(Photo : What to Look For When Installing a Commercial Door)
Presentation is an important part of what makes a company work. To this end, there are many options to consider when choosing doors that fit your business despite their relative mundanity. The kind of door needed for a particular space may vary, but they all serve the same purpose at the end of the day. Here are a few things to consider when deciding on what doors you should use in the various areas of your commercial space.
Doors that border an exterior wall require a slightly different approach than interior doors. Usually, storefront commercial doors are made out of glass with an aluminum frame. These aluminum doors tend to make a space look larger than it actually is, and having an entrance that feels more open is usually a good way to make a first impression. They do require a fair amount of maintenance to keep up appearances, however. Keep in mind that many customers will often put their hands on the glass of the doors even when they might have a push or pull bar and this will smudge the glass with fingerprints, so cleaning them periodically is a must. Additionally, glass doors do tend to have poor insulation compared to other kinds of doors, so having two sets of double doors is a good way to maintain an insulating layer that keeps your building warmer. In this way, using two sets of double doors can be both impressive and practical.
Other door materials can certainly have their own uses, however. Wooden doors tend to get worn down more easily but they also insulate rooms better than glass or metal, making them ideal for interior doors. Steel doors tend to resist wear better than wooden doors in addition to providing better insulation than doors that mainly feature glass, making them suitable for entry points that do not require as much presentation. Glass kits are also available for wooden and metal doors, meaning that you can still have some level of transparency while maintaining the benefits of the door's material. Doors made entirely out of glass can be used if you desire to see from one room to another but due to their poor ability to insulate they should only be used inside a building. As long as you understand what a door's base material can and cannot do, deciding on which one to use should be fairly easy.
When buying doors, you should also remain aware of potential disaster safety information as well. There are usually legal requirements that are a major deciding factor in door placement. For example, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), requires that doors for rooms made to accommodate 50 or more people swing outward so that egress is not hampered in the event of an emergency. Dedicated emergency exits also have a fair amount of required reading as well. Fireproof doors have ratings listed in terms of time, such as the "20 Mintue," "90 Minute," or "3 Hour" ratings. This is relevant because OSHA codes specify certain kinds of fireproof rating requirements for different exit placements. There is also a minimum requirement of two escape routes from any given workplace, among other requirements, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Looks aren't everything but they can be important to a business that wants to sell a product, whatever it might be. Maintaining the aesthetic of an environment is great, but doors are first and foremost designed to be practical. The material and placement of a door should be planned out, since their placement and usage is a major safety concern.
