Copyright 2010 StormShutterServices.com Sidewalk Bolt   $4 per sq. ft.          Installed Create Your Own Estimate Click Here A Storm Panel is a simple piece of various material cut to length and corrugated for  strength. The simplest form of Hurricane - Storm protection beyond plywood. Very  good protection factor but among the most inconvenient to deploy. The best and  simplest method to mount Storm Panels is the direct mount method, no additional  hardware beyond anchors and bolts is needed. On large, taller openings it may be  necessary or preferable to use track mounting, in traffic areas the lower track is  made to be removable to avoid tripping when not in use. Track is at additional cost  on top of the basic installed price. Panels are held to the wall by means of various  anchor types drilled into concrete or wood. These can include:  Panel Mates which are a stud with a lag thread for concrete or wood on one end and a machine thread  on the other. This is probably the most unattractive way to secure a storm panel, as they protrude  from the wall and are permanent.  Lead Expansion Anchors, this anchor is a cone shaped nut encased in lead. After the hole is drilled it  is inserted and driven in so that the lead expands against the nut and the hole. A sidewalk bolt is then  inserted into the anchor making the bolt removable. The problem with this type of anchor is that it  has to bottom out against something in order to expand. Many times when we are drilling holes for  Storm Panels, we drill into concrete block that has no core fill, this anchor simply will not work in  this situation (although we have repaired many that installers have tried to make work). As we know  this will lead to homeowner frustration when he tries to put his panels up and the bolts do not tighten.  Panel Mate Inserts, made by the same company as Panel Mates, this is a completely different anchor  system. This anchor is installed by first drilling a hole, but this is where the similarity ends. It is  equipped with threads to self tap itself into the concrete hole and is used in conjunction with a  sidewalk bolt. This makes it able to be used on a “hollow” hole, also unlike Lead Expansion Anchors,  which have to be drilled out to be removed, this anchor can easily be removed and replaced if  necessary. The difference in price between these two anchoring systems is quite substantial. Lead Expansion  Anchors cost us $0.30 each, Panel Mate Inserts are $1.00 each (it adds up when doing so many), but  you get what you pay for and the only anchor we will use is the Panel Mate Insert. If our price is a  little more than the other guy, ask him which one he uses.  Lead Expansion Anchor Panel Mate Insert Panel Mate StormShutterServices.com Hurricane - Storm - Security - Protection Fabrication - Installation - Service Serving Cape Coral - Fort Myers - Naples - Port Charlotte and surrounding communities. “27 Years Of Owner Construction Experience”