Tuesday 28 April 2009

Slim Profiles. What’s that all about?


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 (see previous blog post), 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 SunSeekerDoors.co.uk and look at the main image illustrating the doors in an open position, closed and closed with closed integral blinds.

Monday 20 April 2009

BiFolding Door Frames: metal, wood, pvc comparison.

sunseekerdoors.co.uk aluminium framesThe irony is ... you can spend thousands of pounds on something you DON'T want to see!

Bifolding doors from your home to your conservatory or garden. You need them to keep the weather out but you probably want maximum natural light and the least interrupted view. The less you see of the doors, the better! Click on the picture for an enlarged view.

There are three main choices of frame: aluminium, wood and pvc. Aluminium, being the strongest material, requires the least amount of frame, therefore enabling more glass per square metre and the slimmest profile for when the doors are opened and pushed aside.

PVC is sometimes reinforced with metal; the strength of the pvc in a make of doors will vary and the frame width may therefore range from maybe just under twice as wide as aluminium to almost three times as wide, leaving a much smaller panel of glass.

Wood is somewhere in between.

The comparisons are illustrated in the scaled image of a six-panel bifolding door with a view of horses in a field. The green door frames represent aluminium which is powder-coated in the colour of your choice when you place your order. The brown frames represent wood and the white frames pvc. Choose your horse and compare how much of it is visible through the glass panels. No bets taken on the winner!

Take a look at the SunSeeker Doors web site for more details and an obligation-free quotation.

Thursday 2 April 2009

BiFolding Doors vs French Doors, Illustrated

SunSeeker Bifolding Doors
The photograph shows an aluminium-framed 3-door SunSeeker biFolding Doors installation, partly opened to the size of a typical French Door aperture size. It ideally illustrates the difference between the two types of door openings and their potential aperture sizes.

This installation also has integral blinds fitted to the doors, between the glass. You can see from the shadows in the photograph how the blinds can protect a south-facing room from intense light and therefore soaring temperatures and also help prevent carpets and furniture from sun-bleaching.

SunSeeker Doors sourced the side windows for the client, with matching integral blinds, and completed the installation in less than half a day, only five weeks from initial order.

To see more photographs of SunSeeker Doors installations, visit the web site gallery at www.sunseekerdoors.co.uk
; if you would like a no-obligation quotation to have your bifolding doors fitted this spring, call SunSeeker Doors on 01582 492 730 or submit the quotation form.

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