Aluminum Storefronts & Commercial Entrance Doors
Storefront framing, storefront glass and commercial entrance doors for offices, retail, restaurants and institutional buildings.
Serving Northern Virginia Since 1997 · Virginia Class A Glass & Glazing Contractor
Complete Aluminum Storefront Systems
An aluminum storefront is a framed system: extruded aluminum framing, glass set into that framing, and entrance doors carrying the hardware a commercial opening needs. We furnish and install the whole assembly — framing, glass, doors, closers, locks and thresholds — so one contractor is responsible for the opening.
We handle new construction, tenant build-outs, and replacement of existing storefront that has reached the end of its life.
Where Storefront Goes In
Office buildings, retail centers, restaurants, medical and dental suites, schools and institutional buildings, mixed-use ground floors, and multi-tenant strips where every bay has to match the one next to it.
For an example, see our bronze aluminum storefront case study for Halpine View Fitness in Rockville.
Working from drawings or a bid set? Send them over and we will quote from them.
Storefront Framing and Finishes
Center-set framing. The glass sits in the middle of the frame depth. It is the standard for commercial storefront and the profile most buildings in this area already use.
Finishes. Clear anodized, dark bronze anodized, and custom paint when a design calls for a specific color. Anodized holds up to weather and daily cleaning better than paint on a high-traffic entrance, which is why most building owners stay with it.
Framing is supplied in the depths the opening needs, with the reinforcement, anchors and perimeter sealant that go with it. On exterior openings the framing is set so any water that gets past the glazing gasket drains back out instead of into the wall.
On replacement work we match what is already on the building. Most commercial elevations around here use standard center-set profiles in clear anodized or dark bronze, so a replaced bay reads the same as the ones either side of it.
Commercial Entrance Doors
Single doors and pairs, narrow stile through wide stile, with transoms and sidelites where the opening calls for them.
Stile width is a decision, not a style choice. Narrow stile gives you the most glass and suits a boutique, a salon or an office suite. Wide stile carries heavier hardware and takes more abuse, which is what a retail anchor, a school or a medical building needs.
Doors are built for the traffic they will actually see. A dental suite and a retail anchor do not get the same door, and getting that wrong is what puts a door back on our schedule two years later.
Every door leaves with its hardware fitted and adjusted — closer, lock, pulls, threshold and weathering — so the opening works properly from the first day it is used.
Looking for frameless glass doors with no aluminum frame? That is our All Glass Herculite Doors and Entrances page.
Storefront Glass
1 inch insulated glass units for exterior openings, with low-E coatings where the building needs the performance and tinted glass where glare or solar heat is the problem.
Laminated glass where safety, security or sound matters. Spandrel glass at floor lines and anywhere the wall behind the glass should not be seen.
Single pane 1/4 inch tempered glass for interior framed openings and for exterior work that does not call for an insulated unit.
Glass selection usually comes down to three questions: what the energy code requires, which direction the elevation faces, and what the tenant wants people to see from the sidewalk. We go through those with you before anything is ordered.
Every opening is field measured after the framing is set and the glass is ordered to those measurements. Doors, sidelites and any lite within reach of a walking surface get safety glazing, which is what the code requires and what an inspector looks for.
Only need new glass in an existing storefront frame? See Commercial Window & Glass Replacement.
Interior Framed Systems
The same framing works inside the building: vestibules, framed interior entrances, and framed office fronts and partitions. Interior systems carry a grid of mullions and transoms and take 1/4 inch tempered glass.
Looking for interior glass with no framing between the panes? That is our Office Glass Partitions & Interior Glass Walls page.
Door Hardware We Furnish and Install
Panic hardware and exit devices. Overhead closers. Push paddles and pulls. Deadlatch locks with mortise cylinders and thumbturns. Thresholds and weathering. Low-energy automatic operators, push-plate and sensor activated.
On access-controlled openings we furnish and install magnetic locks and electric strikes and leave the wiring accessible. We do not supply, connect or commission the access-control system itself — that is an access-control professional’s work.
Systems and Suppliers
We build with Kawneer, YKK, US Aluminum, Coral and Aldora aluminum systems.
If a project is specified to a particular system, we quote it as specified.
How a Storefront Project Runs
PLANS OR SITE VISIT → QUOTE → FIELD VERIFICATION → GLASS & HARDWARE SELECTION → INSTALLATION
We can price from plans, drawings, specifications or a bid invitation. Once a project is awarded we field verify every opening before anything is ordered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you quote from plans, or do you need to come out first?
Either one. We quote from plans, drawings, specifications and bid documents. A site visit is more useful on replacement work, where the existing conditions decide the approach. We field verify before fabrication on every project.
Can you match the storefront already on the building?
Usually, yes. Most commercial buildings in this area use standard center-set framing in clear anodized or dark bronze. We match the profile and the finish so a replaced bay reads the same as the rest of the elevation.
What is the difference between storefront and curtain wall?
Storefront is a framed system set into an opening, normally at ground level and one or two stories tall. Curtain wall hangs off the building structure and spans floors. Most retail, office and restaurant fronts are storefront.
Do you work with general contractors on bid projects?
Yes. Send the bid invitation, plans and specifications and we will price it. We work with general contractors, architects, designers, property managers, building owners and developers.
Can you install automatic doors?
We furnish and install low-energy automatic operators, both push-plate and sensor activated, on aluminum entrance doors.
How long does a storefront take?
Typical turnaround is 7 to 10 business days once the opening is field verified and the glass and hardware are selected. Special order framing, custom finishes and larger systems take longer, and we will tell you that up front.
