Door and window louvers are available in many different styles and functions. There is a louver available to solve most any air flow or light direction need. Companies manufacture louvers to ventilate rooms, block all light from coming into a room, protect areas from outdoor elements and many other reasons.

Understanding door and window louvers basics will help you to choose the right type of louver for your business needs. Consider the following points as you research basic information on louvers:

1. Understand the benefits of door and window louvers.

2. Find out how a window or door louver works.

3. Determine the best door and window louvers material for your needs.

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Find out how door and window louvers are beneficial

Door and window louvers are not just a way of sprucing up a door or window, they are actually quite useful and beneficial for many reasons. Louvers originally protected homes against the elements. They now increase air flow indoors, as well as protect against the elements. Understanding the benefits of louvers will help you to choose the best type for your business.

I recommend: Chore-Time Brock International explains some of the benefits of installing louvers, such as sealing fan openings and preventing elements from entering your place of business. Visit Cesco Products to find more beneficial reasons for installing door and window louvers.

Get information about how a window or door louver works

Understanding how louvers work can help you determine how effective they will be in solving your businesses ventilation issues. Find out how different louvers are effective for different tasks, such as sound muffling, blocking elements and increasing air flow.

I recommend: A simple tutorial on how louvers work is available at Architectural Louvers. It has in depth information on each problem a window or door louver will solve. For information on the effectiveness of acoustic standard and custom door louvers, visit Kinetics Noise Control.

Choose the commercial window louvers material that best suits your business needs

There are wood, vinyl and metal door louvers and window louvers. Wooden louvers are attractive, durable and biodegradable, but wood louvers require regular sanding and staining or painting. Vinyl louvers do not require any maintenance and offer a light-weight, fully functional alternative. Metal louvers are durable, but you must repaint scratched ones to prevent corrosion.

I recommend: For the pros and cons of wood and vinyl door and window louvers, visit Guide to Doors and Windows. Shutter Classic has a comparison guide of several different types of standard and custom window louvers. This side-by-side guide allows price, feature and specification comparison.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most door and window louver manufacturers offer installation services for a minimal charge. When you do not have the time, tools or know how to install the louvers, spend the extra money to save on frustration and get a guaranteed installation.

Door and window louvers come in a variety of colors and sizes to fit your every business need. They help you enhance proper ventilation by permitting air flow and passage. Thus they are great for rooms such as closets and laundry rooms where ventilation is preferred.

The benefits of door and window louvers are that they permit light and air, but they keep out rain, direct sunshine and noise. They also add architectural interest to any building project or home.

To find the right door or custom window louvers for you:

1. Determine what size and color you have in mind.

2. Find a window and door louver specialist in your area or online.

3. Opt for a specialist or contractor to install your new product.

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Compare window and door louver merchants on price and quality

Start your shopping for your door and window louvers online. You can easily price compare or send away for company catalogs.

I recommend: Anemostat offers a wide variety of door products including multiple styles of metal door louvers. Air Louvers offers manually adjustable custom door louvers to enhance proper ventilation for your commercial buildings. The ArchitecturalDepot.com is another place to find a variety of louvers. ShipStore.com sells 4'teak door louver slats so that you as a builder can create your own louver doors.

Find door louver suppliers to fit your specific need

You can find any number of providers of door and commercial window louvers to fit your any need. Whether you just need to replace a louver grill or the whole door or window, there are providers out their to help you with your specific door or window need.

I recommend: AmeraProducts, Inc. offers a 2-piece louver grill piece that fits directly into a pre-cut whole made in your door. NGP Products offers a wide variety of window louver and door louver products including: aluminum doors, partition louvers, darkroom louvers, security louvers and vandal resistant security louvers. Estate Millwork, Inc. is another of the door louver manufacturers. Supa Doors offers true & false louvered doors in 1 3/8" & 1 3/4" thick. Their doors are from 1' to 3' wide and up to 8' tall.

Use a door and window louver search engine

Skip generic search engines like Google. Instead, start with an industry specific search engine to start you on your window and door louver quest.

I recommend: 4specs offers multiple brand listings for commercial window louvers and vents. AECinfo.com not only gives you multiple door and window louver listings, but they also let you know if the company listed offers a brochure, has CAD drawings, has specs and/or has a website. ARCAT offers you similar information specifically geared towards architects, spec writers, engineers and contractors. Their information includes a list of door louver manufacturers, their product information, specs and cad details.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can also consider false louver doors instead of a true door louver. This type of door features a louver façade without air flow or passage.

Door and window louvers can provide any home or office with better ventilation or even a natural cooling system. There are things that are important to know when installing custom window louvers which makes additional door and window louvers installation education and training an essential commodity in the home and office repair arena.

Whether you are new to installing door and window louvers or are an industry veteran, there is always a lot to know about proper installation. Dedicating some time to learn or become more efficient at installing can make a huge difference when you begin new jobs.

When looking to develop your door and window louvers installation education and training, look for the following:

1. Detailed online how-to guides provide pictures and detailed instructions.

2. There are various ways to communicate with others in the window and louvered metal doors business.

3. Certification programs and classes set you apart from others in the window and door business.

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Find how-to guides and videos online on window louver and door louver installation

You may learn quickly by watching an online video or looking at some step-by-step instructions. If you learn best by observing visual demonstrations, this type of metal louver doors instruction may work best for you. This is also a quick and easy, affordable way to stay abreast of new innovations in door and window louvers.

I recommend: Wholesale Screens and Glass features an online step-by-step guide to installing window louvers. Crawl Space Door Systems has a video on how to install a door louver into a crawl space.

Join professional organizations to further your knowledge about commercial window louvers

Attending professional conferences and joining specialized organizations can help you make the right contacts in the business. Being able to talk to the experts in the field and learn first-hand from window louver manufacturers and louver suppliers is going to help you to do your job more efficiently. You will also have the ability to network with these professionals in the future to share best practices.

I recommend: The Home Improvement Research Institute holds bi-annual conferences for its members. Glass Build America hosts a trade show for members of the glass business as well as window and door professionals.

Seek certification in window and door louvers installation

If you are looking to grow your already existing business, or to pull in new business, getting certified in installation may be just what it takes to set you apart from your counterparts in the business. This shows your true commitment to doing your job correctly and furthering your door and window louvers education and training.

I recommend: Installation Masters has a certification program for the installation of windows and exterior glass doors. If you are looking for continuing education opportunities, the American Architectural Manufacturers Association has a number of resources.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Door and window louvers are designed to be functional, but can be decorative as well. Take the time to understand not just what the louvers can do for the environment of a home or office building, but what they can add to the aesthetics of the structure as well.
• •  Invest in custom door louvers and metal window louvers education and training. Your business will benefit greatly from your diversifying the skills your partners and staff possess with different types of materials and methods.

Louvers can have many uses, both decorative and practical. They can prevent the elements from entering a building, provide privacy while still allowing air to enter or give an interesting look or texture to doors or windows. Louvers are usually blade-shaped pieces made of wood, metal, or plastic; most blades can open and close. If you are in the market for door or window louvers, here are some door and window louvers key terms you should know.

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Storm louvers

Storm louvers protect houses from extreme weather. Some have been tested as impervious to heavy rainfall and even sand. Install storm louvers in climates where heavy rainstorms, hurricanes or sandstorms are a problem.

I recommend: Cesco Products discusses how storm louvers function.

Standard blade louvers

Standard blade louvers are used on most doors or windows to keep out sun or rain but let in air. They can be installed either vertically or horizontally. Unlike storm blades, standard blades resist water, but cannot prevent driving rain from penetrating.

I recommend: Architectural Louvers has diagrams to show how standard blade louvers work.

Drainable blade louvers

Drainable blade louvers provide air intake, but protect against high winds, low pressure drops and strong air currents. Their blades are constructed with gutters and downspouts to channel water away from windows or doors, so the interior of the room stays dry but still receives ventilation.

I recommend: The McGraw-Hill Companies explains drainable blade louvers and provides specs.

Wind-driven rain louvers

Wind-driven rain resistant louvers have much wider blades than standard louvers. Blade spacing is also much closer together to protect against extreme weather and extreme wind. The blades, which can be set either horizontally or vertically, are specially engineered to stop rain penetration and reduce pressure drop.

I recommend: Ruskin provides information about wind-driven rain louvers and has links to articles about the technology.

Acoustical louvers

People install acoustical louvers where noise pollution is a problem. These louvers function the same way standard louvers do for letting in air flow and keeping an area ventilated, but the blades are perforated aluminum with rockwool attached to muffle noise.

I recommend: Industrial Louvers shows different acoustical louver designs and has links to specs and descriptions.

Darkroom louvers

Install darkroom louvers on doors to darkrooms to reduce the chemical smells in the room. These louvers are specially made to allow proper ventilation but prevent light from entering.

I recommend: Electron Microscopy Sciences discusses darkroom louvers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can install false-front louver doors in rooms where you want the architectural detail of louvers, but do not want air or noise to penetrate.