Sliding Doors v Bi-Folding Doors

One of the hardest decisions any prospective aïr customer faces is deciding whether to purchase sliding doors (aïr 500LS and 600LS) or bi-folding doors (aïr 800) for their residence.

They have both become highly sought after products for those keen to open up their living space and fully embrace the garden.

Bi-folding doors really exploded in popularity a few years ago, with most door specialists then incorporating them into their product ranges to satisfy demand, but sliding doors are still a firm favourite with door buyers.

To help you judge if sliding doors or bi-folding doors will best suit your property and lifestyle, it’s useful to be aware of the relevant pros and cons of each type of door:

Spaciousness

You can create a significant opening with bi-folding doors as they can be folded like a concertina right to the end of the tracking system, whereas with a sliding door, one pane is permanently fixed and subsequently only a partial opening is achievable. Openings can be seven or eight doors wide with some bi-folding door designs. However, it is worth mentioning that sliding doors may be a better option if there’s little room internally to manoeuvre bi-folding doors (they can also open outwards) as they can be moved in a perfectly straight line along the rail.

Views

Because one door slides behind the other in a traditional sliding door your view of the outdoors will be somewhat disrupted, but they tend to have trimmer frames and more glass than some bi-folding doors, letting in lots of natural light. The aïr 800 has broken the mould though as it is a bi-folding door with incredibly slender framework and a high volume of glass, perfect for when you want a truly panoramic view of the outdoors.

Practicality

When you only want a small amount of fresh air to pass into your living space, you can open sliding and bi-folding doors accordingly. In the height of summer, when temperatures are at their highest, the expansive opening provided by a bi-fold may appeal more as the space generated when the doors are fully concertinaed is roughly around 90% of the door space. You also have the opportunity to have a number of different panels in a bi-folding door.

Sliding Doors & Bi-Folding Doors are both winning door solutions…

There really isn’t a wrong decision when choosing between sliding doors and bi-folding doors as they’ll both prove to be an invaluable addition to your home. Find out just how invaluable by downloading a copy of the aïr brochure.