The Complete Guide To Installing Bollards
Installing pillars can enhance a business in many ways, especially if you need better safety features around your building. As you make changes to improve the exterior of your workplace, take a look at this complete guide to installing bollards for your business.
Bollard Types
There are many different materials at your disposal to create gorgeous pillars. Many workers want to know the types of bollards available before mounting anything down.
Removable Bollards
A removable bollard is a temporary item to install if you’re working on construction projects or need something to better control traffic. These bollards can direct others around your business while working on construction sites.
Collapsible Bollards
The collapsible bollard is different from the removable pillar, as it helps prevent the heavy flow of traffic around areas that often need work. For instance, a park’s play area may need maintenance regularly, so the collapsible bollards go up to prevent pedestrians and drivers from entering the area.
Fixed Bollards
You can find fixed bollards in high-traffic areas, mostly in cities with large business districts. With this column type, drivers and pedestrians have better senses of where to walk in the street, so there’s not too much traffic.
Benefits of Bollards
Using a column comes with plenty of advantages, such as controlling traffic during business hours or large events. You can find other benefits as well, even if you’re only looking to benefit from one thing to enhance your business’s appearance.
Appearance
Bollards add an essential upgrade to your store’s appearance to spark an interest in shoppers and others nearby. When looking for a sleek design and something that you can create, stainless steel bollards are a way to draw in crowds.
Protection
Poles add many levels of protection every business needs to control traffic and help pedestrians know where and when it’s safe to walk. Depending on the material you choose for your pillars, it can prevent accidents during high traffic levels and protect other buildings, such as historical structures.
Lighting
Lighting can be hard to maintain, especially if you’re in a rural area. When you have a bollard, it helps reflect light, so the parking lot or garage becomes safer to walk through at night. Additionally, you could attach a lighting device to your pillar for added security.
How To Prepare Your Space
Before installation begins, you must ensure that the space is prepared by cleaning the area, removing hazards, and making a base for the bollard placement. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you should do before installing.
Hazard Check
Dangerous threats are around you, so it’s essential to eliminate any accident risks before placing a base down and cleaning up.
First, check that your pipes and gas lines aren’t going to create issues. If they do, find a new area to install your bollards or see about removing the pipework and gas lines.
Drilling Holes and Cleaning
After doing your hazard check, it’s time to drill holes. These drilled holes are the placeholders for the bollard’s bolts.
After cutting holes into the ground, you need to clean the area up. Sweep away dirt and throw all debris into a dumpster so nothing gets left behind. You can make clean-up faster by using brooms, pressure washers, and a vacuum.
Creating the Base
Now that everything’s cleaned off, it’s time to create your base. Before placing in your bollards, the base is the first thing to make.
Once you’ve cleaned the surface, lay out the pipe tubing around the holes you made before cleaning your base. Then, follow these additional steps.
Cutting
To form your concrete base, you need to ensure the tubing’s cuts are larger than the pillar's base. You avoid the pillar becoming unbalanced by cutting at the bollard’s base.
Space Out
This step relies a lot on your landscaping. If there are features you want to add on later, ensure there’s enough room between the pillars so you can lay out additional landscaping pieces. Work with your landscaping company to create a design layout for the bollard’s placement.
Creating the Concrete
Now that you have laid out your spacing, it’s time to create and pour your concrete mixture. First off, mix the concrete with water until it resembles clay.
If you want the best flow, add an additional half-gallon of water. Then, fill your entire area until it’s leveled and everything’s covered.
While pouring in your concrete, add in your anchor casting as well. The anchor casting is an extra layer of protection.
Curing the Concrete
For the cement to fully cure, you need to tape it off and let it rest for two to three days. Depending on your climate, it could take longer to dry.
In the meantime, you can place a tent around the cemented area to prevent moisture buildup.
Once your concrete is fully recovered and dried, go ahead and place landscaping material around the area.
How To Install Bollards
Pillars are a great addition to add for your business, especially with the enhancement in security features—your workplace is safer to shop and work around. Now, it’s time for the actual installation process. Take a look below at how to install different bollard types.
Collapsible Bollards
Following the exact directions above for your base, ensure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Then, go ahead and secure your bollards in place. The internal plug keeps your concrete insert down.
Since this is a collapsible pillar, you’re going to have an additional piece to place in to allow for the bollards to collapse when not in use.
Where the holes are, place the folding piece above. From there, secure the piece with bolts and washers. Then, attach a padlock in an upright position.
Following that, take a few steps back to analyze your work. If the bollard’s not upright, go back and fix the bollard. Finally, you can test the pillar out by manually lifting it up and down.
Removable Bollards
Unlike the collapsible bollards, removable ones are temporary, requiring a little more work to install. However, it can cause damage, so leave them in their packaging before installing.
For the removable bollards, the holes need to be six inches wider than the column's diameter—when you use your bollard, place gravel around the base to control moisture.
Fixed Bollards
Fixed bollards are permanent and much easier to set up than removable ones. Here’s how you can set the fixed bollards up:
- Check for underground cables
- Place the base into the concrete
- Fill the holes with the concrete mix
- Wash away any residue
Bollards increase business safety. You can work with a trustful company, like Custom Manufacturing and Polishing Inc., to create bollards that meet your expectations. Custom Manufacturing and Polishing Inc. believes in making every client’s dreams into a reality with one stainless steel bollard at a time. Contact us today for information on our bollard creation services.
