Commercial Steel Doors in Hamilton: 89 Hollow Metal Doors Across Three Parking Garage Ramps for St. Joseph's Healthcare

The parking garage at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton has three ramps, and it was undergoing structural concrete and waterproofing rehabilitation. Complete Concrete Restoration was the general contractor. Canuck removed and hauled away the old door systems and supplied and installed 89 new exterior hollow metal doors in welded frames, with the hardware the hospital asked for.

It is the largest steel door job we have written up, and it was shaped by two things: the garage had to stay open, and the doors had to be painted before winter.

Four decades of doors for names Ontario knows — Canada’s Wonderland, Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, the LCBO, Metrolinx, Marriott & Hilton hotels, the University of Toronto — plus thousands of businesses across the GTA. Dependable people, quality products, since 1979.

What went in

The job was first quoted with a different brand of hardware. The hospital asked for higher-end, more durable hardware, and the specification was upgraded to the list above. For doors in a parking garage, used all day and exposed to the weather, that is money well spent. Some of it shipped from the US and arrived as planned.

Each level's doors are painted a different colour, with the level number on the door, which helps people find their level.

One ramp at a time

Patients and visitors had to be able to use the garage throughout. The doors were replaced one ramp at a time, so traffic kept flowing through the others.

Replacing all 89 doors at once would have closed the garage. Instead, the crew finished one ramp before starting the next, so patients and visitors could always park and get to the hospital.

Painted before winter

The doors and frames had to be painted on site, and paint needs the right weather. So they had to be delivered before winter, while it was still warm enough to paint them.

We received the project in April 2022. The hospital reviewed the drawings extensively, approved them in June, and production started right away. As the colder weather came in, the doors for ramps 1 and 2 were painted and installed, and finished by December. The site was not ready for ramp 3 before the year ended, so its doors waited for spring, were painted when the weather allowed, and were installed by May 2023.

Questions this job answers

How do you replace doors in a parking garage without closing it?

One section at a time. On this job the doors were replaced one ramp at a time, so the other ramps kept working for patients and visitors.

Why does the weather matter for steel doors?

Because the doors and frames are painted on site, and paint needs suitable temperatures. On this job two ramps were painted and installed before winter, and the third waited for spring.

What hardware suits exterior doors in a parking garage?

Heavy-duty hardware that stands up to constant use and the weather. This job used Von Duprin 22 series panic bars, Schlage ND grade 1 levers and LCN 4040XP closers.

Why colour-code parking garage doors?

It helps people find their way. Each level's doors on this job are a different colour, with the level number on the door.

Where this sits

This was hollow metal door and commercial door hardware work in a hospital parking garage in Hamilton. For the same work on your building, start with the commercial doors in Hamilton page.