- Location
- Kettering, Northamptonshire
- Main postcode district
- NN16
- Nearby (straight line)
- Wellingborough (7 miles), Corby (7 miles) and Rushden (9 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.
Where does this fit at a dock in Kettering?
Chilled rooms off a dock in Kettering can lose temperature through internal doorways, and a low-temperature strip curtain is a quick, inexpensive fix. Smaller trade units in Kettering with a single goods door may find a strip curtain the most economical way to keep the working area warmer in winter.
In a warehouse in Kettering where doors stay open for much of the shift, strip curtains offer a practical first step before considering a high-speed door.
For PVC strip curtains in Kettering, we begin with a free site survey and a fixed written quote, so you know the scope and cost before committing. We take responsibility for managing the job, and specialist installation engineers carry it out under our supervision. Bays are taken out of use in a planned sequence so the rest of the dock keeps working, and evening or weekend work can be arranged. Each item is tested at handover and the documentation is left with you.
Context for sites in and around Kettering, briefly: the A14 here forms part of Northamptonshire's distribution cluster. Wherever a dock sits, the same questions apply about doors, levellers, sealing and vehicle safety.
Are strip curtains safe where forklifts and pedestrians share an opening?
Strip curtains can be used where forklifts and pedestrians share an opening, but only if the strips stay clear enough for both to see through and the route is managed. Visibility is the main risk.
- Clear strips scratch and cloud with use, so a driver may not see a person on the other side.
- Ribbed strips and regular replacement keep visibility better for longer.
- A separate pedestrian door beside the vehicle opening is the safer arrangement.
- Floor markings and mirrors help where a separate door is not possible.
At very busy openings, a high-speed dock door with vision panels and safety sensors may be the better long-term answer, because it opens fully for each vehicle and closes again behind it. We can price both so you can compare the cost and the practical difference for your traffic.
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
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Whether planning, building control or a building warrant may be needed
- Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
- Escape routes and pedestrian doors close to the bay
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- Traffic routes for vehicles and separation of pedestrians
Options to discuss
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.
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.
Which rules apply in England?
Powered doors and dock equipment installed in England may carry the UKCA or the CE mark, and doors are covered by the product standard BS EN 13241. We hand over the relevant documentation for each item fitted in Kettering. Planning and Building Regulations questions are never assumed either way: we check what applies at survey, so you know before work is booked.
Questions about PVC strip curtains in Kettering
Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Kettering?
Yes, by arrangement. Evening, night and weekend working can be planned so the installation causes as little disruption as possible to your loading schedule. Out-of-hours work can affect the price, so mention it at the survey and we will include it in the written quote. The agreed times are confirmed in the programme before the job starts.
How long does installation take at a site in Kettering?
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.
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 Northamptonshire 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.
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.
Do strip curtains work at an external dock opening?
Yes, strip curtains are often hung just inside an external dock door to reduce draughts while the door is open for loading. They are not a substitute for the door itself, which still closes the opening for security and weather whenever the bay is not in use.
PVC strip curtains near Kettering
Sites close to Kettering get the same service, including those in Wellingborough (7 miles), Corby (7 miles) and Rushden (9 miles), with every job run the same way.
Other loading bay services in Kettering
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Kettering
Tell us what is happening at your Kettering dock, what equipment is there and when it is used, and we will suggest the right next step.