Types of Strip Doors

Providing your employees with comfortable working conditions and protecting your products from external contaminants are important, but it can be difficult—and expensive—to do so. However, installing strip doors in your industrial or commercial setting is one of the most cost-effective ways to separate work environments and help prevent insects, inclement weather, dust, and noise from affecting your inventory or staff. Plus, they can also save you money on energy costs by reducing the loss of hot or cold air, depending on your application. This guide is designed to explain the ins and outs of strip doors with the goal of helping you choose the best one for your business!

Benefits of Strip Doors

At first, hanging long strips of PVC in your doorways might sound like a waste of time and money, but in actuality, installing strip doors in your warehouse, commercial kitchen, or other industrial location can both improve working conditions and save you money. Some of the greatest benefits of installing strip doors are highlighted below:

Separates work environments effectively - When you compare the cost of installing a wall or a traditional door to the cost of putting up a strip door, there's no arguing the fact that strip doors are less expensive, easier to reconfigure and maintain, and will cause less disruption to your business during the initial installation.
Reduces heating and energy costs - Whether you're attempting to keep cold air inside a walk-in freezer or contain hot, humid air in your dishroom, a strip door creates a barrier that will help insulate rooms. This keeps your heating or refrigeration system from working overtime just to maintain the correct temperature.
Creates a more comfortable work environment - No one wants to work for a long period of time in conditions that include insects, dust, harsh weather, fumes, or excessive noise. Luckily, strip doors are designed to protect your workers from these undesirable elements and encourage a safer, more comfortable environment.
Promotes better workflow - It may not seem like much, but every time your employees have to stop to open a traditional door, time is lost. Strip doors not only allow people and equipment to efficiently pass through the door without waiting, but they also increase visibility so your workers can be more aware of their surroundings. This makes for less dangerous working conditions and greater productivity.

Purchasing a Strip Door

Curtron M108-PR-4080 40 inch x 80 inch Polar Reinforced Step-In Refrigerator / Freezer Strip Door

To make it more convenient for you, we offer several ways to shop for strip doors. If you've already measured your door opening and know the exact dimensions of the strip door you need, then you'll want to check out our single strip doors. When you order a single strip door, you will receive enough strips to accommodate your door size and, in some cases, the mounting bar will be included as well.

Curtron FCS06060-4 6 inch x .060 inch x 400' Clear PVC Strip Door Roll - Standard Grade

Strip door rolls are the best option for operators who need to create a customized strip door for their application. These rolls come in lengths from 100'-400' long, and the material can be cut to fit the length of existing strips as well, making rolls an ideal option for replacing individual strips on your door.

If you need to replace individual strips but a roll of material seems like an impractical purchase when you consider your budget, storage space, or the low number of strip doors at your location, then individual strips are the perfect alternative for you. These are available in smaller packs and precut sizes to make replacement as quick and easy as possible!

Material and Application

PVC is the most common material used to make strip doors, and it is available in a broad range of sizes, grades, and types to fit the needs of various commercial or industrial settings. Although many strip doors are clear for visibility purposes, there are also tinted versions available for use in specific applications like welding partitions or forklift traffic lanes. In general, the PVC material used to make strip doors is rated based on the following criteria:

Thermal Conductivity - The rate at which heat passes through the strip door
Tensile Strength - The maximum amount of stress the strip door can withstand before stretching, tearing, etc.
Noise Abatement - The reduction in decibels as a result of the strip door, which often depends on the thickness of the material
Ultraviolet-Resistance - Some strip doors contain ultraviolet inhibitors to allow them to be used outdoors in direct sunlight
Anti-Static - Some strip doors are rated for use where static can be dangerous, such as areas that contain flammable substances
Flame-Resistance - Some strip doors are rated for flame resistance since certain states have more stringent guidelines on the use of flame retardant material

All of these properties play a role in determining where and how the strip door can be used. Polar reinforced, or low temperature, PVC doors are rated for use in freezers or in outdoor applications where temperatures may fall to as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, standard grade PVC strip doors are recommended for areas where the ambient temperature will not dip below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. We also offer ribbed PVC doors, which are ideal for heavy traffic areas because they significantly reduce the appearance of scratches and mars in the material. This keeps your workers safe by ensuring that their visibility isn't compromised.

Curtron SD-MESH-4884 48 inch x 84 inch Mesh Strip Door / Insect Barrier and Bug Curtain

Although they are not made of PVC, mesh strip doors are a great option for spaces that merely need to control insects without regulating temperature. These doors also promote airflow through rooms that need to be aerated due to cooking or cleaning.

It's worth mentioning that if traditional strip doors with individual strips seem like they would be a hassle for your application, you may want to check out our strip curtain swing doors instead. Similar in construction and design, these curtain doors have only two wide strips of material that swing open and closed for easy access to the next room.

See below for a comparison of the types of doors we carry, their temperature ranges, and the applications where they can be best utilized.

	Curtron Curtronizer Series Strip Doors	Curtron M Series Strip Doors	Curtron Ribbed Strip Doors	Curtron Personnel Strip Doors	Curtron Mesh Strip Doors	Norlake Kold Locker Strip Doors
Temperature Range	Standard: 0-160 degrees Fahrenheit Polar Reinforced: -40-140 degrees Fahrenheit	Standard: 0-160 degrees Fahrenheit Polar Reinforced: -20-150 degrees Fahrenheit	Standard: 0-150 degrees Fahrenheit Polar Reinforced: -20-140 degrees Fahrenheit	Standard: 0-150 degrees Fahrenheit	N/A	-30-125 degrees Fahrenheit
Insect Protection
Dock Doors
Cooler Doors
Freezer Doors
Spray Areas
Restaurant Doors
Personnel Doors
Light Industrial Doors
Medium Industrial Doors
Forklift Traffic
Temperature Control
Workflow Improvement
Comfort Control
Warehouse Doors

Replacement Strips

One of the best things about strip doors is that a tear in one strip doesn't mean the entire door has to be thrown away. However, knowing the difference between the styles of strips and how they attach to the mounting bar is an important part of understanding how to replace a single strip.

Looped strips feature a heat-sealed loop at the end of each strip. Because this type of strip slides onto a mounting bar rather than attaching to individual hooks, it is less likely to fall off and interrupt the workflow of your business. The mounting bar also makes it easier to clean the door; simply remove the bar to take the door down and clean everything at the same time.

Curtron CZN-6-PR-4080 Curtronizer 40 inch x 80 inch Polar Reinforced Freezer / Refrigerator Strip Door - NSF Listed

As the name implies, punched hole strips have several holes at the end of each strip. To hang this type of strip, each hole must be matched up to a hook or peg in order to stay fastened. This design makes individual strips easy to replace or clean, but they are more prone to ripping off in high traffic locations and can be more tedious to attach.

Customizing Your Strip Door

Perhaps after browsing our selection of strip doors, you've decided that buying a roll of material and creating your own customized strip door is the best option for you. Unfortunately, the dilemma of correctly sizing the strips to your doorway remains. Follow these steps to create a tailor-made strip door without the fear of wasting material!

Step One: Measure your door opening.

In addition to recording the dimensions of the doorway, it's important to note anything that may hinder the installation of the door like space limitations on either side of the door or obstructions within the door frame.

Step Two: Determine how wide the strips need to be.

Once you've recorded the overall size of your doorway, you will need to consider what type of traffic will be moving through the door. For personnel, carts, and general traffic, 6"-8" wide strips will work fine. However, if the door must accommodate larger equipment or more industrial-type traffic, then 12"-16" wide strips are preferable. Check out the chart below for some guidelines on choosing the right width.

Door Height	Exterior Door/Heavy Traffic		Interior Door/Light Traffic
	Strip Width	Strip Thickness	Strip Width	Strip Thickness
7'			4"-6"	.060"
8'	8"	.080"
10'			8"	.080"
12'	12"	.120"
14'			12"	.120"
16'	16"	.160"
18'			16"	.160"

Step Three: Decide how much overlap you want between strips.

If you're installing an exterior door, it's best to go with 100% overlap to protect against inclement weather and wind. For indoor applications, less overlap may be required.

Step Four: Determine the linear footage of PVC strip needed for your application.

At this point, you've measured your doorway, decided on the width of the individual strips, and determined the amount of necessary overlap. Using the table below, cross reference the strip width you chose with the percentage of overlap you want to get the "multiplying factor."

Multiplying Factors
Strip Width	25%	50%	75%	100%
4"		4		6
6"				4
8"	1.75	2	2.5	3
12"		1.35		2
16"	.875	1	1.2	1.5

Then, follow these instructions to determine the amount of material you will need to create your custom strip door. This calculation gives you the answer in linear footage so you know how long of a roll you should buy to complete your project. In the example below, you would need a roll at least 104' long to create a strip door to cover your door opening.

Instructions	Multiply the door width (') by the multiplying factor you found in the table above.	Add 1 to get the total number of strips you need (adding an additional strip accounts for edge exposure).	Multiply the total number of strips by your door height (') to get the total linear footage of PVC strip needed.
Example (4'W x 8'H door with 8" strips and 100% overlap)	4' x 3 = 12	12 + 1 = 13	13 x 8' = 104'

Step Five: Identify the best strip material for your application.

The type of strip you need to purchase is entirely dependent on where you will place the strip door. For example, if you're installing the door into a freezer, you will need to purchase a low temperature strip. If visibility is important because you're placing it in a high traffic area, then a standard, clear PVC strip is the perfect choice.

Step Six: Consider how you will mount the strip door.

There are a variety of ways that you can mount your strip door, and while the most common ways are wall or in-jamb mounts, there are others to consider listed in the chart below!

Type of Mount	Explanation	Best Application	Potential Drawbacks
In-Jamb Mount	Hardware that is mounted within the doorframe	Doors where space immediately around the doorframe is limited	Lowers the height of the door
Wall Mount	Hardware that is mounted above the door	Good for the majority of applications	Requires more strip material to cover the same door opening
Universal Mount	Hardware that can be mounted within or above the doorframe	When a large number of strip doors are ordered with varying mounting requirements or there is uncertainty over which mounting option will work best	Can affect the amount of strip material needed to cover the entire door, depending on which mounting option is used
Piano Hinge	Hinge that allows the entire door to pivot	Doors that need to accommodate two-way traffic or large equipment with little clearance room	Lowers the height of the door
Overhead Door Bracket	Brackets that allow the door to be mounted away from the door opening	Doorways that contain an obstruction like a door track or a pipe	Takes up more space around the door as the brackets project from the wall around the doorway
Sliding Track	Track that allows the strip door to be slid completely out of the way without taking it down	Doorways where the strip door is not always necessary due to climate or application	Must be ample room on one or both sides of the door to use this type of mount
Accordion Hardware	Hardware that works similar to a sliding track but can be mounted within the doorframe when there is not enough space on either side of the door to mount a sliding track	Doorways where there is not enough space to allow for a sliding strip door; doorways where the strip door is not always necessary due to climate or application	Can limit the amount of space within the doorframe

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