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What Are Kick Plates and Why You Need Them?

October 4, 2022 | Commercial Doors

swinging door kick platesWhat do you do when you need to open a door, but your hands are full? If you’re like most Americans, you use your foot. In residential homes, this tendency leads to a lot of scuff and scratches. In commercial businesses, however, it can lead to serious damage.

Restaurants, retail shops, warehouses, hospitals, theaters, convention centers, and factories not only deal with higher foot traffic, but also equipment such as carts and dollies. Repeated impacts from staff, customers, and hand trucks can significantly shorten a door’s lifespan, forcing owners to replace them more frequently.

What’s the solution? Kick plates ‒ a simple strip of metal across the bottom rail of the door. They’re normally 10-16 inches high, though they can cover the lower half of the door entirely if waist high impacts are more common. (In hospitals, for instance, as they transport stretchers.)

Protecting Doors from Damage and Wear

Kick plates act as armor plating, absorbing impacts in order to protect the door from damage. They’re made mostly from aluminum or steel. Plastic and vinyl plates are also available, though they don’t last nearly as long. Kick plates are always installed on the push side of the door. They’re one of the most affordable cost saving devices you can purchase. A kick plate extends the lifespan of your door by years without any need for maintenance or repair.

Installing Kick Plates in Your Business

Vortex offers a full range of door accessories, including kick plates. Our team can identify which doors will benefit from them most and which type of plate will hold up best. Contact us today for help protecting your doors and your business.

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Lauren B.
Dan and Phil were amazing! They came out on a Friday night and got our roll up door fixed for the business in a very quick time frame! These are the guys to call for any of your door issues!!
Anthony K.
Jose Velasquez was extremely helpful in fixing the front door of our store and explaining what was wrong with it to begin with while also giving details of what parts needed to be ordered/replaced.
Jeffrey J.
Joey and Trey were very professional and did a great job
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Greg P.
Overhead doors have been a nightmare the past 3-4 years. Had a 12' X 14' one damaged by high wind. The only (or perhaps first) company who could get it replaced the next day turned out to be a firefighters part time business. Installation was less than perfect and actuator acted up frequently, the tracks were not straight and so on. About three months ago something happened to a cable causing the door to fall on one side, stuck about two feet from closing. Called the same phone number and got "garage doors" as the answer. Didn't think much about that and someone did show up late in the day. Unfortunately anything bigger than a single residential door scared him and he only assisted me in cutting the cables allowing the door to drop and close. $400 for after hours show up! Next day they sent their commercial door expert. He worked on it most of the day including a 2-3 hour trip to get parts because he did not have appropriate size parts on his truck (if any parts at all). He spent several hours charged $1800 before leaving and it sorta worked OK until last night when the actuator would not work to close it. I put a call into Vortex Doors for a call back this morning which came promptly. The seemingly knowledgeable young lady told me they had quite a few emergency calls and would probably not be able to get out until next week which was OK with me. A little after 3:30 I get a call saying they had a tech who could come and inspect to see what was wrong. Andy showed up a few minutes later (we are only about a mile away as it turned out). My instructions were I just wanted it to work reliably for a few years. We had a brief discussion pointing out things to each other and he got right to work making numerous adjustments and checking it out from stem to stern. In a little over two hours he had made changes, adjustments and likely completed and repaired the original installation, pointed out everything he did, left me with copies of his check sheets. I ask if he had a bill for me and was told the office would contact me...no credit card robbery on the spot! Andy was obviously more knowledgeable than anyone else who had touched the door. The service was professional, courteous, prompt and overall great. I will not make the mistake of calling anyone else in the future. Thanks Andy and thanks Vortex Doors!
Jared K.
Jose and Brandon are top notch!! They came into our place of business and quickly performed repairs. Professionalism at its best!!! Vortex always makes things right! Clean trucks and friendly service. You can tell safety is top priority!
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