SunSeeker Slimline BiFolding Patio Doors - republished from client's blog

Aluminium bifolding doors have slimmer profiles than pvc doors.

Metal is a stronger material than plastic therefore less of it is required to support the double-glazed unit that is the centrepiece of your bifolding door panel.

The top image illustrates the profiles of a 4-panel bifolding door system from SunSeeker Doors compared with the equivalent pvc profiles in the picture beneath it.

In addition to the obvious benefits when the doors are closed, this means that the profile (the edge of the door panel that can be seen when the doors are open) is narrower, typically 50mm compared with 75mm on the pvc doors we measured. The profile for a pair of doors is more than double because there needs to be a small gap (approx 15mm or so) between the hinged door panels.

Given that pvc profiles are, on average, 50% wider than SunSeeker Doors’ aluminium profiles, the difference increases proportionally with the number of doors. The space required by an open set of six pvc door panels is in the region of 50cm, 6 or 7 inches more than SunSeeker Doors.

Click through to SunSeeker Doors' bi folding doors web site to see an illustration of folding-sliding doors in open and closed positions, with and without integral blinds.