Aluminium Bifold vs Slider Door - which is more robust? Which will last the longest?

[Oxbow16]

Hi all

 

We're looking to have new doors put in soon. The opening is 2.1m wide x 2.05m tall. I've been reading and thinking lots about it these last few days and I've got all the usual pros and cons covered, i.e. being able to open the whole thing up with bifolds (but needing space for the concertina'd folds), smaller sight lines of sliders, etc. etc.

 

For my situation both could potentially work. If going for sliders I would look for something with 2 panels and a sightline of around 35-45mm. If going for bifolds I would only consider 3 panels, and models with the smallest sightlines. So the Smarts Visofold 6000 would be the pick of the bunch at 94mm, though I might consider the Origin OB-49 at 110mm (and there's a couple of others in between).

 

The thing I'm not finding much info on - and what could end up being a deciding factor - is how robust they are. A local supplier / fitter recently said he would choose sliders every time. He said they are often going back to repair bifolds put in years ago and some customers are opting to have them changed for sliders because they just keep having problems. Would anyone agree / disagree with this.

 

If there is some truth in it, could it also be the case that having bifolds with smaller frames could mean they're even less robust?

 

Or in our case, would a triple pane in a 2.1m opening means the leafs are small enough to be ok even of the frames are thin?

 

Any thoughts most welcomed

 

Many thanks

 

PS - Definitely don't want french doors.

[Gus Potter]

On our own house we went for the Origin sliders. They have a 20mm wide mullion in the middle so very little frame to obstruct the view. They are not the lift and slide type, just have a small locking handle, all very neat and elegant.

 

My own view is that bifolds have a lot more moving parts and are more sensitive to structural movement and deflection, looking ahead for say 5 - 10 years.. parts will wear and so on, can they (bifolds) be fixed.. easily. The sliders we have open from both sides so that offers up the opportinuty to rearrange the furniture in the room in some ways. They have some roller bearings on the bottom and although pretty big and heavy they run well provided you run a cloth over the running rail at the bottom from time to time.

 

On the down side the sliders are probably less air tight as they have brush seals where as the bifolds will have compression seals mostly. But over time the compression seals lose their flexibility anyway.

 

My choice would be to favour sliders first.

 

Dilemma or what!

 

 

 

 

[Makeitstop]

Sliders every time.

 

If you want the best weather sealing, then lift and slide doors are arguably the best.

 

Whether they're the best choice for you is something only you can decide.

[joe90]

I know mine are oak not aluminium but my bifolds are great, german made mechanics that my door company have used for many years and they have had no problems, no call backs. Fully adjustable with compression seals, not brushes. Frame is more chunky with wood but fits our cottage theme.

[Conor]

For that size of opening I'd be going for standard patio doors. Also substantially cheaper. Too narrow for bi-folds. We have a couple two metre openings in the house and they both have double patio doors.

[Oxbow16]

Thanks for the replies.  Still mulling it over! 

 

@Conor - by double patio do you mean sliders as opposed to french doors?

[Conor]

35 minutes ago, Oxbow16 said:

Thanks for the replies.  Still mulling it over! 

 

@Conor - by double patio do you mean sliders as opposed to french doors?

French doors. Ours are 1m each and open in. Not as sexy as sliders or bifolds but a fraction of the price.