The sliding patio door is once again a sought-after product, now as good as our range of bifolding doors, but with different features and benefits in your home. In this article, we take a look at some of the patio door types available as well as useful information when choosing sliding patio doors for your home.
Tips and advice for choosing sliding patio doors.
First of all, the best material for sliding patio doors remains aluminium. We only sell aluminium for its reliability, strength and an overall better proposition for your home. Only aluminium sliding doors give you slim sightlines and larger panes of glass. As well as this, the high specification glass units in all our sliding doors give you excellent U-Values and door energy ratings.
Aluminium sliding doors will cost more than PVCu alternatives, however with six different types of sliding doors in our range; we are sure to help you find the best product for your home and your budget.
We take a look at the different products available from Open Living.
Choosing sliding doors from Open Living.
Every one of our sliding patio doors comes with high security, weather performance, a choice of handles and many different colours. Here’s how to choose our sliding doors at a glance.
- Aluk or Visoglide sliding patio doors best for those on a budget.
- Visoglide patio doors for a 30mm thin interlock at a great price.
- Schuco ASS70 sliding doors for German-engineering and outstanding design at an up-market price point.
- Duteman sliding doors for luxury large size doors at up more than six metres wide, with just two panels also at an up-market price point.
- Origin OS-77 sliding doors for the newest doors on the market with a 20-year guarantee and a mid-range price.
- Choose our Origin inline sliding door when you want a top-of-the-range minimalist sliding door.
Slimline sliding doors.
One of the most recent innovations in choosing sliding patio doors is the slimmer and minimalist models. The standout feature of these doors is the thinner than normal door mullion, or interlock. The interlock is the single vertical profile you see on a two panel door, two interlocks on three panel doors.
These sought-after slimline sliding doors offer you the thinnest possible interlock sightlines. For instance, our Origin inline slider has an interlock of 20mm.
However, this thin-framed door must remain robust and reliable. Therefore the construction differs from conventional sliding doors. Slimline doors come structurally bonded with the glass. For us, the installation is more intricate with additional labour to move the doors (subject to their size) and different transport and handling methods too. However, the result is an elegant, minimalist sliding door with an altogether different appearance.
Triple Track patio doors.
Doors with triple tracks are so designed to enable multiple panels to slide. Often available with three or more panels, these multiple tracks allow panels to slide left and right. It’s another great option to consider when choosing sliding patio doors.
When fitting triple track doors to a new extension, we work with you or your builder to ensure your floor levels take into account the deeper frame and track. Where we fit triple track doors as a replacement for your old doors, we may have to cut back some plaster or make alterations to your floor. We explain everything you need to know when we discuss your new doors with you. Our Schuco, new Origin OS-77 sliding doors come with a triple track. You can also use our advanced Dutemann sliding patio doors too. All of these doors give you great functionality at different price points.
Lift and Slide Doors.
For the latest lift and slide operation, Our Aluk, Schuco, Dutemann or Smart Systems doors all come with a lift and slide facility.
A lift and slide door also offers a different functionality to the straight sliding method of inline sliding doors. The lift and slide model uses a more complex handle. Rotating the handle raises the panel and lets you slide to your desired position. So when choosing sliding patio doors, lift and slide models let you secure the door in a partially open position.
Low thresholds on patio doors.
Just like all our other types of door, we can modify your existing floor or work with your builder to give you the desirable low threshold and minimal step. Only with a new extension will you get a fully flush threshold. Here we again work with your builder, so your structure is ready to accommodate your new doors and provide additional drainage.
However, done right, a sliding door with a low threshold is desirable, weather resistant and looks impressive in your home.
What to expect when choosing sliding patio doors from Open Living.
Whichever door you choose we offer some features as standard throughout.
- Safety glass as standard with optional higher security upgrades to laminated, acoustic or glass with integral blinds.
- Durable powder coated finishes, giving you a low maintenance door needing only a clean with a mild soapy solution.
- A full range of standard colours such as white, black or grey. We also have a choice of over 150 other colours too.
- Ten-year guarantee or the industry leading 20-year warranty on our Origin range of doors.
- A complementary or matching range of windows, residential doors and glass screens.
Our advice is always to see your new doors before you buy. Your builder can often source sliding doors at trade prices. While this saves you money, you rarely get the installation and quality guarantees available when purchasing directly from a supplier and installer.
Another top tip is always to try big sliding doors out. The sign of a quality product and a good installation is the light and smooth operation, regardless of the door size. Therefore, visit a good showroom and try out several different brands. Only in a good showroom do you get to see other features such as how the locking systems work and what a low threshold looks like.
Finally, check out the credentials of your installer. At Open Living, the vast majority of our work is fitting sliding doors in new extensions and home renovation projects. As a result, we have the skills, tools and training to ensure a smooth installation that is trouble-free too.
Contact us today for a free quote and more information.
Our comprehensive sliding patio door section in our information centre has other useful articles, tips and advice when buying and choosing sliding patio doors. Of course, you can telephone us, or use our contact form or visit our Letchworth Showroom.
