David Bolton Mantrap Installations: How to Specify the Right Hardware for a Two-Door Security Vestibule What This Guide Covers and Who It Is For A mantrap, also called a security vestibule or airlock entry, is a controlled access passage that uses two doors in sequence to prevent tailgating and unauthor... access control commercial door hardware electrified hardware exit devices security vestibule Aug 20, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Delayed Egress Alarm Modules: What Specifiers and Facility Teams Get Wrong Before the Door Goes Live What This Article Covers -- And Who It Helps Delayed egress alarm modules are one of the most misunderstood options in the exit device world. Specifiers order the wrong configuration. Facilities teams... code compliance delayed egress electrified hardware exit devices life safety Aug 17, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Exit Only on Stair Tower Doors: Getting the Hardware Package Right the First Time What This Article Covers and Who It Helps Stair tower doors are among the most frequently misspecified openings in commercial construction. They sit at the intersection of egress requirements, re-entr... code and compliance commercial door hardware exit devices fire exit hardware stair tower hardware Aug 16, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Aluminum Storefront Door Hardware: What Actually Goes on That Opening and Why Each Piece Matters What This Guide Covers and Who It Is For Aluminum storefront doors are the most common commercial entrance type in retail, office, and mixed-use buildings -- and they account for a significant share o... aluminum door hardware commercial entrance electric strikes exit devices storefront hardware Aug 15, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Through-Bolt vs. Sex Bolt for Exit Devices: Which Fastening Method Belongs on Your Door Two Ways to Anchor an Exit Device -- and Why the Choice Is Not Interchangeable This article explains the practical difference between through-bolt and sex bolt (also called barrel bolt or Chicago scre... door hardware fasteners exit devices fire door hardware installation panic hardware Aug 3, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton The Concealed Offset Panic Threshold: What Specifiers Get Wrong Before the Floor Goes Down What This Article Covers and Who It Helps This guide explains how panic thresholds with a concealed offset work, why they are misspecified more often than almost any other threshold type, and what spe... commercial door hardware egress compliance exit devices panic hardware thresholds Aug 1, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton When an Exit Device Stops Latching: How the Cam and Housing Assembly Fails and What to Do Before Replacing the Whole Device The Bar Moves But the Door Does Not Latch: A Common Exit Device Problem With a Specific Cause This article is for facility managers, commercial installers, and maintenance technicians who are troubles... commercial door hardware exit device repair exit devices fire door compliance panic hardware maintenance Jul 30, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Electric Latch Retraction on Exit Devices: How Access Control Unlocks the Door Without Touching the Bar What This Article Covers and Who It Helps If you are specifying or installing an access-controlled opening that also requires panic hardware, electric latch retraction (ELR) is the mechanism that ties... access control electric latch retraction electrified hardware exit devices fire-rated hardware Jul 28, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Exit Device Prep on Hollow Metal Doors: What Gets Cut Wrong Before the Device Ever Ships Why Door Prep Is the Decision That Happens First -- and Hurts Last This article is for commercial subcontractors, door and hardware suppliers, and facility project managers who specify or install exit... door prep exit devices fire door compliance hollow metal doors panic hardware Jul 26, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Electrified Exit Device Trim: How the Outside Lever Controls Ingress Without Blocking Egress What This Article Covers and Who It Helps Electrified exit device trim is the outside lever, handle, or pull mounted on the secure side of a panic bar that is controlled by an access system rather tha... access control electrified hardware exit devices fire-rated door hardware panic hardware Jul 24, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Passage Function vs Night-Latch Function on Exit Devices: Choosing the Right Outside Trim for the Opening Why the Outside Trim Function on an Exit Device Is Not a Minor Detail This article explains the operational difference between passage function and night-latch function on exit device outside trim, an... egress hardware exit devices hardware schedules lockset functions outside trim Jul 19, 2026 Our Blog
David Bolton Panic Hardware in Assembly Occupancies: What the Occupant Load Threshold Actually Triggers What This Article Covers and Who It Helps If you are specifying, bidding, or inspecting door hardware in a theater, arena, conference center, house of worship, banquet hall, or any other assembly-use ... assembly occupancy code compliance exit devices life safety panic hardware Jul 13, 2026 Our Blog