Selecting and Maintaining Commercial Doors for High-Traffic Burnaby Businesses

Every business in Burnaby is unique, but whether you run a bustling retail shop near Metropolis or a busy administrative office downtown, your commercial doors have a tough job. They are the silent workhorses that manage the flow of people all day, every day. Unlike a residential door that might open and close a few times a day, your business’s entry point faces constant stress.

When a door fails in a high-traffic environment, it’s more than just an inconvenience; it can stop business, create security risks, and annoy customers. That’s why choosing and maintaining the right door is one of the most important decisions you’ll make for the long-term smooth operation of your business. At Doormate, we specialize in making sure Burnaby businesses have durable and high-performance doors that can truly handle the pressure.

If you’re tired of constant repairs, it’s time to understand what goes into a door that is truly built to last.

What Makes a Door “High-Traffic”?

The term “high-traffic” refers to environments where the door is expected to open and close hundreds, or even thousands, of times a week. Think of places like busy retail storefronts, major office buildings, or public facilities such as community centres or clinics. These doors are subject to more force, more abuse (intentional or accidental), and far more wear than a standard entry.

The key technical difference in these doors is their cycle rating. A standard commercial door might be rated for 100,000 cycles (one cycle is one open and one close), but a heavy-duty high-traffic door is often rated for a million cycles or more. This rating tells you exactly how much use the door and its components can take before they start to fail.

The materials used also play a crucial role. A door designed for high traffic must be able to handle repeated impact and constant friction. Investing in a door specifically designed for this level of use, right from the start, is the best way to avoid expensive breakdowns down the road. It’s about proactive planning, not reactive repairs.

Key Features of Durable High-Traffic Doors

Durability isn’t achieved by luck; it’s a result of deliberate design and high-quality materials. When selecting a new door for a high-traffic Burnaby location, you need to look beyond the door’s appearance and focus on what’s underneath the surface.

Materials That Withstand the Test of Time

The actual door slab itself needs to be tough enough to handle everything from heavy carts bumping into it to constant pushing and pulling. This usually means selecting heavy-duty materials.

For exterior and security applications, steel doors are the gold standard. They offer maximum impact resistance and security, especially when they have an interior foam core for added structure and insulation. For interior applications, like doors within a busy corridor, a solid core wood door is a great choice. Unlike a hollow core door that can be easily punctured or damaged, a solid core offers weight and resistance that keeps the door functioning and looking good for years. Paying attention to the thickness and quality of the door material will prevent warping and dents, which are common issues in busy environments.

Hardware and Components Built for Constant Use

A door is only as strong as its weakest link, and that weakest link is often the hardware. Even the strongest steel door will fail if its hinges and closers aren’t up to the task.

For high-traffic areas, you need heavy-duty closers. These are the mechanisms that control the speed and force of the door closing. Cheaper closers quickly break down or start leaking fluid when overworked, leading to doors that slam dangerously or swing open too fast. You also need quality hinges—specifically, continuous hinges or heavy-gauge hinges—that distribute the door’s weight evenly across the entire frame, preventing sag and alignment issues.

If your door is an emergency exit, it absolutely must have panic bars (also called push bars) that are designed for high-cycle use. A cheap panic bar can seize up at a critical moment. High-quality components might cost more upfront, but they are crucial for preventing the common issues that sideline busy doors, saving you stress and emergency service fees.

Learn More: Common Commercial Door Problems and Solutions: Keeping Your Business Running Smoothly

Maintenance Strategies for High-Traffic Doors

Even the toughest door needs regular attention. Think of it like a vehicle: you wouldn’t drive a car for 100,000 kilometres without an oil change. Similarly, you shouldn’t expect your high-performance commercial door to function perfectly forever without basic care. Regular maintenance is the single best way to maximize your door’s lifespan and avoid catastrophic failure.

Daily or Weekly Checks

Encouraging your staff to do a quick, simple check will flag minor issues before they become major problems. This quick check can include listening for unusual squeaking or grinding noises, which signal a need for lubrication or adjustment. Check the speed of the door: is it opening and closing at the right rate, or is it slamming? Look for debris or dirt built up in the tracks (especially for sliding doors) and make sure the door seals completely when closed. A quick visual inspection of the panic bar and the push plates to ensure they are secure is also a good idea. These simple actions prevent minor friction and misalignment from turning into broken parts.

Emphasizing Professional, Preventative Maintenance

While daily checks are great, they don’t replace the need for professional, preventative maintenance. A Doormate technician can spot wear and tear that your staff might miss. We can adjust the spring tension in your closers, lubricate all internal moving parts with the proper compounds, check the torque on all bolts, and verify that the safety sensors are working perfectly.

Scheduling these professional maintenance visits is truly the best way to avoid major failures. A proactive adjustment visit is significantly cheaper than an emergency repair call when your door is stuck wide open or completely jammed during your busiest hours. For high-traffic businesses in Burnaby, regular maintenance is not an expense—it’s an essential insurance policy that guarantees your door keeps performing safely and efficiently, keeping your business running smoothly.