How to Choose Commercial Entrance Doors

Your commercial entrance door is the hardest-working opening in the building. It takes thousands of cycles a year, it faces the weather directly, and it's the first physical thing every customer, client, or visitor interacts with. Getting the specification right matters more here than anywhere else in the building.

Choosing commercial entrance doors involves more variables than most building owners expect the first time they go through it. This guide covers the main decisions so you can walk into the spec process informed.

Start with Traffic Volume and Use Pattern

The first question isn't about material or aesthetics. It's about how the door will actually be used.

A single entry door on a professional office building that sees maybe 30 openings per day is a different specification from the main entry of a retail store or restaurant that sees hundreds. High-cycle applications demand hardware rated for the volume. Standard commercial grade closers and hinges are rated to hold up through hundreds of thousands of cycles. Specifying hardware below that threshold in a high-traffic application is a maintenance problem waiting to happen.

Think about traffic pattern, too. Is this a primary entry where people push through constantly, or is it a vestibule situation with two sets of doors? Does it need to accommodate ADA-compliant accessible entry, which affects the hardware approach and potentially the door width? What about delivery traffic, where people may be pushing through with hands full or with carts?

All of this shapes the specification before you've even talked about what the door looks like.

Storefront Glass Doors vs. Other Entry Types

For most retail, restaurant, and professional office applications in Western Colorado, storefront glass doors are the dominant choice for the main customer entry. They provide natural light inside the building, allow customers to see in (and staff to see out), and project a professional, welcoming appearance.

Storefront systems integrate the door into a larger aluminum framing system. The door and the surrounding glass panels are part of the same structural assembly. This is what you see on almost every commercial strip, downtown storefront, and office building facade.

Glass options for storefront entries include clear, tinted, and low-e coated glass. In Colorado, where solar gain management matters and energy codes are getting tighter, low-e glass in commercial entrances is increasingly common. Tempered safety glass is required in door lites and sidelites that are in hazardous locations as defined by code.

The aluminum framing finish is a big aesthetic decision. Standard mill finish aluminum, anodized finishes in bronze or dark bronze, or powder-coated colors all hold up well in exterior applications, and the choice typically follows the building's design language.

When to Consider Non-Glass Options

Not every commercial entrance needs to be glass. Back-of-house entries, service entrances, and main entries on certain building types are better served by hollow metal or other opaque door constructions.

Security considerations matter here. A glass door that's accessible at night is a vulnerability that a solid hollow metal door isn't. Restaurants with late hours, dispensaries, medical offices, and financial businesses sometimes prioritize security over visibility in their entry specification.

Impact resistance is another factor. High-traffic loading areas, food service back entries, and any opening where vehicles might get close call for sturdier construction than a glass storefront can provide.

We work across the full range of commercial door types, so the conversation doesn't have to start with one category. We can help you think through what the opening actually needs.

Hardware: Where Specifications Get Missed

Commercial entrance hardware is where a lot of budget projects cut corners and where a lot of ongoing maintenance problems originate. The door closer, the lock set, the pull hardware, and the hinges all need to be specified for the traffic level and the use pattern of that specific opening.

Door closers are not optional on an exterior door that needs to stay closed for energy, security, and code compliance reasons. Closers are rated by size (1 through 6, with 6 being the heaviest). Getting the closer size right for the door weight and width matters. An undersized closer on a heavy glass door will fail prematurely. An oversized closer on a lightweight door will make it difficult to open.

Locks and access control have shifted significantly in the past decade. Card readers, keypad entry, and smart lock systems are now common on commercial main entries, even in smaller buildings. If there's any chance you'll want to add access control later, spec the door prep for it now. Retrofitting electronics into a door that wasn't prepped for them is significantly more involved than doing it upfront.

ADA compliance is non-negotiable for most commercial main entries. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that accessible routes include doors that can be operated without tight grasping or twisting, that have a maximum opening force, and that provide adequate maneuvering clearance. If you're planning a lever handle, a push plate, or an automatic operator, factor that into the hardware specification from the start.

Automatic operators are standard on high-traffic accessible entries and increasingly common even where they're not strictly required. They improve accessibility, reduce wear on the hardware from manual operation, and in food service environments they allow staff to enter hands-free.

Weather Performance in Western Colorado

The Western Slope climate is harder on exterior doors than a lot of people account for. Montrose and the surrounding area see significant temperature swings between seasons, with cold winters and hot summers. Exterior entries need to perform in that range without failing at the seals, warping, or binding in the frame.

Weather stripping selection matters. The sweep at the bottom of the door and the seals along the head and jamb need to be appropriate for the expected temperature range and exposure level. A southwest-facing entry that bakes in afternoon sun behaves differently from a north-facing shaded entry.

Vestibule design, where the building code or building type supports it, is worth considering for any main entry that will be heavily used in winter. A vestibule creates an airlock that significantly reduces heating load and prevents cold air from blasting the interior every time the door opens. In retail settings where that door opens constantly on a cold day, the energy and comfort impact is real.

What the Spec Process Looks Like with Us

For commercial entrance door projects, we typically start with a site visit or a detailed conversation about the building type, the traffic patterns, and the design intent. From there we put together a specification that covers the door, the frame, the hardware, and the glazing as a coordinated package.

We source through CDF Distributors, which gives us access to a broad range of products across the commercial grade spectrum. We're not locked into one manufacturer, which means we can match the product to the application rather than fitting your project into whatever we happen to carry.

If you're planning a commercial project in Montrose, Grand Junction, Delta, or anywhere on the Western Slope, contact us to start the conversation. Getting the entrance door specification right from the start saves time, money, and a lot of maintenance headaches later.