- Location
- Dorking, Surrey
- Main postcode district
- RH4
- Nearby (straight line)
- Leatherhead (4 miles), Reigate (6 miles) and Redhill (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.
Why do sites in Dorking choose this?
Where strips at a site in Dorking have turned cloudy and scratched, replacing them restores visibility for drivers and pedestrians sharing the opening. Goods-in areas in Dorking 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 Dorking where doors stay open for much of the shift, strip curtains offer a practical first step before considering a high-speed door.
If you are planning PVC strip curtains for a site in Dorking, expect four stages. A free survey and fixed written quote come first. We then agree a programme with you, including any out-of-hours work. Specialist installation engineers carry out the installation under our management, with us as your single point of contact. Finally, the equipment is tested, your staff are shown how it works and everything is handed over with its documentation.
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.
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.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What we look at on site
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Wheel guide positions and yard markings for reversing vehicles
- How often each door cycles during a typical shift
- Lighting inside trailers and at the dock face
- Gaps around trailers where heated or chilled air escapes
- Wind exposure at the dock, which affects door and shelter choice
Options to discuss
Standard clear strips
Clear flexible PVC for ambient warehouses and goods-in areas, giving good visibility and draught control at pedestrian and forklift openings.
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.
Planning, building control and safety law in England
Sites in Dorking 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 Dorking
What details do you need from us to quote for PVC strip curtains?
To get started, send the site address in Dorking, the number of bays or openings, approximate sizes, and photos of the dock from inside and outside. Tell us what vehicles you load, what goods you handle and any temperature requirements. Drawings help on new builds. We then arrange the free survey and confirm the details before the written quote is issued.
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Dorking?
It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Dorking, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Can you work outside our normal operating hours in Dorking?
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.
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 Dorking
Sites close to Dorking get the same service, including those in Leatherhead (4 miles), Reigate (6 miles) and Redhill (7 miles), with every job run the same way.
Other loading bay services in Dorking
Full guide to PVC strip curtains · Everything we do in Dorking
Use the quote tool to tell us about the doors, levellers or shelters at your Dorking site, and we will be in touch to arrange the next step.