Repair work in CP is dominated by doors, and by one part of them in particular. A door onto a Connaught Place corridor is opened continuously through a trading day, has been for years, and the mechanism that closes it is a wear item rather than a permanent fitting. Most of what we are called to look at here is that.
The floor spring is almost always the answer
A glass door that slams, drifts open, sits crooked or catches on the floor has, in the great majority of cases, a worn floor spring. The floor spring is the mechanism set into the floor that controls the closing.
The door itself is usually perfectly sound. Toughened glass does not warp and patch fittings rarely fail.
So we check the spring, the patch fittings and the alignment before quoting anything larger. A new floor spring is a fraction of the cost of a new door, and in most CP suites that is the whole job. Where somebody has quoted you a replacement door for a door that slams, it is worth asking what they found wrong with the glass.
Replacing a floor spring in an old floor
There is a complication specific to buildings of this age and it is worth setting out.
The floor spring sits in a cement box cast into the floor. In a 1930s building that box is often an odd size, and current springs do not always drop straight into it. Sometimes the box has to be opened up and re-formed, which means a small amount of floor work and a curing time before the door can be re-hung.
That is a day rather than an hour, and it is better known in advance than discovered with the door off. We look inside the box when we survey, so the quote reflects what is actually there rather than the easy case.
Broken glass in a corridor-facing suite
A broken pane onto a public corridor is a security and safety matter immediately, and CP's corridors are busy at all hours.
So the first visit clears the glass properly and boards the opening so the suite can be locked. Toughened glass breaks into many small pieces which travel a long way on a hard corridor floor, and clearing them properly matters more here than in a private room.
The replacement follows the material. A made-to-size toughened panel takes three to five working days, and a panel with patch fittings takes the same, because the holes are drilled before toughening and cannot be added afterwards. Nobody can shorten that, and being told otherwise is a warning sign rather than good service.
How the job works
- Tell us about the jobSend a few photos, rough sizes and what you need. Use WhatsApp or the form. For a repair, a short video of the door moving helps a lot.
- We call you backUsually the same day. Where we can, we give you a rough price on the call. Then you know if a visit is worth your time.
- We come and measureWe measure the opening. We also check the walls, floor, ceiling and the way in. Your glass is made to these final sizes, so they must be right.
- You get a written priceIt shows the glass, the fittings and the fitting work as separate lines. If anything about the job changes, we tell you before we go ahead.
- We make it and fit itYou approve the price and pay the advance. Then we make your glass. Our team delivers it, fits it, checks the doors line up and clears the site.
