Ultimate Guide to Aluminium Bifold Doors

Compared to French or sliding doors, aluminium bifold doors are relatively new on the market and provide a popular alternative to more traditional door designs. But how do they work? What variations are available? Where are they usually installed? We answer all these questions and more, so keep reading to discover how aluminium bifold doors can transform a home.

What are aluminium bifold doors?

Aluminium bifold doors function following a concertina principle, with folding back panels that can be collapsed against each other into a compact storage area. This door method can open up almost an entire wall!

Unlike sliding doors, bifold doors are built with panels that are hinged together and slide on runners (usually made of steel) in the upper lintel or beam and the floor of a doorway. When you open the door, all the panels slide and fold together simultaneously. While this can sound similar to sliding doors, they usually have fixed glass panes which can’t provide an opening as large as the folded bifold door panels.

Variations

We have the capability to manufacture aluminium bifold doors with anywhere from 2 to 8 folding panels. There are many configurations to choose from, making our aluminium bifold doors a fantastic choice for customers who like to customise their products to suit their homes perfectly.

The doors can be designed to open from the left or the right or even split in the middle and fold both ways. It is even possible to configure whether they fold inwards or outwards.

If you love the idea of bifold doors but don’t like the concept of having to open the whole thing every time you need access to your garden or patio, fret not. Any of our bi-fold doors with an uneven number of panels includes a “traffic door”. This traffic door is essentially a standard arc-swinging glass door that’s built into the rest of the bifolding doors. With this door, our aluminium bifold doors are just as convenient for day-to-day use as a single or French door configuration.

Why use aluminium?

Aluminium is sturdy, lightweight, durable, and easy to recycle. Its strength and longevity can outmatch uPVC and timber, making it a fantastic choice for bifold door frames. Plus, because the recycling process of aluminium is so effective the doors remain sustainable.

Suppose you prefer the aesthetics of uPVC or even timber. In that case, that’s also no problem, as we provide a vast range of woodgrain foils and colourways to make our aluminium bifold doors match a home’s existing wood-effect windows.

Where are they usually installed?

Aluminium bifold doors make an excellent and simple solution as an entryway between the interior of your home and the exterior of an outside recreational area like a garden, deck, or patio. The solid yet thin frames allow vast amounts of natural light to flood any home’s interior. Also, the massive concertina opening and low threshold (optional) make our aluminium bifold doors a fantastic choice if your focus point is on accessibility. Their ability to fold together completely makes the door almost disappear when you need open space!

A fundamental benefit to aluminium bifold doors is that they can essentially fit almost anywhere. Should only a small amount of space be available for installation, it only requires two panes or “leaves” worth of space to install. Or, if there is a large amount of space to fill, more panes can be added in a series of different configurations. Bifold doors are much more adaptable to space than traditional French doors.

While bi-fold doors can be more difficult to install when compared to their counterparts, Quickslide work with plenty of professional, friendly installers across the mainland UK that can streamline the process for you.

Why choose Quickslide for aluminium bifold doors?

Quickslide has been a trusted UK based manufacturer of windows and doors for almost 20 years. By choosing Quickslide you’re choosing to work with a team of professionals who are proud to offer friendly, efficient service to our customers across the mainland UK.

Aluminium Bifold Door Prices

We provide bespoke aluminium bifold doors that are custom-built to order. We offer a wide variety of hardware options alongside a broad selection of colours and woodgrains, making it easy to build the perfect set of doors for almost any UK home. We take away the hassle of finding a local installer thanks to our ‘find an installer‘ tool, which you can find on our website.

All our prices are competitive, and if you want to find out how much your aluminium bifold doors will cost, we also have a fantastic pricing tool to make the specification process as smooth as possible. If you have any other questions then please get in touch with us via our online contact form, or give us a call on 03332 412 240.

Please note, our news articles are relevant and accurate at the time of release, but as technical developments dictate, and times goes by the information in this article may no longer be applicable. If you have questions, please contact us using our online contact form or call us on 03332 412 240.