As a business owner, choosing the right storefront is crucial for your aesthetics and functionality. Commercial glass storefront doors are a popular choice for their sleek and modern design, durability, and energy efficiency. In this blog post, we’ll give the rundown on different types of commercial glass doors, what their installation process looks like, why they’re a great fit for so many businesses, and how to maintain them.

Types of Commercial Glass Doors

Because commercial glass doors are so popular, there are quite a few types you can choose from. Here are a few.

Glass-Aluminum Doors

These doors offer the sleek and open appearance of glass with the lightweight durability of aluminum. Their metal frame provides support for the large glass pane and keeps it protected from damage. These doors are extremely common at storefronts and create a modern and professional look for your business.

Automatic Glass Doors

Automatic glass doors use sensors or push plates to open automatically and close with no manual effort. These doors are perfect for businesses with high foot traffic and make entering and exiting your business easier than ever for your customers. Automatic doors are most commonly sliding doors, but they can come in various styles such as swinging, folding, and revolving.

Frameless Glass Doors

These doors are the ultimate choice for a minimalist and contemporary look for your business, as they have little to no visible frames or hardware. They rely on specialized fittings, such as patch hinges and pivots, to support the large glass panel. Frameless glass doors create a seamless and sophisticated entrance, making them great for businesses looking for a modern look.

Full Glass Panel Doors

Similar to frameless glass doors, full glass panel doors are large and nearly all-glass. They let in a lot of natural light and make it easy for people to see into your building. These doors also come with a minimal frame or border, providing a sleek and clean appearance. They work well for businesses looking to showcase their interiors, such as retail shops or galleries.

Insulated Glass Doors

These doors have double or triple-pane glass, which provides enhanced energy efficiency and temperature control. If your storefront faces the sun in the summer or leaks air, insulated glass doors can help your business maintain a comfortable temperature and reduce energy costs. Because of this, they are a popular choice for business owners looking to save money in the long run.

How Commercial Glass Doors are Installed

Now that we’ve looked at some of the different types of commercial glass doors, we can look at how they are installed. Every glass door differs slightly, but installation typically involves the following steps.

1. Site Preparation: Before installation, the area where the door will be installed needs to be cleared and prepared. This includes removing debris, ensuring the ground is level, and taking measurements.
2. Frame Installation: A metal frame is installed to support the glass door and create a seal between the building and the doorframe. The frame is made of aluminum or steel which makes the frame durable.
3. Glass Door Installation: Once the frame is installed, the doors can be placed next. The glass doors are carefully installed in the frame and secured using specialized hardware, such as hinges, pivots, or sliding mechanisms (depending on the type of door chosen). 
4. Finishing Touches: To finish, remaining hardware such as locks, closers, or handles are installed. The door is tested to ensure it is working properly and adjustments are made. From there, the area around the door is cleaned up and installation is complete.

Why Glass Doors are Great for Businesses

With so many options available for your storefront, it can be difficult to know what to choose. Below are a few perks of installing commercial glass doors for your business.

1. Aesthetic Appeal: A glass storefront is a great way to instantly elevate the look of your business, making it more inviting and professional. They also allow natural light into your building, which can make it feel more welcoming on the inside for customers and staff alike.
2. Customization: Between entry hardware, frames, and the glass itself, there are a lot of ways to personalize glass doors. You can choose from lots of options to design a door that suits your building and your business.
3. Energy Efficiency: There are a few ways glass doors can improve your energy consumption. Double or triple-pane glass doors are great for regulating your building’s temperature in the hotter and colder months. Glass lets in natural light, which can reduce your need for artificial light during the day and reduce your energy costs. Automatic glass doors eliminate the possibility of your door being left open and help keep your building insulated. The list goes on!
4. Visibility: For retail, hospitality, and customer service-based businesses, glass doors are a great way to make your storefront more open and inviting. Potential customers can see your products and services inside your building when they pass by, which can attract more foot traffic.

How to Maintain Commercial Glass Doors

Doors are an investment in your business. It’s important to keep them in good shape so they last as long as possible! Maintaining them doesn’t have to be difficult, either. There are a few things you can do to keep your doors working well and looking good.

Keep the Glass Clean

Glass can accumulate smudges and smears easily! Clean the glass with a microfiber towel and normal window cleaner. This is good for the looks of your business and good for the doors themselves. 

Clear Out Hinges, Tracks, and Tight Spots

With glass doors, or any door for that matter, it’s important to occasionally give them a deep clean in all their small spaces. Sliding glass doors that operate on tracks need those tracks cleaned out regularly to keep them running smoothly. Removing buildup on hinges can help keep them moving properly. Additionally, removing debris from tight spaces, like where the glass meets the metal frame or the corners of your doorframe, keeps your doors looking nice and functioning properly. Occasional cleaning is important!

Regularly Inspect Your Doors

Every once in a while, you should inspect your doors for signs of damage like missing screws, damaged automatic door motors, loose parts, etc. You can get these small things fixed before they become a bigger issue by staying on top of this.

Fix Damage Quickly

When something is broken or damaged on your glass door, it’s important to get it fixed! One minor broken part can lead to other parts of your door not functioning correctly. It’s important to ensure everything is working properly. Some commercial door companies (like us!) can perform routine maintenance and help you stay on top of this.

Conclusion

Commercial Glass doors offer numerous benefits to businesses and are a popular commercial door choice for many reasons. They are available in a variety of different types, can reduce energy costs, and are also a great way to instantly elevate your storefront. And, when installed by a professional and regularly maintained, they can last for years. 

If you have more questions about commercial glass doors or want to get them for your own business, contact us! We offer free estimates on all projects. View all of our services here, and If you need your glass doors repaired, give us a call at (405) 321-DOOR (3667). We are available 24/7 in Norman, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa for emergency repairs! For all your commercial glass door needs, you can trust Commercial Door to deliver the best work in Oklahoma!