Glazing to match your needs
We have various glazing options available for our bi-fold doors and patio doors. Pick the perfect one to fit your needs:
- insulated glass
- acoustic glass
- safety glass
- ornamental and structured glass
Insulated glass is great for optimising energy efficiency. If your home is close to a busy road or in a generally noisy neighbourhood, noise-dampening glass is a viable option. For greater anti-burglary protection, safety glass is the way to go. Add that certain something to your glazing with ornamental and structured glass. It creates stylish lighting effects and can look very captivating. They are available in various styles and designs to match any preference.
The frame – high-quality materials and functionality
You can decide between two materials for the frame: wooden or composite wood aluminium bifold doors and patio doors. Although uPVC frames are very popular (due to their thermal insulation and low maintenance requirements), wood aluminium bifold doors are very popular, too. Combine them with individual glazing to add to your door's functionality. Windows and doors must be top-notch, because they're more than just a lockable entry point into your house that blocks wind and weather.
Aside from burglary protection, thermal efficiency is vital. It's an important topic, considering the increased focus on environmental protection legislature and the energy-efficient housing mandates passed by various governments.
Specialised glazing is a key factor for thermal efficiency, but you shouldn't forget about the frame either. Even industry-leading quality glass isn't enough if the frame has sub-par insulation values. So-called thermal bridges may form between materials with differing thermal conductivity, allowing the heat inside your home to diffuse through the material much more quickly. It's not just lost energy that strains the environment; thermal bridges also tend to create condensated moisture. This can cause unhealthy mould in your home.
Getting rid of mould is costly and difficult, especially if it has infested the walls. Therefore, every homeowner should focus carefully on thermally efficient insulation in all architectural elements: Frames, glass elements, and embrasures in the walls that connect windows and doors with the building.
Colouring bifold doors: Your preference dictates how your ideal bifolding doors should look. Paint the wooden frames in various colours or go with a classic, cost-effective white – similar to how most uPVC bifold doors are painted. Our aluminium bifold doors are powder-coated in your preferred shade from the RAL colour scale. Let your imagination run wild to create the perfect – glazed or non-glazed – bifold patio door for your home.
Accessories and installation
There are many different options when configuring your sliding bifold door at windows24.com. Whether it's maintenance, installation, coupling, or the perfect handles – you have everything at hand to design your ideal external bifold patio door.
The perfect mix of ingredients makes a delicious meal. That's also true when building a home. So, you should aim for the ideal balance of functionality and style. Handles play an essential role in that regard, and we have many of them for you to pick from. Classic or modern, various colours, functions, and security options – it's all up to you.
Aside from adding toughened glass, you can add to your home's burglary protection by adding special handles: Safely locking them via the press of a button or key locking cylinder is a good first step towards increased security. Burglary protection is incredibly important for all kinds of doors because they are often the weak points in a house's overall security, no matter if we're talking about patio doors, bi-fold patio doors, French doors, balcony glass doors, external and internal bifold doors, or sliding folding doors. Consider adding special multi-point locks and alert systems to your external doors.
Professional installation, done by pros
Whether internal or external – bi-fold doors should always be installed by professionals. First and foremost, that ensures you have a one-year guarantee on new French doors, for example. Although the do-it-yourself approach has charm, especially with a ready-to-assemble door set, installing them requires quite a bit more skill if you want to ensure you're not creating thermal bridges. On top of that, installing the overhead guiding rail for a top-hung bi-fold door is quite the physical challenge – particularly with large doors.
Thermal insulation and proper functionality are also areas that require professional attention. Your bi-fold doors won't be sliding, opening, and closing as intended if you're just a few millimetres off. You also need technical expertise to prevent thermal bridges, which may result in the loss of valuable heat in the winter months.
If you decide to cut down labour costs and save money on properly installing your bifold doors, costs will increase in the long run. Installation errors always mean someone will have to repair your bifold doors, creating additional costs. Without that, these bi-fold doors won't function properly and create problems that any homeowner would want to steer clear of.
Installing bifold doors costs vary from region to region. That's why planning every detail of the installation process is important – whether it's design features like glazed elements, the intended functionality or the timing of the installation. You also need to make sure you won't need planning permission. If you're operating on a budget trying to install your patio door, you can actually save a lot of money by creating a plan first, as this means less money lost on costly repairs due to improper installation.
At windows24.com, there's plenty of information on bi-fold doors and many other areas regarding doors and windows. Read up on different materials like uPVC, the types of timber we use, or the average cost of window fittings. If you can't find an answer to your specific question, feel free to contact us for a free consultation with no obligation to buy. We can also help you get in touch with regional professionals to install your new wooden or wood aluminium bifold door.
No matter how low-maintenance bifold doors are, you always have to put in a little regular care. Watch the video tutorials on installation and maintenance on windows24.com to inform yourself on those topics. They were made in cooperation with professional window fitters to show you how to handle installing and maintaining patio doors, French doors, bifold doors, sliding doors, and windows.