Aluminium Patio Door Design

Bi folding-sliding door frames are typically made from timber, PVC (Unplasticized PolyVinyl Chloride) or Aluminium.

Bifolds that have been designed and developed using resilient aluminium have the benefits of greater strength and therefore suitability for use for openings up to 7 metres. The strength of the material enables the frames to be of slimmer design than with other materials, meaning that the greater amount of glass facilitates a better view and more light, and, by the same reasoning, the profiles (the depth of the glazed door unit) can be narrower so that the doors occupy less space when opened and stacked to the side of the aperture.

The aluminium is technique thermally broken, which means that the internal and external components of each bifolding door frame has a thermal division to ensure that the inside and outside of the frames do not touch and therefore do not conduct heat or cold from one surface to the other, keeping the temperatures inside and outside completely separate.

With aluminium, your view is through the glass, not at the framework. Because of its strength, aluminium is used to create the slimmest of bifolding door frames: a narrow profile plus a view through more glass. Wooden and pvc frames, even re-enforced with metal for additional strength, are wider.

Aluminium is also less prone to damage than timber or plastic. It will not require annual maintenance, as timber may do, especially if exposed to full sun. When aluminium framed doors are opened or closed, they do not tend to stick in the heat (like PVC) nor in the wet (like timber) and, unlike the cheaper do-it-yourself plastic bifolds or french doors, they feel firm and permanent.

The aluminium frames are powder-coated in a choice of industry-standard RAL colours. The finished bifolds, whether white, sepia, green, silver, graphite, etc., are virtually maintenance-free - perhaps requiring a wipe down with a damp cloth now and then. No painting or varnishing - ever.

Some bi folding door systems have a low threshold which is particularly useful when installed as a room divider or doorway to the conservatory but also for ease of access with patio doors when it is coupled with a low sill.

Traditional or modern? Classic or contemporary? Varying tastes and different architectures throughout the years, as well as innovations and enhanced lifestyles, have given rise to the wide choice in patio door variations currently available in Britain. This article aims to describe the types of patio doors - their styles and functionality, similarities and differences, together with some of their main advantages and popular options - in order to provide readers with an informative guide.

Styles - French doors, sliding panels: retractable: folding doors, slide-and-pivot doors.

The latest patio doors innovation is slide-and-pivot doors. Developed and launched since 2007/8, slide-and-pivot doors incorporate the major benefits of bifolding doors and sliding patio doors. Comprising a number of individual glazed panels that fit snugly together when closed, there is a 'master' door that can be opened with a standard (pivot) action, enabling the other doors to be moved, individually, along the top and bottom guides; as each door is moved to the end of the guides, it can also pivot open to increase the access width between the divided areas ( to a suggested maximum of approximately 8 metres).

Because slide-and-pivot doors have no hinges, there is no requirement for a sturdy side frame; its only purpose is to cover the gasket that seals the double glazed unit. This means that the views afforded through the expanse of patio doors have minimal interruptions.