Whether you are building new or simply upgrading an existing industrial shop, your door is an important part to consider. After all, it affects the functionality and usefulness of your building. The direct costs of purchasing the door and the associated costs of installation and maintenance make it an even more important part to consider.
So how do you know which door is right for your industrial shop?
There is a lot to think about, but here are a few of the most important things to consider when purchasing a new door, and the return on investment you might find with a bifold compared to an overhead door.
- Cost Savings for Your Industrial Bifold Door
- The Importance of Functionality
- A Long Lasting Door
- Safety is Our Priority
- Maintenance and Repair Support
Cost Savings
At Diamond Doors, we believe in building doors that are an investment, not just another costly purchase. We understand the importance of a high quality, long lasting product at an affordable cost.
When you’re looking for a new door, the cost of the door itself is always the most obvious. But there are other costs associated with purchasing a door. The costs of installation, maintenance, and energy loss aren’t always as obvious, but they are also an important factor.
Cost of the Door
The price of a Diamond door varies depending on your needs. Factors include things such as the size of your door and special features and options you need for your building. This means that we can’t offer you an exact door cost in this post.
However, we can tell you that bifold doors generally have the best purchase price for doors over 20 feet wide. Overhead doors are usually cheaper when looking at doors less than 20 feet wide, but considering the other costs associated with overhead doors, they’re not always the better option.
Looking for a quote? Visit our request a quote page, or chat with our sales team. You will receive a free quote within 48 business hours of submitting your request.
Installation
We design our doors for easy installation. Our doors are fully painted, assembled, and wired in-factory, saving your company valuable time and money when installing the door. Everything from building preparation to installation to wiring the door to the building can be done in only a few hours.
Our service team is always available to help you with any questions you have during the installation process. We also have a detailed installation manual to guide you through the steps.
If you prefer to have an experienced installation team do the work for you, you can reach out to an installer in our dealer network. Talk to our sales team to find someone in your area.
Maintenance
Our doors are built for easy care. Every door is equipped with a variety of low-maintenance features like greaseless hinges, lift cables that don’t need regular tensioning, and a quality painted door frame to avoid rust.
We also believe in offering a high-quality product that will last for decades. Did you know that the first bifold door built by our founder is still in use? The door is over 40 years old – older than Diamond Doors itself! Today, we build our doors to the same standards.
In comparison, overhead doors have a lifespan of 15-30 years before they must be replaced. This lifespan varies depending on the quality of the door, how frequently the door cycles, and maintenance. Regular care is necessary to maintain an overhead door, and it is frequently noted that the door opener and torsion springs must be replaced two or more times throughout the lifetime of the door.
Learn more about our low maintenance features on our Features and Options page or read our blog post.
Energy Savings
Whether you live in the freezing north or sweltering south, your door is an essential part of keeping your shop at a comfortable temperature. Without a proper seal or insulation, the door does little more than block the wind.
At Diamond Doors, we offer a variety of finishing options, including two thicknesses of insulation to keep your heating and cooling costs down. Our doors also provide extra protection against the weather with a shiplap style insulation, rubber seals along the bottom of the door, and a locking system that pulls the door snugly against the building. Closed cell neoprene foam adhered to the door frame provides an extra strong seal around the entire perimeter of your door.
A bifold door is installed on the exterior of your building. This means that the wind blowing against the door only seals the door tighter against the building. In contrast, an overhead door is installed in the interior and deflects inward, weakening the seal.
Another added advantage of a bifold door is fewer seams and gaps compared to an overhead door. Fewer seams mean fewer places for the hot air (or cold air) in your building to escape.
You can read more about the benefits of a bifold door and retained energy by visiting our FAQ post.
The Importance of Functionality
A door isn’t much good if your equipment doesn’t fit through it. Your industrial bifold door should be large enough for today, but also for future growth. It should have features and options that make your workday easier. And it should look good while doing it.
Maximize Your Door Size
Did you know that our doors can cover the entire face of your building? They can also be fitted to a wide range of building styles, including post frame buildings, steel frame buildings, quonsets, and fabric buildings. Visit our gallery to see more building options.
They require virtually no headroom, meaning they can be installed right at the top of your building to maximize the height of your clear opening. For uniquely shaped buildings (like quonsets) they are paired with the self-supporting header for extra strength and opening height.
We also design crane doors – bifold doors that allow the railway beams of your crane to extend outside your building. This makes moving large, manufactured pieces through the doorway simple. Visit our gallery and change the application to “Crane Doors” to get a closer look.
Convenient Features and Options
We offer a wide variety of features and options for your industrial bifold door. Each feature provides added convenience and usefulness to your door.
- Electric Auto-Lock – this feature allows you to unlock and open your door with the push of a button. It also allows for an upgrade to the remote opener system, allowing you to open your shop door from the convenience of your vehicle or equipment.
- Pedestrian Doors – this feature can be installed in your bifold door, providing quick and easy access to your building even when the bifold door is closed. This is especially useful when your bifold door covers the entire face of your industrial shop.
- Speed Increase Package – if you need a door that opens quickly, you may want to consider our speed increase package. Diamond Doors offers an industry leading opening speed of 18 ft/min. When you add the speed increase package, the door opens anywhere from 20 -25% faster.
There are many other convenient features and options available for your industrial bifold door. Visit our features and options page to learn more.
Customizable Finishing Options
Your door frame can be customized to suit virtually any type of exterior finishing, including traditional trim and cladding, wood panelling, windows, and more. We provide detailed cut lists to your local finishing supplier to ensure that the material fits your door perfectly.
We also offer a cladding and trim option with your bifold door in a variety of custom colours. View our cladding and trim page. We deliver the cladding and trim (along with your door) directly to your building site.
We also offer polycarbonate sheeting in two different styles: Therma Vu (smoked and clear) and Diamond Vu (clear). They allow plenty of light into your building even while the door is closed. Not only is this better for your electrical bill, but it’s also better for your employees!
A Long Lasting Door
Did you know that Diamond Doors have a decades-long lifespan? Our founder built his first door in the 1980s – before Diamond Doors was officially established – and it’s still in use today. With proper care, you can expect your industrial bifold door to last just as long.
You might be wondering – how do we do it? It starts with a quality design and quality materials.
Design and Engineering
The base of every Diamond door is the same – a strong, internal triple-truss system, high-quality door hinges matched to the weight of the door, and additional door and building supports.
Our certified engineers and drafting technicians tailor each door to meet building specifications, including things such as wind load, weight of the door, and door dimensions. Doing this ensures that there is no unnecessary strain on the door (or building), lengthening its lifespan.
High Quality Materials
Our frame is finished with a durable, two-part urethane paint to avoid rust and corrosion. We use a nylon core wrapped in steel fine braid for our lift cables – guaranteeing strength and flexibility. Our electrical components are tested in-house before use on the door. And we use a variety of in-house manufactured parts for greater control over quality. Quality is important to us.
Safety is Our Priority
We want to be a part of ensuring your employees have a safe work environment. That’s why we design our doors with a variety of safety features and guards in place, including high strength lift cables, an electric brake system, and photo electric safety sensors.
Lift Cables
Our lift cables are designed with a nylon core. This center is wrapped in 18 braids with seven strands each, providing strength and flexibility. This provides a 10x safety factor for your door, meaning that the cables can lift ten times the weight of the door. In comparison, many competitors only use a 5x cable safety factor.
We also use more cables per door than most competitors. This reduces the load on each cable, reduces the strain on the building, and extends cable life.
Electric Brake
A common concern is the safety of the door if the power were to fail while the door was open. That’s why we equip each Diamond Door with an electric brake. If the power goes out, the electric brake is automatically engaged and prevents the door from falling. This protects any employees or equipment that may be under the door at the time of the power failure.
Photo Electric Safety Sensors
What if someone tries to close the door while someone is standing underneath, or equipment is parked in the doorway? We use photo electric safety sensors – also called photo eyes – to prevent the door from closing if something is blocking the doorway. They come standard with every Diamond door and can be used in multiples to create a photo curtain along the height of the door.
Maintenance and Repair Support
If you are ever stuck with a door that doesn’t function (not that we expect it will happen), you can trust our service department to get your door moving again. They are available via phone or email to serve you.
Our Genesys Electrical box is also equipped with onboard diagnostics. This makes troubleshooting electrical issues quick and easy. Using the diagnostics tool, our service team will guide you through any repairs that may need to be made.
Finally, Diamond Doors has an experienced service network available across Canada and the United States. They are available to help with onsite door repairs and upgrades. If you are looking for a service technician in your area, contact our sales department.
Your Industrial Bifold Door
If you are looking for a door that maximizes your clear opening, is low-maintenance, and increases the potential of your building, chat with our sales team today. We’ll ensure that your door meets your needs – and then exceeds them.
