What epoxy system is specified for aircraft hangar floors in Toronto?

Aircraft hangar floors require a 100% solids epoxy base coat at 8–10 mils DFT with an aliphatic polyaspartic or aliphatic polyurethane topcoat at 4–5 mils DFT. Total dry film thickness of 12–15 mils. The aliphatic topcoat is critical — aromatic epoxy topcoats yellow under UV and degrade in Jet-A fuel environments. Anti-slip aggregate must be fine enough to avoid landing gear snag while meeting COF ≥0.6 dry.

Is epoxy flooring resistant to Jet-A aviation fuel and Skydrol hydraulic fluid?

100% solids epoxy with an aliphatic polyaspartic topcoat provides good resistance to Jet-A fuel and aviation gasoline (AvGas). Skydrol hydraulic fluid (phosphate ester base) is more aggressive — a high-build epoxy with a polyurethane or polyurea topcoat is recommended for Skydrol splash zones, particularly around hydraulic servicing stations and landing gear wells. Spill containment berms around service areas are a best practice regardless of coating system.

What load capacity does aircraft hangar epoxy flooring support?

The epoxy system itself does not provide structural load capacity — that comes from the concrete slab beneath. Hangar floor epoxy protects the slab and provides the required surface properties. A properly designed hangar slab handles 150–300 lb/sq ft point loads from aircraft jack pads and maintenance equipment. The epoxy coating must maintain bond integrity under these loads, which requires proper surface prep (ICRI CSP 4–5 via shot blast) and a high-elongation topcoat that won't crack at slab stress points.

Which Toronto-area airports and aviation facilities does ProEpoxy serve?

ProEpoxy Toronto serves all Toronto-area aviation facilities including Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Porter terminals and FBO), Buttonville Municipal Airport (Markham), Oshawa Executive Airport (Durham), Toronto/Pearson cargo and maintenance facilities, and private hangar developments at smaller aerodromes in the GTA. Contact us for facilities outside these locations — we cover the full GTA and surrounding areas.

Aircraft Hangar Epoxy Flooring Toronto — Fuel-Resistant, MRO & Heavy-Load Systems

Q: Does epoxy flooring comply with NFPA 409 for aircraft hangar fire suppression and ESD requirements?

NFPA 409 (Standard on Aircraft Hangars) requires static dissipative flooring in certain hangar occupancy groups to prevent electrostatic ignition of fuel vapours. ESD-compliant epoxy systems with copper grounding grids achieve surface resistivity of 25,000–1,000,000 ohms (ANSI/ESD S20.20 dissipative range), meeting NFPA 409 static control requirements. ProEpoxy specifies and installs ESD-integrated systems for hangar floors where required by the occupancy classification.

Marcus Webb

Senior Estimator, ProEpoxy Toronto · 14 years commercial and industrial coating experience

Aircraft hangar floors are one of the most demanding coating applications in industrial flooring. The combination of Jet-A fuel, Skydrol hydraulic fluid, heavy point loads from jack pads, ESD grounding requirements, and the absolute need to avoid anti-slip profiles that snag landing gear makes a standard warehouse epoxy spec completely inadequate. This guide covers what a proper hangar floor system looks like — and what Toronto-area hangar operators need to specify.

Why Standard Epoxy Fails in Aircraft Hangars

Most epoxy failures in hangar environments come from three mismatches:

Wrong topcoat chemistry: Standard aromatic epoxy topcoats degrade in Jet-A environments and yellow aggressively under UV — a problem in hangars with overhead skylights. The correct specification uses an aliphatic polyaspartic or aliphatic polyurethane topcoat, which is chemically stable in fuel environments and UV-stable outdoors and in skylighted spaces.
Skydrol incompatibility: Phosphate ester hydraulic fluids (Skydrol, HyJet IV-A Plus) attack standard epoxy and polyurethane topcoats at high concentrations. Zones around hydraulic service points need a polyurea or high-build polyurethane topcoat with demonstrated Skydrol resistance — not assumed.
Anti-slip profile mismatch: Broadcast aggregate used in warehouse and garage floors creates a texture that catches small-diameter tires and tailwheel assemblies. Hangar floors need fine silica sand broadcast at light density — just enough for crew traction — without a pronounced texture that catches gear.

Standard Hangar Floor Specification

Surface prep: Shot blast to ICRI CSP 4–5 (mechanical bond for heavy load environments)
Base coat: 100% solids epoxy, 8–10 mils DFT
Aggregate: Fine silica sand, light broadcast (15–20 lbs/100 sq ft)
Topcoat: Aliphatic polyaspartic or aliphatic polyurethane, 4–5 mils DFT
Total DFT: 12–15 mils
Fuel resistance: Jet-A, AvGas (100LL), hydraulic fluid (aromatic)
COF dry: ≥0.6 (ASTM C1028) — crew traction without gear snag

ESD Integration for NFPA 409 Compliance

NFPA 409 (Standard on Aircraft Hangars) classifies hangars into Group I, II, III, and IV based on aircraft size and fuel capacity. Groups I and II — large aircraft hangars with significant fuel loads — require static dissipative flooring to prevent electrostatic ignition of fuel vapour.

Static dissipative epoxy systems for hangar compliance:

Surface resistivity: 25,000–1,000,000 ohms (ANSI/ESD S20.20 dissipative range)
Copper grounding grid embedded beneath the coating, connected to building ground
Grid spacing: typically 10-foot grid across the floor area
Ground resistance verification after installation: ≤1,000,000 ohms to ground at all test points

Groups III and IV (smaller aircraft) may not require ESD flooring, but anti-static properties are still strongly recommended as a risk management measure near fuelling operations.

MRO Facility Considerations

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities have additional challenges beyond the standard hangar floor:

Chemical Splash Zones

Degreasers, paint strippers, and hydraulic fluid require chemically resistant topcoats. Berm containment around service pits is required under TSSA regulations.

Oil/Fuel Containment

Secondary containment berms around fuel service and oil storage areas are required. Polyurea berm systems integrated with the floor coating are the current best practice.

Heavy Maintenance Jacking

Jack pad positions require minimum 6-inch slab depth and documented load capacity. Epoxy coating must maintain bond under repeated jack pad placement without delamination.

System Comparison: Hangar Flooring Options

System	Jet-A Resistance	Skydrol Resistance	ESD Option	Cost/sq ft
100% solids epoxy + aliphatic polyaspartic	Excellent	Moderate	Yes	$8–$14
High-build epoxy + polyurea topcoat	Excellent	Excellent	Yes	$12–$20
MMA (methyl methacrylate)	Good	Moderate	Yes	$18–$32
Standard garage epoxy (not recommended)	Poor	None	No	$4–$8

Toronto-Area Aviation Facilities Served

ProEpoxy Toronto covers all aviation facilities in the GTA and surrounding area:

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport — FBO facilities, porter terminals, private hangar tenants
Buttonville Municipal Airport (Markham) — private and corporate hangars, flight school facilities
Oshawa Executive Airport (Durham Region) — corporate aviation hangars, maintenance facilities
Toronto/Pearson cargo and MRO facilities — airline MRO buildings, cargo terminal floors
Private aerodromes — agricultural airstrips with personal aircraft hangars throughout the GTA

Frequently Asked Questions

100% solids epoxy base coat at 8–10 mils DFT with an aliphatic polyaspartic or aliphatic polyurethane topcoat at 4–5 mils DFT. Total 12–15 mils. The aliphatic topcoat is critical — aromatic topcoats yellow under UV and degrade in Jet-A environments. Anti-slip aggregate must be fine enough to avoid landing gear snag while meeting COF ≥0.6 dry.

100% solids epoxy with aliphatic polyaspartic topcoat resists Jet-A and AvGas well. Skydrol (phosphate ester base) is more aggressive — a polyurea or high-build polyurethane topcoat is recommended for Skydrol splash zones around hydraulic servicing stations and landing gear wells.

ESD-compliant epoxy systems with copper grounding grids achieve surface resistivity of 25,000–1,000,000 ohms (ANSI/ESD S20.20 dissipative range), meeting NFPA 409 static control requirements for Group I and II hangars. ProEpoxy specifies and installs ESD-integrated systems for hangar floors where required by the occupancy classification.

Load capacity comes from the concrete slab, not the epoxy. The epoxy must maintain bond integrity under 150–300 lb/sq ft point loads from aircraft jack pads. This requires shot blast surface prep to ICRI CSP 4–5 and a high-elongation topcoat that won't crack at slab stress points.

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Buttonville Municipal Airport, Oshawa Executive Airport, Toronto/Pearson cargo and MRO facilities, and private hangar developments throughout the GTA. No travel surcharge within the standard service area.