Will adjusting the closer stop a shop door from slamming?

Often, yes. Most closers have valves for swing speed and the final latching push, which a pro can tune in a short visit. If the closer leaks oil or its arm is bent, it's replaced instead. A dropped door needs its pivots checked too.

Can a cracked pane in an aluminum-framed entrance door be replaced on its own?

Usually. The glass sits behind removable stops, so a pro can take the broken pane out and set a new safety pane in the same frame. It's made to size, so expect a temporary panel in between. The storefront glass page compares glass types.

Can you find someone for automatic door openers?

We can pass it on and look for a pro who handles openers, though not every glass pro does. Say whether the motor, sensor or door itself is the problem; a dragging door strains any opener, so that gets checked first.

Who repairs commercial entrance doors in Kingston, Ontario?

Independent glass and door pros who take on commercial work. We're a free referral service: send the address, what the door is doing and a short video, and we connect you with a local pro who repairs closers, pivots, locks and door glass.

A lobby door was broken overnight. What should the building owner photograph?

The door from a distance, the broken glass up close, the frame, lock and closer. Photograph it before it's cleared or boarded, then again once secured. Call the police if it was forced, and ask your insurer what else they need.

Entrance doors · Kingston

Glass entrance doors that close, latch and lock properly

A misbehaving commercial glass door usually has one worn part: a closer out of adjustment, a dropped pivot, a strike out of line. A new door is rarely the first answer. We connect Kingston shop owners and apartment-building owners with independent local pros who repair aluminum-framed entrances, their hardware and their glass.

Closer and pivot before the door
Shop entrances and apartment lobbies
A video of the door helps

Get a free quote 613-480-0991

The overhead closer and the pivots take most of the wear on a lobby door.

Symptoms

Common faults: slamming, dragging, not latching

Open the door fully and let go, then watch the last stretch.

It slams

The closer's speed or latch valve needs adjusting, or it's leaking oil. An oily streak under the closer body is the giveaway.

It drags

The door has dropped on its pivots or hinges, or the frame has shifted. A scrape at the bottom corner shows where.

It won't latch

The closer is set too weak or the strike is out of line. In winter, warm air pushing out of a heated building can hold a lobby door off its latch.

Closer before the door

Closers, pivots and hinges

A closer is a small hydraulic cylinder with a spring. It stores energy as the door opens and releases it through valves that set the swing speed and the final latching push. Most can be adjusted, and one that leaks can be replaced on its own.

Many aluminum shop doors hang on top and bottom pivots rather than hinges. When a bottom pivot wears or the floor settles, the door drops and drags. Pivots and continuous hinges can usually be replaced without a new door, provided the frame is sound.

Door glass

Replacing broken glass in a commercial door

The door usually stays; only the pane changes.

Make the door safe
Cracked door glass can let go as the door swings. Tape it, fix the door in place and keep people clear.
Measure and order
Safety glass, made to size once the stops are off.
Glaze and tune
The pane goes back in with its stops and gaskets, and the closer is tuned so the door doesn't slam new glass.

Hardware

Locks, panic hardware and access

Hardware is where a shop entrance and an apartment lobby door differ most.

Locks and cylinders

Worn cylinders and latches that must be lifted to lock are replaced as parts. Rekeying when staff or tenants change is a small job.

Panic hardware

Push bars let people out quickly. One that sticks is a priority repair.

Openers and card access

These only work well when the door and closer do. Some pros handle them and some don't, so say which you have.

What affects the quote

What a door repair quote depends on

Door work is priced from what's worn and how the door is built:

Closer adjustment or replacement, and where it's mounted
Pivots, hinges or a continuous hinge, and how far the door has dropped
Lock, panic or access hardware involved
Size and type of any replacement glass

Film the door closing from fully open and photograph the closer and both bottom corners.

Get a door repair quote

The referral is free. The pro quotes the work.

Rental buildings

Apartment lobby doors

Much of what's been built around Kingston lately is purpose-built rental apartments, each with a glass lobby entrance used by every tenant and delivery. A lobby door that won't latch leaves the building open, so it tops the list. On a newer building, check the builder's warranty first; managers can send it with the suites' jobs via property managers.

Downtown

Downtown heritage entrances

Some downtown entrances are older wood doors or aluminum doors set into 19th-century stone openings. In the Market Square Heritage Conservation District, or on a designated building, changing how an entrance looks may need heritage review. Tuning a closer doesn't change what the street sees; a new door might, so call Heritage Planning before ordering. For the display glass beside it, see storefront glass repair.

Questions

Commercial door questions

Explore your options

Local pros look after shop and lobby entrances across the city, including Downtown Kingston & Market Square, Williamsville and Kingscourt.

Film the door closing

A short video of the door swinging shut and a photo of the closer are enough to start. We'll pass them to a local pro who repairs commercial entrances.