A commercial door is a door that is more sturdy than standard models. This sturdiness allows for high traffic and more stringent use. In most cases, a commercial door is found on businesses and in schools.
Commercial Door Materials
A commercial door can be made of several materials, the most common of which are steel and wood. When a commercial door is made of wood, the wood is infused with a metal core. Wooden commercial doors are usually used for interior openings. Most commercial doors are made of steel and can have various materials as their core. At Indiana Wholesale Supply, the majority of steel doors that we stock and sell have a polystyrene core for sounds and heat insulation purposes. Steel commercial doors are not only durable, but they are also the cheapest to buy.
Coloring Commercial Doors
For both steel and wood commercial doors, the door is usually sold ready to apply colored paint or stain to. For metal doors and hollow metal frames, this means that they have a rust-resistant primer coating and are ready to be colored with paint. For wood doors, they are usually sold unfinished and then have a stain applied so that the wood grain is still visible. Indiana Wholesale Supply also sells pre-finished wood doors, with the stain already applied.
Commercial Door and Frame Fire Rating
In any commercial setting, it’s important to be up to code in terms of fire safety. As such, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has a set of ratings for commercial doors and frames based on their ability to withstand extreme heat. If a door can remain in its frame without creating openings for flames to pass through for a certain period of time, the door and frame earns the fire rating of 20 minute, 45 minute, 60 minute, or 90 minute. The doors and frames are tested by third party agencies to earn their respective fire ratings. Before purchasing your commercial door, make sure to know what fire rating is required on your project and request a door that meets that standard.
Hinge Location on the Door
As with most doors, commercial doors typically have three hinges that connect them to their frame. One subtle detail that can be overlooked is where these hinges are meant to be on the door. When a wood or steel door is shipped from the manufacturer, there will usually be prep already done on the door that determines where the hinges go. On wood commercial doors, the wood is cut to allow space for the hinge while letting the hinge side of the door remain flush to the frame when shut, and hole are pre-drilled to allow easy fastening of the hinge to the door. On steel commercial doors, there are openings in the steel on the hinge side of the door with the necessary hardware in the opening to attach the hinges. Depending on the manufacturer, the door hinge prep is done at different heights for each hinge. If you are replacing a door in an existing frame with hinge locations that are already set, this can be a costly detail to overlook. There are continuous hinges that run almost the full length of a door and do not require these measurements, but those are usually attached to a non-standard “slab” or “blank” door, or used for door repair. Indiana wholesale supply sells both wood and steel commercial doors doors from a number of manufacturers with different hinge locations. We also stock and sell continuous hinges, along with other door hardware for your project.
Commercial Door Hardware and Prep
Aside from the prep and hardware for the door hinges, there are a number of other considerations that need to be taken into account in terms of hardware for the door. Often, the door needs to be prepped for the locking mechanism. Is the door handle a simple through bolt, a panic mechanism, or something more sophisticated? The metal frame may also need to be prepped with reinforcements if the door has an automatic arm closer on it. The hardware and hardware prep that goes on a commercial door is an extremely important characteristic to account for when purchasing or starting a project. At Indiana Wholesale Supply, not only can we provide the commercial door hardware needed to meet your specific needs, but can also prep doors and metal frames for particular hardware, and even provide repairs and fixes for your aging or incorrectly installed door hardware. If you are in the Indianapolis area, we will come to you to get the job done right.
Door Size and Handing
Last but not least, and perhaps the most obvious characteristic of a commercial door, is the size of the door and which way it opens. You’ll want to take note of the width and height of the door. Standard heights are 7 feet and 6 feet 8 inches. Standard width for a single door is 3 feet wide, but 4 foot wide doors are a common non-standard width for certain commercial settings like healthcare. There are conditions, such as when using a continuous mortise hinge, that a door may need to be cut 1/4 inch narrower than the width of the frame opening. For that reason, make sure to take note of the hinge hardware you’ll be using, or consult us for advise before taking action. Doors can either open from the right or left hand side, which is especially important when selecting a metal frame for your project. When looking at the door frame with the hinge prep on the side of the frame away from you, the opening of the door will be the opposite direction that of the side of the frame that the hinges are on. At Indiana Wholesale Supply we fabricate a large portion of our hollow metal frames in house, and can customize them to your needs.
Give us a call for consultation or assistance
Our team at Indiana Wholesale Supply can help find the solution to fit your project. For assistance selecting a commercial door, hollow metal frame, or door hardware in the Indianapolis area, contact Indiana Wholesale Supply Company.
