Backcountry Pilot • Aerofloor install tips?

Aerofloor install tips?

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Aerofloor install tips?

Any tips for installing a floor product such as Aerofloor Coindot, or SCS Interiors? The latter offers various pre-cut, trim and backing options, and a formed flap tunnel cover.

After receiving SCS's sample, it seems to me that these materials will conform ok to rivet heads and overlapped seams, but not to anything larger, such as bolt heads. SCS offers an optional 1/4" foam backing, which could be hollowed out from the bottom to custom-fit around irregularities, but that's obviously going to add weight. I'm still awaiting a Coindot sample.

How floppy and problematic are the skinny sections that are outboard of the seat rails, or between the Atlee floor tracks?
Also, how supple or brittle are these materials in cold weather?

Thanks for any pointers,

-DP
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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

I installed aerofloor in a 182 last year. The install is easy. Go to the the local office depot and get some sheets of thick tagboard/poster board. I then cut them in to sections and taped it all together to make one large template. (cut the paper into strips and take advantage of all the the straight factory edges and just piece it all together; i.e., don't try to cut out a seatrack slot, take to strips and lay lengthwise with the track). After the template was cut, I laid it on the hanger floor over the top of the aerofloor and used very a very sharp knife and a 4 foot straight edge to make the cuts. The whole install was 2 hours at most. I then used 'industrial grade' velcro to attach it to the floor. In hind sight i should have framed every slot and edge with velcro, it was a tendency to curl where it is not heald down with velcro. The other thing I would do differently is used a gasket punch to make all the inside corners radiused to prevent them from tearing out.
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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

Jeredp wrote:I installed aerofloor in a 182 last year. The install is easy. Go to the the local office depot and get some sheets of thick tagboard/poster board. I then cut them in to sections and taped it all together to make one large template. (cut the paper into strips and take advantage of all the the straight factory edges and just piece it all together; i.e., don't try to cut out a seatrack slot, take to strips and lay lengthwise with the track). After the template was cut, I laid it on the hanger floor over the top of the aerofloor and used very a very sharp knife and a 4 foot straight edge to make the cuts. The whole install was 2 hours at most. I then used 'industrial grade' velcro to attach it to the floor. In hind sight i should have framed every slot and edge with velcro, it was a tendency to curl where it is not heald down with velcro. The other thing I would do differently is used a gasket punch to make all the inside corners radiused to prevent them from tearing out.

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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

I used Loncoin a couple of years ago on the 207. http://www.lonsealspecialty.com/show_product/LONCOIN%20II%20FEATHERWEIGHT

They have burn certs.

It lays pretty good and hasnt curled up. I just use a few screws in strategic locations to hold it down.
It is called featherweight but I would put it somewhere between a feather and a brick :D

It wears well and I just used tin snips to cut it out.
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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

I pretty much did the same thing as Jaredp. I used double sided tape instead of Velcro to hold it down though. One brand of tape I tried didn't work so well and the other I tried holds much better, I don't remember what kind it was though.
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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

I just got my order in from SCS, still sitting in the box as I need to get my floor painted. I went with the finished edges after talking to a few people. Also I wanted to have a foam backing, to help with sound, but after getting a sample from SCS I felt the 1/4" foam was to thick for the floor so I ended up getting the AeroLite Foam, which is 1/8" http://www.skandiaupholsterysupplies.com/aerolite-foam-firm-al75/. That comes in a sheet so I will need to cut it, but I will use my precut SCS dot vinyl flooring as a template.
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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

Corefile,
Thanks for sharing he Skandia foam link. I also felt that the 1/4" foam from SCS was excessive.
No reason why you couldn't apply the Skandia foam beneath CoinDot also, right?
-DP
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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

denalipilot wrote:Corefile,
Thanks for sharing he Skandia foam link. I also felt that the 1/4" foam from SCS was excessive.
No reason why you couldn't apply the Skandia foam beneath CoinDot also, right?
-DP


Yeah you should be good to go, I was going to use some spray adhesive to attach the foam to the SCS DOT flooring (not my aircraft floor). Any type of the various DOT type vinyl flooring will work with the Skandia foam.
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Re: Aerofloor install tips?

For the best double-stick tape, I like McMaster Carr P/N 76405A13, and P/N 77185A23.

The first one is sometimes called golf-club grip tape. The idea is you wrap the shaft of your golf club with it, wipe it with acetone to briefly neutralize the sticky, and slip the grip on. When the acetone evaporates, the grip is on for keeps. It has a masking-tape appearance to it. The second one has a clear appearance. I usually favor the first one for indoor work like cabinetry, and the second one for outdoor work, like attaching a temporary license plate on a trailer. Both are seriously strong.

-DP
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