- Location
- Ashford, Kent
- Main postcode district
- TN24
- Nearby (straight line)
- Faversham (12 miles), Canterbury (13 miles) and Folkestone (13 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.
Is this right for your site in Ashford?
Food and packaging businesses in Ashford can choose strip grades suited to regular cleaning, helping to separate dispatch areas from production. Goods-in areas in Ashford that leave the main door open during long unloading sessions can use a strip curtain to hold back draughts and dust.
In a warehouse in Ashford where doors stay open for much of the shift, strip curtains offer a practical first step before considering a high-speed door.
Before anything is ordered, we visit your site in Ashford for a free survey and then send a written quote with a fixed price. From that point we manage the installation, coordinating delivery, access and any other trades. Fitting is done by specialist installation engineers engaged and managed by us, at times that suit your operation, including out of hours where agreed. You get a tested installation, a demonstration for your team and the manufacturer documentation.
Which strip width, thickness and grade should I choose?
Choose the strip size by the size of the opening and the traffic through it, and the grade by temperature and use. Wider, thicker strips seal better and resist forklifts, but are heavier to push through on foot.
- Pedestrian doorways: typically 200 mm wide by 2 mm thick strips with a modest overlap.
- Forklift openings: typically 300 mm wide by 3 mm thick, with a larger overlap.
- Large dock openings: typically 400 mm wide by 4 mm thick, which hang well in draughts.
- Low-temperature grade: stays flexible in chillers and freezers, where standard PVC would stiffen and crack.
- Ribbed strips: raised ribs take the wear from forklifts and keep the strips clearer for longer.
- Specialist grades: anti-static, tinted or opaque, or welding grade for screening.
Overlap matters as much as thickness. A full overlap gives a better seal in cold or dusty areas, while a partial overlap is easier to walk through.
How are strip curtains fitted to a loading bay opening?
Strip curtains are fitted by fixing a rail across the head of the opening and hanging the strips from it, a job that usually takes an hour or two per opening and needs no power supply.
- Fixed rails: bolted to the lintel or wall above the opening, with strips hooked or clamped on.
- Sliding rails: let the whole curtain be pushed to one side for wide loads or warmer months.
- Swing-away rails: hinge back against the wall, useful where a door track runs close to the head of the opening.
At a dock the curtain usually sits just inside the main door, so we check it will not snag the door's bottom edge, the leveller lip or any tracks. From you we need the opening clear for the visit and agreement on whether strips should reach the floor or stop just above it. Strips that drag on the floor wear quickly and can catch on pallet trucks.
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
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
- Control positions, isolators and any existing interlocks
- Clear opening width and height for each door
- Bumper position and wear or damage on the dock face
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
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.
Sliding or swing-away rail
A rail that lets the whole curtain be moved clear of the opening for wide loads, cleaning or seasonal removal without taking the strips down.
Which rules apply in England?
Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Ashford, that means doors meeting regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, equipment maintained under PUWER and suitable safeguards against vehicles driving away too early. We check what applies at survey and design the bay accordingly.
Questions about PVC strip curtains in Ashford
Do you cover Ashford for PVC strip curtains?
Yes. We take on PVC strip curtains for businesses in Ashford and across Kent. We survey the site, provide a fixed written quote and manage the installation, with specialist installation engineers working under our management. Visits are arranged in advance at a time that suits your operation, and the same single contact stays with the job through to handover.
How long does installation take at a site in Ashford?
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.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Ashford?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
Should the strips touch the floor?
Strips usually stop just above the floor so they do not drag, wear or catch on pallet trucks. Where draughts or pests are a concern they can be set closer to the floor, and we agree the finished height with you before fitting so it suits the traffic through the opening.
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.
PVC strip curtains near Ashford
We also cover towns near Ashford, including Faversham (12 miles), Canterbury (13 miles) and Folkestone (13 miles). Each has its own page with the same services and process.
Other loading bay services in Ashford
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Ashford
Send a few photos of the dock and a short description of the problem, and we will come back to you about your Ashford site.