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Hangar floor mat ideas?

RickWoodall

RickWoodall

Well Known Member
For those with hangars, especially in cold areas... any tips.
Looking for a nice looking floor covering/pad system.
Costco and HD have various garage floors that snap in sections or come in rolls. Just wonder what looks nice, easy to keep clean, allows plane to roll ok but provides some insulation/padding.cushion when working or hanging out with plane in the cold times?
Any tips and pics welcome. Thanks.

Swisstrax seems like the winner so far but a bit spendy.
 
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I scavenged some carpet that was being replaced in a office building and just doubled layered in my work area. Drop tools and parts don’t break or fly off the concrete to dark corners.
 
Have you considered used football or soccer field turf? It would not be the easiest to pick up a dropped nut or rivet but would be nice to work off of. There are several repurpose businesses that sell ignore very reasonable.
 
Martyrv6a said:
I scavenged some carpet that was being replaced in a office building and just doubled layered in my work area. Drop tools and parts don’t break or fly off the concrete to dark corners.
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^^^ THIS ^^^

Is the same thing I did. Cheap and works just fine for me.

 
Find a local commercial (not residential) carpet dealer. Ask about carpet tile options. You can tack it down with double sided tape.

You should be able to find options anywhere from $1/sf and up. Sometimes they have overstock they will let go of for substantially less.
 
Kyle Boatright said:
Find a local commercial (not residential) carpet dealer. Ask about carpet tile options. You can tack it down with double sided tape.

You should be able to find options anywhere from $1/sf and up. Sometimes they have overstock they will let go of for substantially less.
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+1 on the carpet tile.

One of the guys on the field got some that was being replaced from a hospital. He just laid it down on the floor and cut the pieces he needed to fit the sides. Looks fine and does the job of keeping things a little less cold in winter. Still able to work off a creaper and find dropped parts on the short pile.
 
I have used carpet and also a few of the 2’x2’ snap together squares. Used both only in front of work bench or around plane. Very pricey to do my entire 50x50 hangar.
I think it helps some to not stand on concrete floor but never liked how dirty it became and difficult to clean. Lots of dirt, dust, metal chips, etc in the carpet. Squares a bit easier to take outside and brush off. Now that I am no longer building I have nothing on the floor to make easy to sweep.
 
I don’t know how nice your hangar is, but a lot of car guys use this for their garages. Expensive but very nice and high quality! I’d be careful with carpet since it’s so flammable.

https://racedeck.com/
 
Whitman said:
I don’t know how nice your hangar is, but a lot of car guys use this for their garages. Expensive but very nice and high quality! I’d be careful with carpet since it’s so flammable.

https://racedeck.com/
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Nylon carpet is self-extinguishing when set on fire. Commercial grade carpet with a Class 1 fire rating is used in schools, hotels, etc., all of which have pretty stringent flammability requirements. All bets are off if you soak it in petrochemicals.

Which is why carpet tile is a good choice. Dump a quart of oil on it? Throw away those tiles, re-arrange the rest, and move on.

(Disclaimer. I work in and took part in designing the two largest carpet tile manufacturing plants (2 of 'em) in the world...)
 
Probably misses the "nice looking" requirement, but I just use unfolded cardboard boxes. Slide them around to all the common work areas. Price is free. When they get worn or soiled, just replace.
 
the clear plastic mats used in offices under desks to let the wheeled chairs move on a carpeted floor. keep one under the engine and it makes clean up a breeze.
 
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