If it’s time to redo the storefront glass doors of your business, consider choosing an ultra-narrow stile door. It offers the sophisticated appeal of an all-glass door, but with very narrow (1- to 1 1/8-inch) vertical stiles whose thermal properties will boost energy savings.
Key to this type of door’s improved insulating properties are its thermally broken frame and cladding. A thermally broken frame is one in which a strip of material that doesn’t conduct heat well is inserted between the outer and inner parts of the frame, to make it retain heat more effectively. “Cladding” refers to this multi-layer design.
To increase your heat savings even more, you can also fit your ultra- narrow stile doors with more energy-efficient door handle hardware. Mounted on 1-inch insulating glass panels with through-glass fittings, this hardware can also include panic buttons. Using thermal-efficient tinted glass and a low-emissivity coating will also boost the door’s energy-saving qualities.
If the looks of your commercial entry door are important to you, aluminum stiles may be clad in bronze or stainless steel, with a number of attractive finishes to choose from.
Entrances with ultra-narrow stiles are typically used at entrances that undergo light to moderate use.