Bifolds or sliders?
Will Mitchell from SUNFLEX UK shares his expert tips on choosing the best glazed doors
It’s a debate that many homeowners face, so what’s the difference and which is best for your project?
For those of you undertaking a renovation project, adding an extension or considering a self build home, a key consideration is how to create bright, openplan living spaces. A popular route is to incorporate bifold or sliding doors into the design. But choosing between the two very different styles of door, and identifying which is right for a particular project, can be a daunting task.
Bifold doors
This style has been extremely popular over the last three decades, with SUNFLEX manufacturing bifolds in Germany and distributing them worldwide since 1986. Their popularity comes down to their ability to open up an entire aperture, thus providing a seamless transition between inside and out.
The compromise with bifold doors is their appearance when closed. There will be more frame profile visible when compared to the slimmer sightlines and large expanses of glass that can be achieved with sliders. So look for highquality products that offer sleek frame depths: SUNFLEX’S bifolds have a profile of just 55mm, which is narrower than most, and each panel can be up to 1.2m wide and 3.5m high.
Sliding doors
Sliders have been around in the UK for much longer, and the last decade has seen significant development in technology and design. Gone are the heavy doors of the past and in their place are easy-to-operate, ultra-smooth systems with high levels of security and excellent weather ratings.
With sliding doors like the SUNFLEX SVG range, you can achieve individual panel sizes of up to 3m wide, so they’re better suited to large openings over 4m wide. The proportion of glass to frame is significantly improved in sliders compared to bifolds. SUNFLEX’S brand new SVG20, for instance, features narrow frames of just 20mm. Combine this with the larger panel widths, and sliding doors are perfect for bringing the outside in even when they’re closed, enabling you to make the most of views out while pulling more light into your home.
The compromise with sliders is they don’t usually provide a completely open aperture. In standard configurations, a fixed frame is required behind which the other panels will slide. This can be overcome if you opt for a configuration with the panels sliding behind the wall into a pocket.
Making your choice
A key factor will be how wide the opening is. If you have an aperture over 4m wide and an awesome view, then sliding doors would seem the obvious choice with the larger panels and slimmer sightlines. Bifold doors now are more typically used for smaller openings of up to 3.6m wide, which is the maximum width for three panels. In general, for anything under 4m or with a restricted view, bifolds are a good option – with the 95% clear opening providing real wow factor.
Consider what the doors lead out onto. If you have a patio or courtyard outside, bifolds/ clear opening might better utilise this space. If you are not walking through the doors very often, then take advantage of the slimmer frames and larger panels of sliding doors. Do not discount installing both types if you have two or more openings. On a large extension, you could have sliding doors on the widest expanse looking out on to the garden, and then bifolds for the smaller return. If you’re taking this route, choose a supplier who can provide a consistent look throughout – for instance, SUNFLEX’S glazed doors all have square-edge contemporary frames.
Whichever system you choose, it’s vital that you try the doors out in person before you buy. Suppliers’ products can look aesthetically similar, but how they’re made and how they operate and feel will be very different. Ask for a drawing of the doors when you place your order, too, to confirm the sightlines you’re getting and avoid any surprises on installation day.