In Door Selection, Consider Type of Facility, Door Weight, Level of Use

Before one can even begin the door and door hardware selection process, it is important to understand what factors particular to the installation will affect their long-term performance. Here’s a look at some of them, touching on type of facility, door weight, and level of use:

• The type of facility where the door is being installed: For example, doors installed in educational facilities, such as middle schools or high schools, will be subjected to an entirely different type and level of use and abuse than doors installed in a typical office or retail building.

• The weight and size of the door: One of the biggest mistakes involving door installation is the use of lightweight hardware on heavyweight or oversized doors. Larger and heavier doors require stronger, heavier gauge hardware if they are to stand up to even normal use. Undersized hardware will wear more quickly, resulting in misalignment of the door, difficult operation and security compromises.

• The level of use that is expected for each door: A typical residential application might be subjected to no more than 20 cycles per day and have a service life of 30 years or more. A typical commercial application will be subjected to hundreds of cycles per day. Even so, a properly selected door for that application should have a service life of 25 to 30 years. Install the same residential-style door in that commercial application, and it will be lucky to last even five years.

Today’s tip comes from James Piper.

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