Read Time : 3 Minutes
Commercial Doors
Commercial doors generally have different properties and challenges for buyers from domestic ones. First of all, there is a bigger choice over and above the normal uPVC or wood doors, including garage doors right through to automatic swing ones that are designed to cope with more use by customers.
For most businesses, traffic is generally greater than for your average home which means any front door or interior installation has to be robust enough to deal with a large number of people going in and out. That often means spending a little more money on your chosen door installation as well as ensuring that it is robust enough to meet your needs.
There is the added question of security with commercial doors as the glass used for the front door of an average home is different for a similar installation in a business that needs to protect its premises overnight. Even interior doors need to be different, with greater fire resistance that ensures the business meets certain requirements such as health and safety as well as providing suitable access to those with disabilities.
Find out about door manufacturer and suppliers here.
Types of Commercial Doors
The kind of exterior door you have at the front of your business premises will often be dictated by the industry you are in. Retail outlets for instance are more likely to have automatically opening doors that can cope with large numbers of people coming and going on a regular basis. Generally, doors in the commercial sector need to provide ease of access along with a sufficient level of security.
Glass doors: The majority of business opt for glass doors for their front of house because they give passing customers a view of the inside of the office, hotel, shop or restaurant. These can be anything from standard, sprung doors that shut by themselves once they have been opened to automatic doors that use a sensor of some type to open as a customer approaches.
Automatic doors: Made largely of glass these provide quick and easy access for customers and are especially useful in areas such as the retail industry where large amounts of traffic have to be handled. There are several different types within this category including single sliding or opening doors and double automatic doors. Some businesses now opt for low energy swing doors where the customer presses a button when they need access.
Revolving or rotating doors: Similar to sliding doors, the revolving or rotating variety are used when there is a large amount of traffic and both entrance and egress are required at the same time. The benefit of rotating doors is that they provide greater protection from draughts to those inside because the inner panels act as a layer of insulation to the outside world as the device naturally turns on its central axis. Most revolving doors are usually accompanied by a normal opening door in case there is a problem with the operation of the main entrance.
Security doors: One of the key areas that doors in the commercial arena tend to differ from domestic is in the level of security that is needed. Specific security doors are often made of toughened material such as steel and are used for areas such as delivery doors and rear access to a business property or when there are valuables left overnight on the property.
Shutters: Because many business properties including shops have glass fronts, when everything is closed up for the evening shutters are generally used to further protect the premises. These can be either of a manual or automatic type but are made of a metal such as aluminium or steel that is both flexible and durable.
Specialist Doors
Door designs have developed greatly over the last couple of decades primarily because of better manufacturing techniques and their combination with new technology.
Interior hotel doors: The big development in hotel doors is the use of key cards and electronic locks to gain access. Most hotel chains now use these rather than old fashioned keys and they can have the additional advantage of being able to monitor room usage and improve business operations.
Fire doors: Business premises have more onus put on them to provide a safe environment for their staff and visiting customers. That means most doors in the premises have to meet the UK and EU fire safety standards. This can involve ensuring that areas are protected in the event of a fire and that there are both horizontal and vertical escape routes in the event of a fire. These kind of doors come with a specific fire resistance or protection rating which ensures they are suitable for use in the business environment.
Large scale doors for industry: Doors aren’t just there for the easy access of people. In large scale plants you may need doorways that can take big machinery and vehicles. These can range from roller doors to sliding ones and need to be both sturdy and reliable over a long period of time.
Garage doors: Commercial garage doors can be of various types from simple manual ones through to more complex and larger sectional and rolling installations. They are suitable for organisations such as garages or businesses that manage a fleet of vehicles.
Finding the Right Commercial Door Installer
Choosing the right installer is almost as important as selecting the best door for your business. There are a number of specialist installers in the UK who deal with everything from shop fronts to industrial style entrance ways. You can search national and local installers for all types of door in our comprehensive database.
