Most Popular Types of Commercial Door

What is a Commercial Door?

A commercial door is one which has been designed especially for a commercial property, whether an individual store, a multi-storey office building, a warehouse, a bank etc.

The type of commercial door that is most suitable for your business depends on the type of organisation you run and the physical space you’re working with.

 

What is the Difference Between Residential and Commercial Doors?

As a starting point, you can visualise the difference between residential doors and commercial doors. Just think about the type of door used for your favourite high-street store compared with the type of door fitted to your home. They probably look very different! Here is a summary of the key differences:

• Durability – Commercial doors are typically more robust and durable than residential doors because they are used much more frequently. 
• Size – Commercial doors are generally larger than residential doors to accommodate a greater number of people entering and exiting the building. 
• Security – Typically, commercial doors have more sophisticated security measures compared with residential doors.
• Materials – Commercial doors are made with different materials. For example, a glass door may be important for a storefront display but impractical for your privacy at home.
• Automation – Unlike residential doors, it is common for commercial doors to be automated, for example they may automatically slide open when someone is approaching. 

 

What are Commercial Doors Made Of?

Commercial doors can be made from a range of materials, depending on your budget and the needs of your business. The most commonly used materials are:

• Aluminium
• Timber
• Toughened Glass

 

What is the Best Door for Commercial Use?

1. ALUMINIUM DOORS

A commercial aluminium door is ideal if you have an aluminium shop front or façade, as it will blend seamlessly with the rest of your exteriors. This cohesion is important so your business looks professional, and is particularly important if you are trying to draw in customers or clients.

If your commercial space is located within a brick building, which is common in the UK, an aluminium door also complements this style well. It can help your business to stand-out, and offers a modern look.  

Commercial aluminium doors offer plenty of benefits:

• Durability: With a commercial space, your doors will need to withstand constant use. Luckily, aluminium doors are highly durable to accommodate your flow of customers or clients over a long period of time.
  
  
• Customisable: You can easily customise your commercial aluminium door to fit your required configurations and so the colours align with the style of your brand and the rest of your storefront or façade. You can also customise the doors to suit the needs of your business, for example adding specific security features.
  
  
• Easy to maintain: Because aluminium doors are highly durable, they can withstand heavy use without excessive wear and tear. As a result, you can spend less time, effort and money looking after them.
  
  
• Secure: Whether you’re managing a bank or a retail store, all commercial doors need to be secure to protect your assets, staff and clientele. With aluminium doors, you can easily add security and safety features to deter criminals and prevent break-ins.
  
  
• Lightweight: Aluminium doors are lightweight, which means installation is relatively easy and less time-intensive. It also means that, if you opt for a manual commercial door, it’s easy for customers and staff to open and close.
  
  
• Energy-efficient: An aluminium commercial door can help you to lower your carbon footprint. Aluminium is a readily accessible material, demanding less energy to source and manufacture. It is also long-lasting and can be recycled easily. What’s more, aluminium doors provide excellent insulation, helping to keep energy use and bills down.
  
  
• Modern: Being highly-customisable, it is easy to make your commercial aluminium doors look modern. No matter your industry or speciality, a modern and well-kept façade creates a positive first impression and attracts people to your space, ensuring you don’t appear dated.

 

2. TIMBER DOORS

Timber doors are made from wood and are an excellent choice if you have a timber shopfront or façade. They exude warmth and sophistication, which may be the perfect style for your business, helping to create a positive impression to people walking by. Timber doors are also timeless, so you don’t need to worry about keeping up with the latest trends.

Benefits of commercial timber doors:

• Durable: Commercial landlords love timber shop doors because they are hardwearing and long-lasting. With a commercial property, doors will be heavily used, so they need to stand the test of time. Solid, timber doors with the right treatments can withstand all the elements of great British weather, and are able to resist fire and mites.
  
  
• Customisable: Commercial timber doors are easy to cut and craft into your required specifications. You can also easily incorporate bespoke architectural designs and choose from a range of colours and finishes to fit the rest of your façade and add character.
  
  
• Inviting: Wooden doors are undeniably warm, cosy and inviting, which can be extremely effective in drawing in customers and clients. This feeling of warmth can sometimes be lost with the popular ‘clean’ and minimalistic style. With the right branding and colour palette for property, you can enhance this welcoming feeling even more and attract more visitors.
  
  
• Suitable for conservation areas: A commercial timber door may be your best option if you are bound by council legislation, for example if your property sits within a protected conservation area. You may simply not be permitted to opt for an ultra-modern façade and disrupt the beauty or character of the surrounding area.
  
  
• Insulation: Timber doors allow you to regulate the internal temperature. A timber door will absorb heat slowly, so you can keep your property cool in the summer, and lose heat slowly, so you can keep your property warm in the winter. This regulation allows you to spend less energy and money on cooling or heating systems.
  
  

3. TOUGHENED GLASS DOORS

A toughened glass shop front or façade helps to create a modern, inviting impression of your business, drawing in light and showcasing the interior of your property without compromising on durability or safety.

Toughened glass differs from standard glass as, not only is it is thicker, but it also goes through extra processes to strengthen the glass. A commercial, toughened glass door can be fitted with a frameless design, providing a clean look and maximising visibility for your windowfront displays.

• Hardwearing: Toughened glass is considerably thicker than standard glass, with a thickness of 12mm, and is both shatter-proof and scratch-resistant. As a result, toughened glass doors are significantly less prone to damage, saving you money and time on upkeep and repair. Lasting up to five times longer than standard glass, a commercial, toughened glass door is a worthwhile investment.

 

• Safe: All businesses, especially retail stores, need to protect themselves against vandalism and theft while still appearing inviting to visitors. A toughened glass door is an effective type of shop door as it is shatter-proof and can withstand pressure from external forces, including vandals and intense weather, keeping your customers, employees and assets safe.
  
  
• Visibility: For many commercial spaces, transparency is key. Allowing consumers to see into your property as they’re walking past will help to enhance your kerb appeal and draw in shoppers. Whether you’re a retail store, art gallery or estate agent, glass shop fronts are essential for drawing in natural light, catching the eye of consumers, showing off your brand and increasing your footfall. Glass shop doors also help you to promote any sales you might be running, as well as limited-time offers, new-in products or exclusive collections. With a frameless glass shop front, you can maximise transparency by avoiding unnecessary features, such as aluminium railings.
  
  
• Contemporary: A commercial glass door instantly gives a modern aesthetic, especially if you opt for a frameless shop front. A contemporary façade can help to bring your brand into the 21^st century, and looks great on a high street or within a shopping mall.

 

• Energy efficient: Commercial glass doors and shop fronts allow natural daylight to stream into your property, reducing your need for artificial lighting. Plus, toughened glass is significantly more thermal efficient compared to standard glass, helping to minimise your energy consumption and bills.

 

4. AUTOMATIC DOORS

Automatic commercial doors are popular because they offer a modern feel as well as convenience. They often feature a lot of glass, which is great for drawing in light and creating a welcoming feel, providing a glimpse of your brand to customers or clients.

Here are some further benefits of automatic commercial doors:

• Convenient: Automatic doors simply make it easier for people to move in and out of your space. On top of this, if your customers hands are full from carrying a lot of bags, pushing a wheelchair or pram, or carrying young children, an automatic door makes life that much easier. You may also have delivery people bringing in heavy packages in and out of your shop.
  
  
• Accessible: Although automatic doors provide convenience for all, they will also help your business to be more accessible. Customers or employees with physical disabilities or who are older and more frail may struggle to operate manual doors – this barrier is removed with an automatic, sliding door.
  
  
• Choice: Automatic doors come in all different styles. Sliding doors are the most popular, and these can be single, bi-parting or telescopic if you’re working with a narrower entrance. You can customise your commercial automatic door to completely suit the style of your business and the building, choosing from a huge selection of colours.
  
  
• Space saving: A sliding, automatic door will save you space as the door does not need to open into your space. This helps any business to maximise space to create a better experience for customers, clients and staff, but is especially beneficial if you are working with a smaller, more narrow area.
  
  
• Accommodates heavy footfall: If you have a large flow of people entering and exiting your space throughout the day, automatic doors help to make this process convenient and quick, avoiding unnecessary congestion.
  
  
• Low maintenance costs: You can cut back on costs in the long-term with automatic commercial doors because they are durable and require minimal maintenance. Plus, with less people touching the doors, you can spend less time cleaning them.
  
  
• Safe: Automatic doors reduce the likelihood of accidents happening due to human error. Although accidents revolving around doors may seem few and far between, all businesses must prioritise health and safety for its visitors and employees. Not only is this just the right thing to do, but it will save you time and stress thinking about litigation, bad press and unhappy customers. Automatic doors can sense if something is blocking the path, and so should not close on someone unexpectedly, and makes it quicker for visitors to exit the building in the event of an emergency or fire.
  
  
• Energy-efficient: You will save energy and lower your bills by using an automatic door as they can’t be accidentally left open! This helps to regulate a steady temperature.
  
  
• Secure: Automatic doors are often integrated with enhanced security features to help deter criminals and protect your customers and staff. With the right systems in place, your employees can control the doors remotely, helping to keep vandals out and, if necessary, keep visitors safely inside. Automatic doors are generally more difficult to disarm compared with manual doors, and they can be connected to an alarm system which triggers when the door is tampered with.

 

We hope this guide has helped you to understand the different types of commercial doors available for your business, and which is the most appropriate for your needs. If you are interested in upgrading your commercial shop front, please don’t hesitate to contact our specialist team at London Shop Fronts for a bespoke design and end-to-end support. You can also take a look at our shop front gallery and explore our previous projects for inspiration.