Aluminium sliding doors

This is completely personal choice. As an example, for openings around 5m wide it is possible to have either a two or three panel system. Whilst two panel doors reduce the amount of visible frame, they do only leave a 50% opening when the doors are slid back, whereas a three panel system can achieve a 66% opening with the addition of a single extra frame. Another thing to consider is that your eye is naturally drawn to the centre of something so with a three panel system this means you are looking through the glass, whereas with a two-panel door you would be looking at the single intermediate frame. Ultimately there is no right or wrong answer, we can manufacture the doors to your requirements.

In the UK the term patio doors has long since been used for a range of door systems that connect the house to the patio or decking. Previous generations of sliding patio doors have been heavy to operate and lacked the modern security and thermal efficiency performance required, so to distinguish our highly engineered doors from these older style systems we refer to them as sliding doors. These contemporary aluminium framed sliding doors are capable of holding huge panes of glass (with panels up to 3m wide) that can be operated effortlessly and exceed the modern security and energy standards required by current Building Regulations.

With huge panes of glass and incredibly narrow frames, sliding doors have overtaken bifold doors to become the most popular option for customers seeking glazed doors for their extension, renovation or new-build project. When closed the large expanses of glass allow natural light to flood the rooms of the house whilst providing almost uninterrupted views out. When open the doors provide a seamless transition between home and garden, extending your living space out on to the patio to create a stylish, contemporary place for entertaining.

When we refer to the sightline on our doors we are measuring the width of the visible frame between the glass panels. Our sliding doors are available with a choice of sightlines, theEDGE2.0 has incredible narrow 20mm sightlines that are barely visible, whilst the Grand Slider II has slightly wider 83mm sightlines. One element to consider when measuring sightlines is the depth of the panels as well, unlike our range or doors, some sliding door systems require fins, add-ons or reinforcing sections to be added to the frame of the door to provide rigidity which means the doors can look anything but slim when viewed from an angle.

Sliding doors are available in uPVC and timber, however we would strongly recommend that you opt for an aluminium door system. Aluminium is the only material that is rigid and lightweight enough to achieve the slender frames that really set sliding doors apart. Both uPVC and timber frames can flex and warp over time making them less suited to large panes of glass whilst their lack of relative rigidity means the frames themselves have to be much larger and chunkier to accommodate bigger panes of glass. If you want to achieve large spans of glass with minimal visible framing then aluminium is by far your best choice.

In the majority of cases, you will not need to receive planning permission to change a window to a sliding door. However, we always advise that you thoroughly check your original planning permission documents and associated conditions, as well as any related building regulation changes that may have occurred and will need to be resolved.

Our sliding doors are designed with highly engineered running carriages hidden into the base frame of the system that ensure they are almost effortless to operate, even with heavy panes of glass in them. The number of carriages used is dependent on the size of the panel so we can ensure that even with the largest sets of doors the systems remain effortless to operate.

Our systems range from 1 to 8 panels with panel widths from 800mm up to a huge 3m span. This means our sliding doors can be utilised for anything from a single panel sliding into a pocket behind the wall all the way up to an 8-panel set with four panels sliding each side from the centre to achieve a huge 24m aperture - and anything in between! When it comes to deciding how many panels you require it is completely your choice although we are happy to provide advice and pictures of completed projects so you can visualise how your doors will look both open and closed.

Unlike bifold doors (where a flush track option is only suited to the most sheltered of locations), our sliding door tracks can be recessed into the floor to create a completely flush finish between inside and out without reducing the protection the doors offer from wind and rain. This is because the panels in the system sit down into the track rather than sitting upon it. The important thing to note is that a flush-finish needs to be planned in to your project from the start so that the track can be recessed to the right level to match the depth of your internal and external tiles or floorting material.

Centre opening sliding doors have been the traditional configuration for larger openings, however with the development of modern sliding door technology that has allowed for much wide panels this style has become less popular. We can still manufacture doors in centre-opening configurations, and there are still times where this is absolutely the right choice, however in this design the widest section of profile (including the locking mechanism for the doors) is the element right at the centre of the opening, right in the middle of your view out. In addition this configuration only allows for a 50% opening when the doors slide back, compared to a massive 75% opening that can be achieved using a 4-panel system with 3 sliding behind a fixed frame at one end.

We do. We have our own manufacturing facility in Norwich where we manufacture our two sliding door systems in house - it is the only way we can guarantee the quality of the products themselves. Typically in the glazing industry companies buy from a wholesale fabricator and subcontract the fitting, however we can manage the whole process under one roof to ensure the best possible service and the best possible finish for your home.

Yes, in fact we would almost always insist on installing your doors for you. We use our own employed and experienced fitters who cover the length and breadth of the UK because even the most advanced system on the market can be compromised by poor installation. Our fitters have installed tens of thousands of sets of these doors and are therefore best placed to ensure the doors are installed so that they look, perform and operate perfectly for years to come.