Grilles are popular among shop owners wanting to create a secure store front without closing off their premises with imposing metal sheets each evening. The public can still see the shop window displays, the shop is still lit up and the high street does not go dead each night. The key question is which grille to buy.
Retractable grilles
They move across an opening with the help of top and/or bottom tracks, and when open, neatly stack to one or both sides. Sliding doors are well-suited to shop doors and windows that need to be cleared on a daily basis.
Plan on where the stack is going to be. A retractable grille stacks into a column of steel. If the column is positioned across part of the window display or door, it is obstructive and troublesome every working day.
Collapsible grilles
Folding grilles concertina-style and can be cheaper. They’re great for doors and smaller openings. For larger openings, you may need intermediate posts, which obstruct the opening when the grille is in the open position.
Fixed grilles
Fixed grilles are attached permanently and so are best fitted on windows that are never opened. Examples are side and back windows on offices, stockrooms and so on. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Check though that they do not obstruct an escape route window (in case of a fire for instance).
Inside or outside the glass
Fitted inside, glass can still be smashed, and people don’t get beyond the grille. The shopfront looks almost normal from the street. Fitted outside, glass is protected as well, but more councils will have a say in how it looks, especially in conservation areas.
As with shutters, an LPS 1175 rating is the only independent measure of an grille’s attack resistance. If your insurer names a standard, match it.
Back to the full guide: Trackless Barriers and Security Grilles
Related: Perforated vs Solid Shop Shutters | Commercial Security Shutters