The Overlooked Importance of Elevator Surface Protection

During any construction process, numerous surfaces are repaired and protected to keep them clean and free from damage. Builders and remodelers often spend thousands of dollars on surface protection to ensure their clients’ hardwood floors, windows, cabinets and other finishes remain protected from damage. While expensive floors and cabinets receive the lion’s share of surface protection, extremely expensive elevators are often left unprotected and subsequently damaged. This can incur staggering costs.

Replacing or repairing surface damage in elevators is an onerous and expensive undertaking. At best, the process to repair minor scratches, dents, and dents relied on hours of polishing, sanding, stripping, and refinishing. And while standard stainless steel may only require light sanding to repair, common non-metallic elevator finishes such as glass, woven wire, leather, and custom-made decorative metals often require the work of a professional or a complete replacement. For custom made elevator panels, simple sanding will not work and you will be forced to contact an elevator industry professional to examine it; as fundamentally altering elevator panels can compromise an elevator’s fire rating. With painted doors, it is often difficult to match the color as the original paint for older elevator doors may no longer be available.

With the long list of problems presented above, it is clear that the best solution regarding damaged surfaces is prevention. Elevators are easily damaged during construction projects and during normal use, such as moving tenants. Unfortunately, there are currently only several options available that provide protection for elevators. Numerous companies sell custom elevator pads, albeit at a substantial cost of up to $3,000 each. These pads are used on the inside of elevators but do not protect vulnerable elevator legs. Custom elevator protection units made of plastic panels with additional padded protection can be purchased specific to a particular elevator and leg and are priced at $1500-2500 each. These can be customized with a particular exterior color to match the walls if you wish. Until very recently, there was no affordable surface protection for elevators. A new product on the market is the QuikPad, a simple wrapped, reinforced plastic guard that can easily protect both the interior and the feet of the lift. The QuikPad can be assembled and installed in a matter of minutes using Velcro® attachments.

Surface protection for elevators has until recently been a relatively small and sparsely populated industry. Big cities are moving up, not out, and as a result, more people than ever are relying on elevators. It is estimated that more than 18 billion passengers will ride elevators in the United States next year. Both multi-family and commercial office construction are experiencing the highest start rates in the construction industry, and both frequently require elevators. Simply put, the elevator industry is booming. It is growing at a much higher rate than the rest of the economy. As more awareness, demand, and protection solutions are created, what was once a niche market will become an incredibly lucrative industry.