Door Industry Journal - Summer 2020

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Entrance & Bi-folding Doors 96 THE door industry journal summer 2020 The main difference is you’ll always have far more partitions with bifolds than a panoramic sliding door, so when the doors are not in use you’ve got more obstruction. Both will offer the full fresh air aperture which will give your property the ‘WOW’ factor. The performance of a good panoramic versus a bifold will be significantly better as you’ve got wow factor all the time with perhaps one upright join, so you can open to the garden without any obstruction. What are my options in terms of sliding/folding? Which way can they go? They can both achieve very wide apertures, but you will generally have more security and airtightness with a panoramic or sliding door, as these have far fewer moving parts. People now realise that the wow factor from wide span glazing is 365 days a year whereas with the bifold it only happens when the sun is with us and we can open them up. 330+ days a year they may be closed with all the obtrusive mullions blocking the light and garden views! Therefore, I believe there is currently a swing in favour of the panoramic full width patio doors versus the multi-pane bifolds which in our experience are on the decline. If you do decide on bifolds, they can either open inwards into the room space, in which case they’ll use up floor space, or they can open up onto the patio and use up space on your exterior entertaining area. Sliding doors are often a favourable option as they don’t use any space so you can furnish right up to the door. In what instances should I consider bifolds over a panoramic? If you are looking for a solution for a high traffic door which is for general day to day access, you may prefer a hinged door which most bifolds can offer. Most manufacturers can fit a ‘traffic door’ into a three panel bifold, so the first panel can be opened on a hinge allowing you to go in and out like a back door. Can they be adapted for trickier spaces, e.g. corners? Bifold doors can be adapted for trickier spaces such as corners. This would be called a cornerless solution, so when you open up both sides of the door, you’ve got nothing there so the roof is unsupported. These do look stunning but it’s very expensive to achieve and will add a huge cost on any project, not forgetting the technical challenges such as weather tightness and security it would present. What different materials are available? Can you list the pros and cons of each, as well as any maintenance involved? Afino-tec carbon fibre or aluminium are ideal materials for both bifolds and panoramic sliding doors because they’re light and strong so they can hold large panes of glass. Both would be low maintenance, long lasting and aesthetically pleasing. General PVCu would not be as suitable due to its stability. Often a change in temperature could cause expansion. Timber is a good option for period properties but it requires regular maintenance and can be extremely costly to upkeep. In order to prevent expansion and rot, the homeowner would need to regularly paint or stain the frames to stop any water and moisture soaking into it. Do they work well with a period property? What measures could I take to make them more sympathetic to a period design? (e.g. colour/material etc) A panoramic or a bifolding door will work well on a period property if the correct colour and materials are chosen. Grey Afino-tec or aluminium are generally deemed acceptable where garden or country views are required. Most planners will give the go ahead for additional glass elements to period homes. Essentially, you would never have had a big piece of glass in an original period home as it wouldn’t have existed so that’s why there’s permission given for larger areas of glass nowadays. Graham Lindsay, Founder of Weru UK Network offers advice to installers and their customers looking to buy bifold or panoramic doors. How are Bifolding Doors Different to Sliding Doors?