- Location
- Christchurch, Dorset
- Main postcode district
- BH23
- Nearby (straight line)
- Bournemouth (4 miles), New Milton (5 miles) and Ferndown (7 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A PVC strip curtain is a row of flexible, overlapping plastic strips hung from a rail across a doorway, so that people and vehicles can pass through while the strips fall back to close the gap behind them. At loading bays they hang behind the main door or across internal openings, reducing draughts, dust and temperature loss for much less than the cost of a powered door.
How does this suit sites in Christchurch?
Where strips at a site in Christchurch have turned cloudy and scratched, replacing them restores visibility for drivers and pedestrians sharing the opening. Measuring an opening in Christchurch for a strip curtain takes only a short visit, and we note traffic, temperature and fixings at the same time.
Wind-driven rain and leaves blowing into an open dock are a familiar nuisance, and a heavy-duty strip curtain is one simple response for sites in Christchurch.
Step one is a survey at your site in Christchurch, which costs nothing and carries no obligation. Step two is a written quote with a fixed price and a clear scope. Step three is installation, scheduled around your operation and carried out by specialist installation engineers working under our management, including evenings or weekends if agreed. Step four is handover, when the equipment is tested in front of you and the paperwork is passed over.
Do strip curtains count towards building energy rules?
A strip curtain does not replace the need for a compliant door: where a new or replacement external loading bay door is fitted, it is the door that has to meet the energy rules.
- England: Approved Document L (2021) Volume 2 sets a limiting U-value of 1.3 W/m²K for vehicle access and similar large doors in new and replacement work.
- Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: each nation has its own energy rules, through Approved Document L for Wales, Section 6 of the Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbook, and Technical Booklet F2 in Northern Ireland. We confirm what applies to your nation and project.
What a strip curtain does well is reduce the air moving through an opening while the door is open for loading. That helps a heated or chilled building, even though the curtain is not the door.
Workplace safety still applies around the curtain: strips should stay clear enough for drivers and pedestrians to see each other. HSE is the regulator in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland.
How often do PVC strips need replacing?
PVC strips need replacing when they become scratched, cloudy, split or shortened, and how often that happens depends almost entirely on traffic. A curtain at a busy forklift opening wears far faster than one at a quiet pedestrian door.
Signs that strips are due for replacement:
- You can no longer see clearly through them.
- Strips have torn at the top fixing or split along their length.
- Gaps have opened because strips have shrunk or been cut short.
- Low-temperature strips have stiffened and no longer fall back into place.
Individual strips can be swapped without replacing the whole curtain, which keeps costs down. Cleaning with a mild detergent helps visibility, while solvents can damage the PVC. Moving strips from the busy centre to the edges, and back, spreads the wear more evenly.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
Survey checklist for your dock
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Yard gradient and the slope of the approach to the dock
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
- Power supply at each bay, including three-phase availability
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
- Clear opening width and height for each door
Options to discuss
Low-temperature strips
A grade formulated to stay flexible in chillers and freezers, where standard strips would stiffen, crack and stop falling back into place.
Standard clear strips
Clear flexible PVC for ambient warehouses and goods-in areas, giving good visibility and draught control at pedestrian and forklift openings.
Planning, building control and safety law in England
Sites in Christchurch fall under the rules for England. Structural changes such as forming a new opening or a dock leveller pit may need Building Regulations approval, and external structures such as loading houses, canopies or new dock approaches can need planning permission from the local planning authority. We check what applies at survey and build any approvals into the plan.
Questions about PVC strip curtains in Christchurch
Is VAT included in your guide prices for PVC strip curtains?
No. Our customers are businesses, so guide prices exclude VAT, which is added at the standard rate. The same guide range applies in Dorset as everywhere else: for PVC strip curtains, it is £180 to £1,100 per opening, excluding VAT. It covers supply and fit for a typical installation. Your fixed written quote after the free survey shows the net price, the VAT and exactly what is included.
Do you remove and dispose of the old equipment?
Yes, where it is part of the scope. When we replace doors, levellers, shelters or seals at a site in Christchurch, removal and disposal of the old equipment can be included and is itemised in the quote, so it is clear what is covered. If anything should be kept, such as a frame or motor that is still serviceable, we agree that at survey.
How long does installation take at a site in Christchurch?
It depends on the equipment, the number of bays, the condition of the dock and whether any building or electrical work is needed. We agree a programme with you after the survey, setting out which bays are out of use and when. Larger jobs are usually phased so that part of the dock stays open, and out-of-hours working can be arranged.
Which grade should we use in a freezer?
Use a low-temperature or polar grade in a freezer. Standard PVC stiffens in the cold, so it cracks and stops falling back into place, leaving gaps. Low-temperature grades are formulated to stay flexible in chilled and frozen conditions, so they keep sealing after each vehicle passes.
How do I clean PVC strip curtains?
Clean strips with warm water and a mild detergent, then wipe them dry. Avoid solvents and abrasive pads, which damage the surface and make strips cloud faster. In food areas, follow your site's hygiene schedule and choose a grade suited to regular cleaning.
PVC strip curtains near Christchurch
Distances are measured from Christchurch. Nearby towns we cover include Bournemouth (4 miles), New Milton (5 miles) and Ferndown (7 miles), and other towns in the area are covered too.
Other loading bay services in Christchurch
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Christchurch
Tell us what is happening at your Christchurch dock, what equipment is there and when it is used, and we will suggest the right next step.