Aluminium French doors

The sightlines are the vertical aluminium frame of the door that are visible between the two panes of glass

The depth of the aluminium door pane from front to back

The maximum height of the opening sashes of the door. The system can be designed for taller openings by incorporating overlights.

The maximum width of each sash of the French doors. The system can be designed for wider openings by incorporating sidelights.

Thermal performance of the doors is measured as a U-value. When comparing products it is crucial to compare the overall U-value of the system and not just the U-value of the sealed glass unit.

Every set of doors and windows undergoes independent physical testing to assess the ability of the systems to withstand air and water. Water tightness is tested against BS EN 12208 standard with air permeability tested against BS EN 12207 standard.

Typically French doors are designed to be externally opening, however for Juliet balconies or where space is limited on patios an internally opening set can be manufactured.

Each of our French door systems features advanced multi-point locking mechanisms to keep your home secure

PAS 24:2016 is the testing standard for security required to comply with Building Regulations Document Q. P1a glass (usually laminated glass) specification is required to meet Building Regulations Document Q approval.

The Secured by Design™ award marks the police preferred security specification for windows and doors

For those seeking to match internal woodwork or frames, adding internal timber cladding to the inside face of the aluminium doors creates a stylish alternative. The cladding is available in a selection of timber choices and a wide range of stains and finishes. For more information about this style of door please see our timber-clad bifold doors page.

Our French door systems come with double glazed sealed units as standard. For those seeking enhanced thermal performance triple glazing is available as an optional extra.

Our French doors come with a choice of track options. Non-weather rated flush tracks are only typically recommended for internal or sheltered urban locations. Low-threshold tracks have a small upstand and are ideal for urban or rural locations, with our fully weathered tracks designed for rural or exposed locations.

Our doors are available in a range of standard colours, alternatively you can select from an almost infinite choice of optional colours and finishes – or even opt for a dual colour door with different colours on the internal and external frames.

Choose from a wide range of RAL Classic optional colours and finishes – or even opt for a dual colour door with different colours on the internal and external frames.

We are able to fit integral Venetian blinds within the glazed unit, ensuring a totally dust-free environment which requires no cleaning or maintenance. These are very popular, especially on internally opening systems where curtains are not practical.

Integrated blinds can be tilted to help prevent the build-up of excessive heat and glare of the sun during the daytime and provide privacy when closed. Blind units are manually operated with an ingenious magnetic control device.

The requirement for trickle vents to provide background ventilation can be a requirement of Building Regulations Document F, depending on the type of project you are undertaking. IDSystems trickle vents are installed through the head track of the outer frame if required.

Laminated glass: Improved security and UV reduction preventing furniture fading.
Tinted anti-sun glass: Reducing solar gain, available in blue, green, grey or bronze.
Neutral anti-sun glass: Neutral in colour with reflective properties to reduce solar gain.
Self-cleaning glass: Reduces the need to clean the glass, very useful in roofs.
Obscure glass: Our satin deco is a stylish solution for areas requiring privacy.
Low-iron glass: Improves the light transmittance through glass while providing some free energy.

For new-build homes or for change of use projects (barn conversions etc) we fit laminated glass as standard to meet the requirement for P1a glass as specified by Building Regulations Document Q for security. For all other projects (extensions, replacements or renovations etc) we fit toughened glass to comply with Building Regulations Document N.

Toughened glass
Toughened glass has been heat tempered to increasing its strength over ordinary annealed glass by up to five times. Other than the strength the advantage of toughened glass is that should it break it would shatter into non-sharp pieces. It is also available with the widest variety of coatings and can be supplied in larger sheets than equivalent thickness laminated glass.

When the glass is toughened it can suffer from some visual distortion making, meaning the face of the glass is not perfectly flat distorting some reflections.

Laminated glass
Laminated glass is manufactured by bonding two panes of annealed glass with a clear plastic interlayer. The benefit of laminated glass is that if it’s broken the glass will crack rather than shattering, improving security. In addition, laminated glass reduces bleaching of carpets, curtains and furniture by filtering UV rays that would usually penetrate the glass.

The drawback of laminated glass is that extreme heat or cold can cause invisible defects in the glass to form a crack due to the two panes expanding and contracting independently. As the laminated glass is not toughened is does not suffer from the visual distortion that can occur to toughened glass during the toughening process.