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What Toronto Businesses Must Know Before Upgrading Commercial Doors

March 24, 2025 By Webmaster

Thinking about upgrading your business’s doors? You’re making a smart move. Commercial doors aren’t just entry points—they’re critical components of your security system, energy efficiency plan, and even your brand image. Before you dive into commercial door installation, there are some Toronto-specific factors you’ll want to consider.

Understanding Toronto’s Building Code Requirements

First things first: let’s talk compliance. Toronto has specific building codes that commercial properties must follow for commercial door installation. These aren’t suggestions—they’re requirements.

Fire Safety Standards

Toronto takes fire safety seriously, especially for commercial spaces. Your new doors need to:

Have appropriate fire ratings based on your building type
Include proper panic hardware if they’re part of an emergency exit
Meet specific opening and closing force requirements

Don’t worry about memorizing all these details. A reputable door contractor will know them inside and out. But it’s good to ask about them specifically during consultations.

Accessibility Considerations

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) sets clear standards for commercial entrances. Your doors must:

Provide adequate width for wheelchair access
Have proper opening mechanisms that don’t require excessive force
Include appropriate height for handles and automatic door controls

These requirements aren’t just good practice—they help you avoid potential fines and create a welcoming environment for all customers.

Climate Considerations for Toronto Businesses

Toronto’s weather can be… let’s say challenging. From freezing winters to humid summers, your commercial doors need to handle it all.

Weatherproofing Essentials

Your doors will face:

Temperature swings from -20°C to +30°C
Freeze-thaw cycles that stress materials
Heavy rain, snow, and occasional ice storms

This means you need durable materials and proper weatherstripping. Skimping here will cost you more in heating and cooling expenses down the road.

Energy Efficiency Matters

Speaking of energy costs, Toronto businesses face some of Canada’s highest utility rates. Energy-efficient doors can make a noticeable difference in your monthly operating expenses.

Look for:

Proper insulation values (U-factor ratings)
Quality weatherstripping that maintains its seal year-round
Energy Star certification when applicable

Many businesses find that the extra upfront cost for better-insulated doors pays for itself within just a few years.

Security Considerations for Toronto Commercial Spaces

Whether you’re in downtown Toronto or operating in the suburbs, security should be a top priority when upgrading commercial doors.

Beyond Basic Locks

Modern commercial door security goes well beyond standard locks:

Electronic access control systems
Integration with your security cameras and alarm system
Anti-tampering features

Think about how your door security fits into your overall security strategy, not just as a standalone feature.

Insurance Implications

Did you know your choice of doors can affect your insurance premiums? Many Toronto insurance providers offer reduced rates for businesses that install high-security door systems. It’s worth checking with your insurance company before making final decisions.

Choosing the Right Type of Commercial Door

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to commercial doors. Your business has unique needs.

Common Options for Toronto Businesses

Glass Storefront Doors: Perfect for retail but require proper security glass in high-risk areas
Overhead Doors: Essential for loading areas but need proper insulation in our climate
Steel Security Doors: Excellent for back entrances but should include proper weatherproofing
Automatic Sliding Doors: Great for high-traffic areas but require regular maintenance

The key is matching the door type to your specific business function while meeting all code requirements.

Finding the Right Door Contractor in Toronto

This might be the most important decision in your door upgrade process. The right contractor makes all the difference.

What to Look For

Experience with Toronto’s specific building codes
Proper licensing and insurance
References from other Toronto businesses
Warranty offerings that cover both materials and installation
Maintenance service plans for automatic or high-use doors

Take your time with this decision. A good contractor will be happy to answer all your questions and provide references.

Budgeting Realistically for Your Door Upgrade

Commercial door projects often have hidden costs that businesses don’t anticipate.

Beyond the Base Price

Your budget should include:

The doors themselves
Hardware and security features
Installation labor
Potential electrical work for automatic systems
Disposal of old doors
Permits and inspections

A comprehensive quote should address all these elements upfront.

Planning for Business Continuity During Installation

One final consideration: how will the installation affect your daily operations?

Working with your contractor to create a realistic timeline is essential. Many Toronto businesses schedule installations during off-hours or slower business periods to minimize disruption.

For essential entrances, have a clear plan for temporary access that maintains both security and accessibility standards.

Making the Final Decision

Upgrading your commercial doors is a significant investment in your Toronto business. Take your time, do your research, and work with qualified professionals. The right doors will serve your business well for many years to come, improving security, energy efficiency, and your overall professional image.

When properly planned and executed, your new commercial doors will be an asset you’ll appreciate every day—not just when they’re first installed.

Grandiose Commercial Doorways That Wow

December 27, 2024 By Webmaster

In the competitive business landscape of Toronto, your entrance is more than just a point of entry—it’s a statement. A well-designed commercial door can communicate your brand’s personality, professionalism, and innovative spirit before a single word is spoken. From sleek modern glass installations to robust industrial commercial door design in Toronto, the right door can transform the entire facade of your business, creating an unforgettable first impression for clients, customers, and partners.

Cutting-Edge Design Trends Reshaping Commercial Entrances

Toronto’s architectural landscape constantly evolves, and commercial door designs are at the forefront of this transformation of your commercial door in Toronto. Large-scale glass doors with minimalist metal framing have become a hallmark of contemporary business spaces, offering a perfect blend of transparency and sophistication.

Pivot doors are gaining popularity, providing a dramatic and unexpected entry experience that sets businesses apart. Some innovative designs now incorporate smart glass technology, allowing instantaneous privacy shifts and energy efficiency that impresses both environmentally conscious clients and design enthusiasts.

Material Mastery: Choosing the Perfect Door for Your Business Identity

The materials you select for your commercial door speak volumes about your brand. Aluminum doors offer a sleek, modern look with exceptional durability—perfect for tech companies and contemporary businesses.

Wooden doors with custom finishes can convey warmth and traditional craftsmanship, ideal for law firms, consulting agencies, and heritage-inspired brands.

Tempered glass doors with unique etching or branding can create a sense of openness and innovation, while steel doors provide maximum security for businesses in high-traffic urban environments.

Navigating the Contractor Selection Process in Toronto

Finding the right commercial door contractor is a critical step in bringing your vision to life. Begin by conducting thorough research of Toronto-based commercial door specialists. Look for contractors with extensive portfolios specifically showcasing commercial installations.

Professional associations like the Ontario General Contractors Association can be an excellent resource for verified, reputable professionals who understand the unique architectural challenges of Toronto’s diverse business districts.

Key Considerations When Selecting Your Commercial Door Contractor

Reputation is everything when selecting a contractor. Request comprehensive portfolios that demonstrate experience with commercial installations similar to your project. Verify credentials, including WorkSafeON certification and liability insurance.

Professional contractors should offer comprehensive consultations, providing detailed 3D renderings and precise cost breakdowns. Don’t hesitate to request client references and examine past projects to gauge the quality of their craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Understanding the Installation Journey

A professional commercial door installation is a meticulously planned process. Expect an initial consultation where designers will assess your space, discuss your brand vision, and provide initial concepts. Detailed measurements, structural assessments, and compliance checks with local building codes are crucial preliminary steps.

The best contractors will provide transparent timelines, minimal business disruption strategies, and comprehensive warranties that protect your investment.

Budget Considerations and Value Engineering

Commercial door installations represent a significant investment, but smart businesses understand the long-term value. Modern designs often incorporate energy-efficient technologies that can reduce heating and cooling costs.

Some high-performance doors offer enhanced security features, potentially lowering insurance premiums. Toronto contractors who specialize in value engineering can help you balance aesthetic desires with practical budget constraints, ensuring you receive maximum return on your investment.

Local Regulations and Compliance Matters

Toronto has specific building codes and accessibility requirements that must be carefully navigated during commercial door installations. Professional contractors will ensure your new door meets all municipal regulations, including accessibility standards outlined in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). This attention to legal compliance protects your business from potential fines and demonstrates a commitment to inclusive design.

The Emotional Impact of an Extraordinary Entrance

Beyond technical specifications, an exceptional commercial door creates an emotional response. It’s an invitation, a visual handshake that welcomes clients into your professional world. The right door can communicate confidence, creativity, and forward-thinking approach before a single conversation begins.

Your Door, Your Business’s Signature

Investing in a grandiose commercial door is more than an architectural decision—it’s a strategic business move. In Toronto’s dynamic commercial landscape, your entrance is your first and most powerful marketing tool.

By combining innovative design, professional installation, and strategic planning, you can create an entrance that doesn’t just open a door, but opens opportunities.

Transform your business’s first impression. Your extraordinary entrance awaits

What Door Design is Best for Your Business?

November 23, 2024 By Webmaster

Choosing the right commercial door design for your Toronto business is crucial. The right door can enhance your building’s aesthetic appeal, improve security, and boost energy efficiency. Here are some factors to consider when selecting the best commercial door design from the commercial door company.

1. Security Needs

If your business deals with valuable assets or sensitive information, it’s important to ensure proper security measures are in place. One effective way to enhance your safety is by installing high-security doors. These doors often come with features such as reinforced steel, which makes them difficult to breach, and bullet-resistant glass, providing an added layer of protection against potential threats. Ask the commercial door company what door design meets your security needs the best.

Advanced locking mechanisms also help prevent unauthorized access, making them a great investment for businesses prioritizing security.

On the other hand, if your security needs are not as demanding, you might consider standard security doors. These doors still offer strong protection with robust frames and durable hardware. While they may not have all the specialized features of high-security doors, they are often sufficient for general security.

In many cases, standard security doors can protect your business from intrusions while remaining cost-effective. Ultimately, the choice between high-security and standard security doors will depend on your specific needs and the types of assets you aim to protect.

2. Energy Efficiency

Insulated Doors: Insulated doors can help regulate temperature and reduce energy costs, especially in extreme weather conditions.
Weather-Stripping: Proper weather-stripping can further improve energy efficiency by preventing drafts.

3. Aesthetics

Glass Doors: Glass doors can create a modern and inviting atmosphere, especially for retail businesses.
Wood Doors: Wood doors offer a classic and timeless look, perfect for traditional or historic buildings.
Metal Doors: Metal doors are durable and low-maintenance, making them a popular choice for commercial buildings.

4. Accessibility

ADA-Compliant Doors: Ensure your doors comply with ADA regulations to accommodate people with disabilities. This includes features like automatic door openers and lever-style handles.

5. Fire Safety

Fire-Rated Doors: Fire-rated doors can help contain fires and protect lives and property.

6. Specific Business Needs

Retail Stores: Large storefronts or roll-up doors can be ideal for retail businesses.
Warehouses: Industrial-grade rolling steel doors or sectional overhead doors are suitable for warehouses and distribution centers.
Office Buildings: Swinging or sliding glass doors are common choices for office buildings.

Consulting with a Commercial Door Expert

To make the best decision for your Toronto business, consult with a commercial door expert. They can assess your specific needs and recommend the most suitable door design, materials, and installation techniques.

By carefully considering these factors, you can select a commercial door design that enhances your business’s security, energy efficiency, and overall appeal. Call us today for all your commercial door and window needs! Our team of experts is ready to help you find the perfect solutions for your business.

High Quality, Double, Swinging Glass Doors

June 1, 2023 By Webmaster

Are you looking for the perfect swinging glass doors? Aluplex is exactly the place to find them. Let us talk about some of the best uses for swinging glass doors and why we’re the best place to purchase them.

Front Shop Doors

Swinging glass doors are the perfect entry for a shop. The glass allows prospective visitors to take a peek inside without committing to entering. Who knows? Maybe they’ll spot something interesting and head inside!

While automated sliding doors with sensors are great for big-time grocery stores, swinging glass doors are great for smaller businesses. They’re less expensive to buy outright, less difficult to upkeep, and change the atmosphere. When someone approaches a store and the door slides open automatically for them, it does give the kind of atmosphere of a chain store.

Swinging glass doors offer a more local, small-town feeling to a store, which is actually a good thing most of the time. When people approach a new store, they determine where it falls on a scale of class in relation to themselves. Most average people don’t ever imagine themselves owning a big chain store with automated sliding doors. However, it’s not hard to picture, if successful, a store like your own, with doors they have to open manually. They feel like they can relate to you, the owner, on some level. That sense of knowing is a positive feeling that will leave people feeling connected to your store.

Public Building Entries

While connecting with the public is important for shop owners, it’s even more important for those running public buildings. Libraries, post offices, city hall – they almost all have swinging glass doors at their front. Not only is seeing inside an establishment a great way to soothe anxiety, for the visitor, it offers security for the building. Whoever is coming in from outside, you can see them ahead of time. There^s little to catch you off-guard. If you’re in a business or position where security matters to you, glass doors provide a bit of that.

High Quality Glass

The most important thing, when buying windows or doors, is choosing a company that offers high quality glass. We offer that at Aluplex. Glass quality affects a lot about your experience. Low quality glass can leak insulatory gas, have worse clarity, and break easier. If you want your swinging glass doors to last and look great, you should rely on us to provide you with great glass.

High Quality Glass Doors in Toronto

If you’re looking for high quality glass in your doors, Aluplex is the best option for you. We’ve been selling and installing windows to the GTA for 45 years. Therefore, you can rely on us to provide you with high quality swinging glass doors that will withstand daily use with ease.

Replace Commercial Shop Doors and Windows

June 1, 2023 By Webmaster

A shop or store is only as good as people’s impression of it. After all, a few negative reviews can tank a star rating and prevent new people from even giving you a chance. The same can be said for your shop’s appearance. Without ever looking at another person’s written experience, people will form an impression of your store based on how it looks. If it doesn’t look so hot, they’re going to assume it isn’t so hot. What does all of this mean? It might mean you need to replace your commercial shop doors and windows. Let’s take a look.

Glass Reveals All

One of the worst things about glass is that, if not cared for impeccably, it will reveal everything that’s ever happened to it. Something sticky got on it? That residue might have gotten left in the very edges of the window frame. That, in turn, collected grime and dust and dirt. Taped up sales flyers years back? The sticky tape residue is pretty hard to clean off sometimes – especially if there’s a lot of it. That, in turn, collects grime and dust and dirt. And so on and so forth, forever.

What we’re saying it, it’s understandable if your windows don’t look fresh out of the factory. After all, you’ve put hard years of work into your store. Heck, you might not have even been it’s first, second, or tenth owner. The problem is, it doesn’t matter what made the windows the way they are. If there are many places of trace history on them, it’s going to age the entire exterior appearance of the store. The same goes for glass doors.

Window Insulation Runs Out

The next problem with old commercial shop windows is that window insulation does run out. Most people aren’t aware of it, but windows are filled with a transparent insulating gas. Those double-panes are double for a reason. It’s that, between them, they hold a gas that’s heavier than air and ensures your windows are insulated while still remaining transparent.

Unfortunately, after many years, a window’s seal gets weaker and that insulatory gas begins to leak out. What happens then? Well, your shop’s insulation becomes very poor indeed. Keeping it cool in the summer and warm in the winter is going to rack up your electrical bill. In the end, it may just be cheaper to replace those windows. It saves you money and gives the shop a facelift.

Glass Gets Damaged

If all else is tolerable, there’s also the fact that glass gets damaged. If you’ve got a crack in your glass door or window, it takes down the appearance of the shop significantly. You may have even gotten that crack repaired to maintain what insulation may be left in it. However, whether the crack is repaired or not will not make a difference to a potential customer. Cracked glass, naturally, will make prospective visitors feel like the shop is run-down or possibly unsafe. If your window or door gets cracked, it’s best to get it replaced.

Replace Commercial Shop Doors and Windows in Toronto

If you’re looking to replace commercial shop doors and windows in Toronto, Aluplex has your back. Therefore, let us know what you’re in the market for and we’ll make sure you get the right windows for your needs. Just give us a call if you have questions or concerns about the ordering and installation process.

How Fiberglass Doors Improve Appearance and Insulation

December 10, 2022 By Webmaster

Most people don’t put a lot of thought into their front door. However, there’s more to your front door than might meet the eye. In fact, your front door has a number of different impacts on your home. Therefore, what kind of front door you have can make a huge difference and is worth putting some thought into. Let’s tap into your front door’s secrets and why fiberglass doors do a lot to improve home appearance and insulation.

The Focal Point of the Home

For starters, it’s easy to agree that the front door is usually the focal point of the home. As you drive up and down the street, your eye is drawn toward the front door on each home. Some are less noticeable than others. Those that are noticeable are either in poor condition or looking extremely good.

For those homes with highly attractive front doors, curb appeal and, therefore, home value is significantly boosted. So, if your front door is looking bland or outdated, consider getting a new one. After all, it’s not just a cosmetic improvement, it’s also an improvement to your home value. For anyone considering selling, that’s a worthwhile consideration all on its own.

Sleek Appearance

The majority of attractive front doors are fiberglass front doors. What exactly is a fiberglass door? Simply put, fiberglass doors are heavy duty, yet lightweight. They’re heavily insulated to improve your home’s temperature regulation. And, perhaps their most easily-lovable quality: they’re extremely versatile in appearance. This makes it easy for companies that manufacture them – like Aluplex – to create eye-catching, beautiful designs that draw positive attention.

Some of the great features you can expect in fiberglass doors are:

Endless color selection
Stunning windows that improve the design balance of the door, let light into your home, and allow you to see outside
A smooth finish that’s easy to keep clean and hard to damage
Beautiful, contemporary handle or knob hardware

Color Possibilities

Fiberglass doors are the most versatile type of modern door you can get for your home. One of the great ways you can personalize your purchase is by getting a creative color. Boldly colored front doors are a fantastic way to brighten up your home’s exterior and add a glimpse of personality. Fortunately, it’s easy to get those colorful results by ordering your fiberglass doors from Aluplex.

While you may be familiar with black, white, or even red doors, it’s always worth remembering that you aren’t limited to these common colors. You can go as personal as you want. If you enjoy aquamarine, lemon yellow, or even hot pink, you can have a door in those colors. Compliment your bright front door by planting some flowers of the same color in the front garden. Paint your shutters to match. There’s no reason the exteriors of our homes should be any less colorful and us than the interiors.

Buy Fiberglass Doors in Toronto

If you’re looking for a new front door, check out our selection of fiberglass doors at Aluplex. We specialize in windows and doors, so you can trust a door from us will be as high quality as the rest of our products. Call us today if you have questions or would like some assistance with ordering.