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Commercial Garage Doors
Built on a larger scale than the domestic variety, commercial or industrial garage doors are bigger, bolder and built to take the rigours of everything from HGV deliveries to fire trucks speeding out to the rescue. Whilst the types of door are similar to domestic ones, the size of the panels and the accompanying mechanism mean they require a specialist installer and more ongoing maintenance.
Types of Commercial Garage Door
Most businesses with big premises, particularly in the industrial sector, need large scale doors allowing vehicles to pass in and out for loading and unloading. These naturally need to be able to cope with the environmental extremes, have the right level of security and also provide sound proofing and be fire resistant.
- Roller Shutter Doors: These are made up of narrow horizontal sections that roll up over a central spindle and can be either mechanical or automated. For most large doors, of course, because of the weight and size these need to be automated. These can be purchased as high speed doors that have anti-crash protection.
- Sliding Doors: Because there is more space in commercial and industrial buildings, sliding doors are often used where they wouldn’t be appropriate in a domestic situation. There are different types including those with one rigid panel or bi-folding and multiple-folding doors. These are often the kinds of door that emergency services such as fire stations use because they are quick to open and close.
- Commercial Sectional Up and Over Doors: These act like roller shutters but the door moves up and to the back of the building on a rail rather than gather around a central spindle.
- Commercial Sectional Doors: These have individual panels that can be opened as a whole or just one or two depending on the circumstances.
Commercial garage doors can be made from a variety of materials such as steel, GRP and even reinforced glass panels. The emphasis is usually on strength and security with the option to add greater insulation if needed.
Cost of Commercial Garage Doors
Considering the size of commercial doors, the price is highly competitive at the moment. A 3.5 metre by 2.5 metre galvanized steel door can cost under £1,000 excluding installation. An overhead sectional door of similar size can cost in the region of £2,000. Much depends of course whether the doors need to be purely functional, as for example in a factory, or needs to have some aesthetic value that fits in with the style of the business premises which will obviously add much more to the cost. Onto this you need to factor in the ongoing maintenance costs to ensure the installation runs properly all the time.
Maintenance of Commercial Garage Doors
With the business at stake, commercial garage doors need rather more maintenance than your average domestic installation. Most companies that provide industrial or commercial garage doors will also have a maintenance regime and emergency callout in place that ensures any warranty is not voided. Most of this maintenance will be centred on making sure the larger operating mechanism works properly.
