Commercial
Automatic Swing Doors vs. Automatic Sliding Doors in Modern Buildings
Explore the pros & cons of Automatic Swing Doors & Automatic Sliding Doors in modern buildings.
When it comes to choosing the right doors for your home or building project, two popular options to consider are aluminium sliding doors and bifold doors. Both types offer unique features and benefits, and understanding their differences can help you make an informed decision. Let's compare aluminium sliding doors and bifold doors across various factors to help you determine which option suits your needs best.
What are bifold doors?
Bifold doors, also known as folding doors or accordion doors, are a type of door system consisting of multiple panels that are connected by hinges. These panels fold and stack against one or both sides of the opening, creating a wide and unobstructed access point. Bifold doors are designed to seamlessly connect indoor and outdoor spaces, offering a versatile and visually appealing solution.
Advantages of bifold system
- Space optimization
- Seamless indoor-outdoor connection
- Abundance of natural light
- Enhanced views
- Improved ventilation
- Design versatility
- Energy efficiency
- Increased property value
- Easy operation and maintenance
- Lightweight frames and available in low threshold
Disadvantages of a bi-fold doors
- Require space to stack inside or outside the home
- larger number of frames can obstruct the view
Altegra Bi-fold Doors
We offer both bifold doors or corner bi-fold door options and offer a wide range of configurations that can be tailored to meet your home’s needs. It boasts a Uw ≥ 0,8 (W/m²K) and can be installed quicker thanks to its pre assembled gasket.
The bi-fold that is going to change the market from £499 per leaf!*
Low Uw value and even easier to install.
What are sliding doors?
Sliding doors are a type of door system that operate by sliding horizontally along tracks. They consist of one or more panels that glide smoothly to open or close the doorway. Sliding doors are often designed with large glass panels, allowing for abundant natural light and unobstructed views. They are commonly used in residential and commercial settings, particularly for areas where space is limited or for seamless indoor-outdoor transitions. Sliding doors offer sleek aesthetics, easy operation, and can be customized to fit various architectural styles and design preferences.
Advantages of sliding door systems
- Abundant natural light and unobstructed views
- Space-saving design
- Sleek and modern aesthetic
- Smooth and effortless operation
- Customizable in terms of size, colour, and finish
- Durable and resistant to corrosion
- Energy-efficient with thermal insulation options
- Suitable for various architectural styles
- Seamless indoor-outdoor transition
- Enhances the overall aesthetics and functionality of a space.
Disadvantages of sliding door systems
- Less convenient for quick access/moving large items compared to a French door or bi-fold door with a traffic door
- It can be more expensive than bi-fold or French doors, depending on the system
Cortizo 4700 Sliding Door System
Ultra slim profile to allow exceptional natural light.
How they compare: Design and Operation
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Aluminium Sliding Doors: Sliding doors consist of one or more panels that slide horizontally along tracks. They provide a wide opening, often with large glass panels, allowing for unobstructed views and ample natural light. Sliding doors are typically operated by sliding them sideways, offering a smooth and effortless operation.
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Bifold Doors: Bifold doors consist of multiple panels connected by hinges that fold and stack against one or both sides of the opening. Bifold doors offer a full opening, seamlessly connecting indoor and outdoor spaces. They can be partially or fully opened based on your preference, providing flexibility in controlling ventilation and access.
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Aluminium Sliding Doors: Sliding doors are an excellent choice when space is limited. They do not require additional swing space like hinged doors, as they operate by sliding along tracks. This makes them ideal for areas where floor space is at a premium.
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Bifold Doors: Bifold doorss are designed to maximize the opening space. When fully opened, they create a wide and unobstructed access point, bringing the outdoors inside. However, it's important to consider that when the doors are folded back, they will occupy some space along the sides of the opening.
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Aluminium Sliding Doors: Sliding doorss offer design flexibility in terms of size, allowing for larger glass panels and panoramic views. They can be customized to fit various architectural styles and are often chosen for contemporary or modern designs.
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Bifold Doors: Bifold doors provide versatility in terms of configuration. They can be tailored to fit different opening sizes by adding or reducing the number of panels. Bifold doors are popular for their ability to create a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces and are often chosen for more traditional or transitional architectural styles.
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Aluminium Sliding Doors: Sliding doors can be designed with excellent thermal insulation properties, helping to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature. High-quality sliding doors often feature double or triple glazed glass panels and effective seals to minimize heat transfer and energy loss.
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Bifold Doors: Bifold doors can also be designed with good insulation properties, especially when using double-glazed or energy-efficient glass. However, due to the nature of the folding mechanism and the presence of multiple panels, bifold doors may have slightly higher air infiltration compared to sliding doors.
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Aluminium Sliding Doors: Sliding doors require minimal maintenance. Regular cleaning of tracks and lubrication of the sliding mechanism ensures smooth operation. However, the larger glass panels may require more frequent cleaning compared to bifold doors.
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Bifold Doors: Bifold doors require regular maintenance to ensure smooth folding and stacking. Hinges and tracks should be kept clean and lubricated, and periodic adjustments may be necessary to maintain proper alignment.
The cost of aluminium sliding doors and bifold doors can vary depending on factors such as size, design, and quality. Generally, sliding doors tend to be more cost-effective compared to bifold doors, especially when considering larger openings. Bifold doors often require more complex hardware and installation, which can increase the overall cost.
Summary:
| Bi-fold | Sliding Doors | |
| View when closed | Very Good: Bi-folds can now be up to 1.2m wide, per panel, with an extremely slim frame. | Excellent: Sliding doors tend to offer the best views of your outdoor area as the panel sizes are often much bigger individually. With large maximum panel sizes, they are typically made up of more glass and less frame than bi-fold doors. |
| View when open | Excellent: There is very little that competes with bi-fold doors when it comes to the panoramic views they can provide, as they allow you to completely remove any obstruction from inside to outside. | Very Good: Depending on the sliding doors you choose, you may still be able to benefit from a widescreen view. |
| Thermal efficiency | Very Good: Bi-fold doors feature a polyamide break in the door profile, which goes lengths to ensure the doors exceed thermal efficiency regulations. In addition, whether you choose double glazing or triple glazing will also have an impact on the thermal efficiency of your bi-fold. | Very Good: Sliding doors are manufactured using more glass than door profile, meaning that they are very thermally efficient. |
| Ease of access | Excellent: Bi-fold doors can completely open up by folding back on itself, so they offer a greater ease of access between the indoors and outdoors. Bi-fold doors are available with a lead door, which can be easily opened and closed like a regular single door. | Very Good: Sliding doors must always slide open. For quick access, you can open one door and open it as much or as little as you want. |
| Configuration variety | Excellent: Bi-fold doors can be configured in any number of panels, with some doors having over 10 panels. The options are endless, and the opening can be wherever you want, and the doors can fold in whichever way you’d prefer. | Good: Sliding doors only come in 2, 4 or 6 door configurations |
| Space saving | Good: Bi-fold doors require space to fold onto itself, you will need the required space either internally or externally to accommodate this. | Excellent: If your property is a more modest size, then sliding doors can be beneficial because they won’t take up any additional room like bi-fold doors do; they simply slide horizontally down the track. |
| Visual appearance | Excellent | Excellent |
| Affordability (depending on system) | More Affordable | Less Affordable |