Whether you’re buying your first set of commercial garage doors or replacing older industrial garage doors, the process is much the same. There are a handful of things to be aware of before making a purchase.
If you were to base the idea of a garage door off of commercial homes, you might think the only option is an overhead sectional door. These feature hinged panels that slowly raise and end up parallel to the garage’s ceiling. However, there are far more garage types than this one.
Many types of garage doors exist for agricultural, commercial, and industrial needs. Lots of them are covered with steel, but not all. Some also use rubber or reinforced fabric.
The Gold Standard – Overhead sectional doors
This kind of garage is similar to the one at any home, but it can come in various sizes. These garages are made of sections, also called panels, and are typically installed on top of each other.
The major difference lies in how the door moves and what hardware is required to allow it to move that way.
Most of the time, commercial buildings are often constructed with remarkably high ceilings, which helps you to ensure maximum clearance (or headroom) to accommodate the garage door inside of your building. The door will move up along the wall then turn at the ceiling.
There are different kinds of movement that can be used, primarily based on your building's interior height and how high you want the garage door to be.
These are the 3 most used options:
- Standard: which is simply a larger version of the doors used on homes
- High lift: movement occurs by the door going up the wall and then turning when reaching the ceiling
- Full vertical lift: typically used in areas with lots of loading and unloading needs
The largest number of commercial sectional doors are going to be made using galvanized steel. Many are also injected with polyurethane foam to offer better insulation. This also makes the door more robust.
Also available are non-insulated garage doors, typically utilized in unheated buildings that serve, for example, to store agricultural machinery.
Choice #2: Rolling steel doors
As you might guess by the name, a rolling steel door rolls over the door’s head without the need for horizontal tracks.
To ensure it rolls up, the sections have to be of a ridiculously small height; they are called slats. The height can vary from one manufacturer to the next but are usually around three inches high.
This kind of door can be used for a variety of garage events. But most often, they are used to compartmentalize and close off two interior sections of a building. One reason could be to avoid spreading dust from one area to another.
Based on insurance requirements, these doors may be of the “firewall” type so they can stop a fire from spreading from one area of a building to another. Fire resistance ratings can range from 30 to 240 minutes.
Sometimes these doors can be used as counter shutters, as seen in areas and food service counters. In other cases, they act like metal grilles as seen in shopping centers.
What makes them all the same is that they each roll up.
Finally, High-speed roll-up doors are an option
These doors are the least commonly used but can still be seen in several sectors like distribution centers, heavy industries like rail transportation and mines, and food.
One example can be found in the food industry. If you have a grocery store or a refrigerated area of the building, you know it’s not a good idea to keep the door open for long times.
This kind of door is noteworthy for how fast it can open up to 96 inches in one second. However, it still takes safety into account. The door closes more slowly, at 48 inches a second, to prevent accidents.
Doors like this can be made of a reinforced vinyl material (polyester) or created from thick rubber to prevent impacts, offering various benefits depending on the industry.
Are you excited to learn more about other commercial and industrial doors?
If you’re located in the Wyevale, Midland or Barrie areas, contact us now at 705-322-0136.
We are experts when it comes to commercial and industrial garage doors. We have extensive knowledge and lots of experience when it comes to garage doors and the sector as a whole.
We would also be happy to send you a no-obligation quotation by email for your convenience.
Do you want to see some pictures of commercial doors to start?
Visit our Commercial Door Pictures Gallery and get inspired by all sorts of different ideas.
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