Annual maintenance checklist for storefronts

A storefront that gets the right maintenance lasts fifteen to twenty years. A storefront that gets none usually needs serious work by year seven. The difference is not about money. It is about whether somebody has a checklist and uses it.

This is the checklist we hand to every commercial client at handover. Print it, pin it in the building services office, and assign each item to a named person with a frequency. The whole thing takes a few hours a year and prevents the most expensive failures we see.

Daily, by the closing crew

Two minutes per door wiping the pulls with a damp microfiber cloth. Fingerprints and visible smudges only.

A spot wipe of the glass at face height around the entrance, where hands and accidental contact accumulate.

A visual check that the door is closing properly. Slamming, sticking, dragging, or not latching are all early warning signs. Note any issue in a log.

Weekly, by the cleaning crew

A full glass clean inside and outside with a pH-neutral glass cleaner and a rubber squeegee.

A wipe-down of the aluminum framing with lukewarm soapy water (a teaspoon of mild dish soap per gallon). Dry off with a clean microfiber cloth.

A wipe of all visible hardware (door pulls, hinges, locks, closer body, threshold strip) with the same soapy water solution. Dry off.

A check that the door sweep is making clean contact along the threshold. The sweep should drag lightly, not bunch up or skip.

For coastal locations, add a fresh-water rinse of the hardware with a low-pressure hose to wash off accumulated salt aerosol.

Monthly, by the building manager

A perimeter sealant inspection. Walk the entire frame perimeter. Look for any visible cracks, gaps, pulled-away sections, or discolouration. Photograph anything suspect.

A door swing test. Open and close each door slowly and watch for sagging, scraping, or unusual resistance at any point in the swing.

A hardware torque check on visible fasteners. Door pull screws, hinge mounting screws, threshold strip screws. A quarter-turn snug, not full tighten. If anything is loose, note for the next maintenance visit.

A look at the door closer body for any visible oil leaks. A wet streak below the closer means the seal is failing and a replacement is on the way.

A check of the door sweep and side wipe seals for tears, hardening, or detachment.

Quarterly, by the building manager

Everything in the monthly checklist, plus the following.

A hard-water mineral check on the glass. Look for white deposits along the bottom edge or anywhere water typically dries. If present, address with the 50/50 vinegar-water solution promptly.

A photo record of the storefront from a consistent vantage point, same angle each quarter. This is your visual log of how the storefront is aging over time, and it pays off when you eventually need a warranty conversation or an insurance claim.

A check of the cleaning supplies the janitorial crew is using. Make sure the approved products are in stock and the banned products (bleach, ammonia, abrasive cleaners) are nowhere near the storefront.

A nighttime walk-around with a flashlight to check the perimeter sealant for pinhole gaps that show as faint light leaks. Easier to see from outside looking in if the interior is lit. Reverse if not.

Six-monthly, by a qualified glazier

This is the visit that needs a professional. Schedule it twice a year. About an hour for a typical retail unit, longer for larger commercial installs.

The glazier inspects the hinges and pivots for play, the closer mechanism for adjustment and wear, all visible fasteners for torque, the perimeter sealant in full detail, and any weatherstripping or gaskets that look due for replacement.

They apply a dry silicone lubricant to hinges and pivots, adjust the closer if needed, and replace any seals or sweeps showing early wear.

They also check items that are easy to miss from the inside. Roof-side flashings if accessible. The lintel above the storefront for any water staining. The floor at the threshold for any settlement that might be pulling the frame out of square.

A typical six-monthly visit costs JMD 15,000 to JMD 35,000 depending on storefront size. Annual maintenance contracts that bundle both visits are usually cheaper.

Annually, by both the building manager and the glazier

The full six-monthly check, plus a formal condition report from the glazier in writing with photos of any flagged items.

A review of the cleaning products the janitorial crew has been using. Update the approved list if new safer products have come on the market.

A check of the warranty status. If the install is within the one-year workmanship warranty period, do a thorough walk-around in month eleven and file any claims before the warranty expires.

A review of the maintenance budget. Decide whether any preventive replacements (gaskets at year three to five, closer at year seven to ten, perimeter sealant at year five to seven) are due in the coming year.

A check of the insurance coverage on the storefront specifically. Storm damage and other events that fall outside the workmanship warranty should be covered by the business insurance policy.

Red flags to escalate immediately

Some issues warrant a call to the installer the same day, regardless of the scheduled inspection cycle.

Visible water damage on the wall finishes near the storefront. The perimeter sealant has failed and water is in the cavity.

A door that has dropped suddenly or will not close. Likely a pivot failure or substrate damage.

Glass that is showing any cracks, even hairline. Tempered glass can fail spontaneously, and a hairline crack can become a full panel break with no further provocation.

Hardware that has come loose from the frame. Failed fasteners can compromise the structural integrity of the install.

Any sign of corrosion on the framing itself, not just the hardware. Frame corrosion is rare on properly specced aluminum, but if it happens, the install is in trouble.

Storm damage of any kind. Document with photos before any cleanup so the insurance claim is supported.

A simple printable version

For the building services office, the checklist boils down to this.

Daily, closing crew: two minutes wiping door pulls and face-height glass at the entrance, log any door issues.

Weekly, cleaning crew: full glass and frame wipe-down, hardware wipe, door sweep check, plus coastal fresh-water rinse.

Monthly, building manager: perimeter sealant check, door swing test, hardware torque check, closer leak check, seal condition check.

Quarterly, building manager: monthly checklist plus hard-water glass check, photo record, cleaning supplies audit, nighttime sealant walk.

Six-monthly, qualified glazier: full hardware and seal inspection, lubrication, closer adjustment, written notes.

Annually, both: full condition report, warranty status check, budget review, insurance review.

Time investment is about ten minutes a week for the cleaning crew, an hour a month for the building manager, an hour twice a year for the glazier. Total annual time roughly 25 hours and total cost roughly JMD 50,000 to JMD 150,000 for a typical retail storefront. Compare that to the JMD 500,000 to JMD 2,000,000 in deferred repairs and early replacement that follows when maintenance is skipped.

For background on the kind of preventive-maintenance discipline this checklist applies to commercial assets, see the Wikipedia entry on preventive maintenance.

The next step

If you would like a printable version of this checklist customised to your specific storefront, or you would like to schedule the six-monthly professional visits, our team can set up an annual maintenance contract that handles the glazier-side items on a regular cadence so you do not have to remember to book the visits yourself.

Request a maintenance contract, browse our commercial work, or get a quote for any urgent repairs the checklist has surfaced.