Joinery and hardware
The school environment can be tough on joinery and hardware, like door handles and window hinges. It can be a hazard if it breaks, which your board needs to manage. You should buy commercial grade joinery and hardware and keep it well maintained.
Choosing the right joinery and hardware
Joinery and hardware gets a large amount of use in schools, so choose heavy duty or commercial options. It often costs more but has long-term benefits, like:
- lower maintenance and replacement costs
- less chance of people using broken handles, hinges or latches to break in
- fewer health and safety risks – for example, from a skylight falling if a hinge or latch breaks.
Maintaining joinery and hardware
Make sure you have a preventative maintenance programme that includes checking the school’s hardware and joinery regularly. This will lengthen the life of the item and will make sure it's safe to use. Check items like:
- doors and door handles
- window hinges
- skylight hinges and opening systems
- pins
- bolts
- fastenings.
Paying for joinery and hardware
You should pay for joinery and hardware in new buildings or alterations out of your project budget – for example, an upgrade project paid for with 5YA funding.
You can pay for maintenance, including replacement joinery and hardware, using your property maintenance grant.