New Storefront Entrances for GTA Retail
A storefront entrance is the first thing a customer touches. For a new restaurant, salon, clinic or retail unit, it also has to survive hundreds of cycles a day, Toronto winters and the occasional cart or stroller. Getting it right at installation saves years of repair calls.
We install aluminum storefront entrances for general contractors, landlords and business owners on new builds and tenant fit-outs across Toronto and the GTA. Our crews work with Kawneer, YKK AP and Vistawall systems and the hardware that suits them. Because we also handle commercial door repair in Toronto, we spec hardware with long-term service in mind.
What Goes Into a Storefront Entrance
Frame
Aluminum frames are anchored to the rough opening and sealed against air and water. For exterior storefronts in Toronto, thermally broken frames are strongly recommended to reduce heat loss and condensation.
Door and stile
The door is an aluminum frame around a full lite of glass. Stile width is a big decision:
- Narrow stile: minimal look, limited hardware options, best for lighter traffic
- Medium stile: the right balance for most retail and restaurants
- Wide stile: most durable, suits heavy traffic and heavier hardware
Glass
Full lite doors use safety glass. Tempered glass is standard. Laminated glass holds together when broken and resists forced entry, which makes it the better choice for many street-level units. Insulated glass improves comfort in exposed locations.
Hardware
A typical package includes offset pivots or a continuous hinge, a Dorma or LCN closer, an Adams Rite deadlock or deadlatch, pulls and a threshold. Narrow-stile exit devices, electric strikes and AODA operators can be added.
Installation Cost Guide
| Entrance | Typical range (CAD, installed) |
|---|---|
| Single door, standard frame and hardware | $3,800 - $5,500 |
| Single door, thermally broken, laminated glass | $5,000 - $7,000 |
| Double doors with transom or sidelites | $6,500 - $9,500 |
Your written CAD scope confirms the system, glass, finish and hardware before materials are ordered.
How We Install
The crew starts with the rough opening, checking size, level, plumb and the substrate the frame will anchor to. A storefront set out of square will never close properly, so this step matters. The frame is anchored and sealed, the doors are glazed and hung, and hardware is installed and adjusted for traffic and wind.
On one Richmond Hill plaza, a GC opening a new restaurant needed a double-door storefront installed two weeks before the health inspection. The crew anchored a thermally broken YKK AP frame, glazed the doors and set Dorma closers and Adams Rite deadlocks in two days. The restaurant opened on schedule.
Accessibility From Day One
New storefronts are the cheapest time to plan for accessibility. A medium stile door can take a low-energy operator and push plates without major changes. Adding them at installation avoids retrofit costs later. See handicap door operator installation for options.
Larger Aluminum Entrances
Office lobbies, vestibules and institutional entrances with sidelites, transoms and card access are covered on our aluminum commercial door installation page.
Already Have a Storefront?
If your existing storefront frame is sound but the door is cracked or worn out, a storefront door replacement reuses the frame and costs less. If the entrance only needs pivots, a closer or a lock, see storefront door repair.
