Bifold doors vs Sliding doors.

Bi-fold doors and sliding doors are both referred to as “glass walls”. They both open up a room by replacing the wall with glass. Origin Global’s bi-folds and sliders differ in many ways, not just the way they open. These aspects are listed below.

Security

When it comes to security, a bi-fold door has a unique 8-point locking system and complies with the latest security standards, with 20mm linear bolts, British Standards accredited cylinder/barrels and deep throw 25mm security hooks.

The Origin slider is also equipped with an ultra-secure multipoint locking system with a minimum of 6 points of locking. Each door locks firmly into the jamb or its adjacent door, and the opening action happens on one track, which makes the door safer with less security points

Functionality

The bi-fold doors can fold up both inwards and outwards, revealing an uninterrupted and seamless conversion from indoors to outdoors. Bi-fold doors also consist of a master door that can act as a regular door when required, as well as slave doors which fold back.

Sliding doors typically slide in front of each other to create an entrance. They can also slide all the way to the left, all the way to the right or be staged intermittently.

Thermal Performance

While all Origin doors can assist in lowering energy bills by keeping homes warm in winter and cooler in the summer, Origin bi-fold doors exceed British Regulation requirements for thermal efficiency.

The Origin slider also exceeds British Regulation requirements for thermal efficiency and it is manufactured using large-panes of low-emissivity glass and a polyamide thermal break within the aluminium profile.

Threshold

The bi-fold doors are available in both weathered or non-weathered thresholds. Increased thermal performance and protection against weather damage is obtainable with the weathered threshold option and this features a small lip that you must step over. The non-weathered threshold doesn’t have a small lip, which creates a seamless transition between inside and out, however doesn’t provide guaranteed protection against the weather.

The Origin slider is only available with a weathered threshold which, as with the bi-fold doors, features a small lip, has increased thermal performance and protection against weather damage.

View

When bi-fold doors are open they present an uninterrupted and seamless transition between inside and outside. When closed there will be more door profile than there would be with sliders as the glass panels are smaller, but their slim sightlines still offer maximum views.

When open, the Origin sliders can still provide a great view, but there will be a frame blocking a completely uninterrupted view as they do not fold back on themselves like bi-fold doors. When closed, sliding doors offer a less interrupted view since they feature large panes of glass and less door profile.

There are many benefits to both Origin’s bi-fold and sliding doors. What would you choose? Get in touch today for a quote!