PVC Curtains in the Commercial Sector

Commercial PVC Curtains

PVC curtains are an incredibly versatile piece of equipment that are more often used in an industrial environment due to their strength and durability, but are often overlooked in the commercial sector.

There are many ways a PVC curtain can be used in a commercial environment as they allow quick and easy access from one area to another while still blocking off the access way when not in use. PVC doors or crash doors are more often seen in commercial environments and although they are pretty effective, they are nowhere near as cheap as a PVC curtain. As the cost of running a business climbs steadily upwards alongside fuel and energy prices, everyone from the general consumer to business owners are looking for ways to save themselves some extra pennies through buying cheaper produce, using energy saving light bulbs and adding two feet of insulation in the loft. Although this will lower costs in the long run, cheaper produce means lower quality meals, insulation costs a lot more than you might anticipate and takes a while to recoup your expense, so the only instant savings you are going to notice are from your choice of light bulb.

What are PVC curtains?

As the name suggests, a PVC curtain is a curtain made from individual strips of PVC which hang together to form a partition wall. In an industrial setting they are used to segregate separate parts of the same workspace, for example if the curtain is used in a food processing plant it could be hung between food storage and the packaging areas to allow quick and easy access without the expense of a manual or automatic door. In a commercial setting these PVC curtains could act as a barrier between the internal areas of your shop or restaurant and the outside world. For instance, if you have a restaurant which has a goods in entrance which is frequently used, you could have a PVC curtain to allow you to see outside without the need to open and close a door. This allows for easy loading and unloading through the access way without having to wedge the door open, letting in all sorts of pests and insects.

Why use PVC over other plastic compounds?

There are loads of reasons why PVC curtains are made from PVC, but in reality there is no other material that is as suited to the job as PVC. A PVC curtain is made from individual strips of PVC that are hung together to form a sort of partition wall. Because of the weight and flexibility of the PVC strips, when not in used the curtain hangs in such a way that it forms a seamless barrier which stops any unwanted objects passing through. When you need access through the curtain you can simply push through and the strips of PVC will push out to allow you to enter or exit the room. Once you have passed through, the weight of the plastic causes the curtain to fall back into place within a few seconds. PVC is also renowned for its strength and durability, so in an industrial setting this means vehicles like forklifts and lollops can pass through frequently without wearing out the PVC curtain. In a commercial environment this is also important, because it means the curtain can withstand heat and constant use without becoming brittle and snapping.

The main reason PVC is used though is down to its insulating properties. PVC is a great insulator of

heat so it helps to regulate different temperatures in one

environment. If you had a large restaurant which was always busy you may have the need for a walk in fridge or larder. This would require the kitchen to have a very different ambient temperature than the larder or fridge. Using a PVC curtain over the entranceway to the walk in fridge would allow you to maintain a constant temperature on both sides. As the entrance would be in almost constant use, having a door in the entranceway would mean that each time the

door is opened there would be a large amount of heat transfer between the two areas. This means the cooling system for the fridge needs to work harder to maintain a static temperature, which costs more money. Money is not the only issue however, having a door over the entranceway also requires staff to open and shut the door which, unless you opt for automatic or crash PVC doors, is not the easiest of capers with arms full of food. PVC doors would be almost as effective as a PVC curtain, though in a kitchen environment the amount of space needed for a free swinging crash door might be an issue and automatic doors aren’t a cheap commodity. A PVC curtain would remove the need for a door and provide enough insulation to make it a suitable replacement.

PVC Curtains can increase food hygiene!

OK so long strips of PVC that hang in a doorway or access way all day long hardly sound like they are very hygienic, but in reality they can be a great tool for minimising the amount of pests in the kitchen. Aside from insulating against heat transfer from one area to another, PVC curtains are actually really effective at stopping unwanted visitors. Kitchens as you might imagine, attract a lot of different rodents and insects which are all looking to snack on your patron’s dinner as you are preparing it. In some instances keeping the door closed is not viable, especially if you have delivery drivers coming and going for most of the evening. Using a PVC curtain over an exit or entrance to the kitchen allows you to minimise flies, mice and other pests and rodents that might be attracted by the sweet smells of your cooking. Because of the sheer weight of PVC curtains, although a human can easily push through, even a small domestic animal like a cat would have trouble forcing its way through the barrier. This means you can minimise the amount of insects and pests that are able to gain access to your kitchen, without having to keep the door closed. Although PVC curtains require very little maintenance, in this kind of setting it is essential that your curtains are washed down at the end of every shift otherwise all of your hygiene has just gone straight out the window.

If a curtain won’t cut it, try PVC doors!

There are some environments where a PVC curtain is not quite the right tool for the job. In places like pubs and restaurants with al fresco dining, you might have to have staff waiting tables outside while your kitchen remains inside the premises. Although you will need all of the protective and insulating properties of a PVC curtain in order to keep a high level of food hygiene, the PVC strips could become a bit of a kerfuffle when you throw in a waitress piled high with dinner plates. The last thing your staff need is a long, dangly strip curtain trying to upend the patron’s meals each time they leave the kitchen. In this type of environment PVC doors might be a better solution. The main difference between a PVC crash door and a PVC curtain is the ease of access. PVC doors or crash doors are called this because you can literally crash through them. Like the old swing gates of a western saloon, they push open with ease and swing back into position in a few seconds. These are much more effective this situation as they allow members of staff to carry a number of plates without needing to push open the door with their hands.

The only issue with PVC doors is the fact that they require quite a lot of space to operate, so they can be a little dangerous if pedestrian traffic runs past the entrance way. The last thing you want is to push through your PVC doors, hitting a patron as you do so. Because these doors are made from PVC, they can be designed any way you like. If you need to be able to see the other side of the door at all times, then a full, transparent PVC would be more suited to your situation. If you require a dark room, say for instance to develop photographs, then a blackout PVC door would be the best option.

Even offices can benefit from PVC curtains.

In the commercial sector there are many different ways PVC curtains can benefit your business. Even if your business is run out of an office, PVC curtains can still be very useful. Many offices, particularly those involved in document storage and sorting, will have an area which they use for loading and unloading goods. If your office has a loading bay, then it will almost certainly be on the bottom floor to allow vans and Lorries to access it. More often than not, these loading bays have huge doors which open to the same height as a lorry would, with shutters that can be brought down when the access point is not in use. In this instance it can be a struggle to keep adverse weather conditions at bay, which can be a problem especially if your business involves sorting perishable items. In order to protect your goods from poor weather, you could install a PVC plastic curtain in order to help minimise the amount of contact your goods receive from rain or other precipitation. Because the plastic strips push out to fit the shape and size of the object moving through them, a pallet truck or trolley could easily be pushed through, with the plastic PVC curtain acting as an umbrella in order to shelter your goods while being loaded and unloaded.

PVC Curtains and Commercial Industry.

There are a few businesses that fall into the category somewhere between the commercial retailer and the industrial machinist. Businesses like Joiners, Welders and Mechanics often sit on the border between the two types of industry, involved in the manufacturing and retailing of their products. These cottage industries are very often run from workshops which feature some form of front of house in order to get business from new and returning customers. Workshops are one type of premises where a PVC curtain can be a major help in maintaining a high quality product. In a joiners workshop you will often find that every part of the building process takes place in the same floor space which means that you run the risk of cross contamination between the different areas. For instance, the measuring and cutting will take place in one part of the workshop, the fitting and securing of the project will take place in another area, as well the painting and varnishing. In this situation it can be hugely beneficial to have some form of partition to separate the different areas, to stop sawdust sticking to freshly painted jobs and other annoying hindrances. Using a plastic PVC curtain to segregate the different areas means you can minimise the cross contamination of by-products while still allowing full access to each section of the workshop.

Metalwork Workshops can also benefit from PVC Curtains, especially when you have a lot of work done with tools such as welding torches and heavy duty metal saws. In these environments not everyone who works on the premises is going to be a welder, so in order to allow them to move freely around the workplace, you could cordon off a small area with a tinted PVC curtain. Welders are required to wear safety clothing and eyewear in order to protect themselves from the bright light which is emitted from a welder’s torch. In a relatively small workshop, all those who are not required to wear the safety gear can still carry on with their business, as the PVC curtain will block out any harmful light. Also when using heavy machinery such as metal saws you will find a lot of debris can be given off by the machine. Separating off a section of the workshop with PVC curtains would mean you could help to contain the majority of the sparks, stopping them from damaging other, finished products, but also protecting your staff.

PVC curtains and PVC doors are great in an Industrial Setting too!

PVC curtains are a huge amount of use in an industrial setting due to the fact they are strong and durable. Just as they are used in a commercial setting for reducing heat transfer, light pollution and to deter rodents and pests, they can be used in the same ways in factories, food processing plants, warehouses and storehouses. As a PVC curtain is very durable, there is little that needs maintaining in an industrial setting, aside from the occasional wipe down and replacing strips that have worn down over a period of time. As PVC curtains are made from individual PVC strips, if one gets damages or wears from constant use, then only one strip will need replacing. The installation takes a matter of minutes, so whether you are using them in an industrial or commercial setting, the smooth running of your business will hardly be affected. For more information of the types of PVC doors and curtains available, please check out our website.