Shopfront materials
What each frame, glass, finish and part is, what it is good at, and where it falls short. We fit and supply all of them as part of a job.
Frames
Aluminium
Light, strong, low-maintenance metal used for many modern shopfront frames.
Thermally broken aluminium
Aluminium frames with an insulating break to cut heat loss and condensation.
Steel
Very strong metal for slim, industrial-style frames and security doors.
Stainless steel
Corrosion-resistant steel for handles, trims, fixings and cladding.
Hardwood timber
Durable joinery timber for traditional and heritage shopfronts.
Engineered timber
Laminated timber sections that resist warping better than solid wood.
uPVC
Lower-cost plastic framing for rear windows, offices and upper floors.
Bronze and brass
Copper alloys for door furniture, trims and restored period shopfronts.
Glass
Toughened glass
Heat-treated safety glass that breaks into small, less dangerous pieces.
Laminated glass
Two or more panes bonded with an interlayer that holds broken glass in place.
Anti-bandit glass
Thicker laminated glass rated to resist manual attack under BS EN 356.
Double-glazed units
Factory-sealed units of two panes with an insulating cavity between them.
Solar control glass
Coated glass that limits solar heat gain through sunny shop windows.
Low-iron glass
Extra-clear glass without the green tint of standard float glass.
Fire-rated glass
Glass tested to hold back fire for a set period in a matching frame.
Acoustic glass
Laminated glass with a sound-damping interlayer for noisy street frontages.
Finishes
Powder coating
Oven-cured polymer finish for aluminium and steel frames, in RAL colours.
Anodising
Electro-chemical finish that thickens the natural oxide on aluminium.
RAL colours
The colour reference system used to specify shopfront finishes by number.
Panels
Aluminium composite panels
Flat sheet of two aluminium skins and a core, for fascias and cladding.
Stall riser materials
The finishes used for the low wall or panel beneath a shop window.
Hardware and parts
Floor springs
Hydraulic closers set in the floor under glass and aluminium shop doors.
Door closers
Hydraulic units that bring doors shut at a controlled speed.
Patch fittings
Metal clamps that hold frameless glass doors to pivots, locks and panels.
Pull handles and push plates
Fixed door furniture for pushing and pulling busy shop doors.
Panic hardware
Push bars and pads that open escape doors from the inside without a key.
Shopfront locks
Hookbolts, deadlocks, cylinders and floor locks used on shop doors.
Thresholds and seals
Door bottoms, brushes and gaskets that control draughts, water and smoke.
Shutter curtains
The rolling curtain of laths or grille that closes a shutter.
Shutter motors
Electric drives that raise and lower a roller shutter.
Not sure which material?
We will talk you through it at survey.