system no more than 10 mils thick vs. a high build coating system at a minimum of 60 mils thick.

When considering the type of mechanical floor preparation to utilize when preparing the slab, there are several different methods to choose from. There is shot blasting, diamond grinding, scarifying and the use of hand tools used around the floor perimeters and joints in these facilities.

Choosing the right type of surface preparation equipment is key to a successful floor coating installation.

Related videos – You may also be interested in:

	Watch an easy aircraft hangar floor coating installation method.
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