- Location
- Cardiff, South Glamorgan
- Main postcode districts
- CF10, CF11 and CF24
- Nearby (straight line)
- Penarth (3 miles), Caerphilly (7 miles) and Barry (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.
What matters for PVC strip curtains in Cardiff?
In a warehouse in Cardiff where doors stay open for much of the shift, strip curtains offer a practical first step before considering a high-speed door. Chilled rooms off a dock in Cardiff can lose temperature through internal doorways, and a low-temperature strip curtain is a quick, inexpensive fix.
Goods-in areas in Cardiff that leave the main door open during long unloading sessions can use a strip curtain to hold back draughts and dust.
Our part of the job in Cardiff is to survey, quote and manage; the fitting itself is done by specialist installation engineers working under our management. The survey and the written quote are free. Once the fixed price is accepted, we agree dates that work around your deliveries and shifts, including out-of-hours working where needed. Every installation is tested before handover, and you receive the documentation for each item fitted.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across Wales; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What does the free survey cover?
- Asbestos register and any other site hazard information
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
- Working hours, shift patterns and windows for out-of-hours work
- Dock height and the mix of trailers you load
- Condition of any existing leveller pit, kerb angles and pit drainage
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.
Standard clear strips
Clear flexible PVC for ambient warehouses and goods-in areas, giving good visibility and draught control at pedestrian and forklift openings.
Which rules apply in Wales?
Equipment fitted in Wales may carry the UKCA or the CE mark. For each door, leveller or shelter installed in Cardiff, we hand over the documentation that comes with it. Permissions are never assumed either way: whether planning permission or Building Regulations approval is needed, we check what applies at survey and tell you before dates are agreed.
Questions about PVC strip curtains in Cardiff
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Cardiff?
We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.
Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Cardiff?
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.
Do you cover Cardiff for PVC strip curtains?
Yes. We take on PVC strip curtains for businesses in Cardiff and across South Glamorgan. 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.
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.
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 Cardiff
If your site is not in Cardiff itself, it may be near one of these: Penarth (3 miles), Caerphilly (7 miles) and Barry (7 miles). Pick the closest.
Other loading bay services in Cardiff
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Cardiff
Have photos of the door, leveller or shelter? Send them with your enquiry and we can give a clearer answer for your Cardiff site.