What Material is Best for Bifold Doors?

By daniellebeklklklklccanmemorialtrustUncategorized

Timber Bifolds

A beautiful and classic option for those creating a traditional-style home or looking to install in a period property, timber doors come in various finishes. Engineered timbers are ideal as they have more dimensional stability than solid timber doors.

Softwood products are cheaper than hardwood, but some lower-end models can still be prone to warping over time when exposed to heat and moisture, meaning they will stick in their frames or won’t close.

They will require regular painting or varnishing to maintain their appearance.

Aluminium Bifold Doors

Aluminium bifold doors are versatile because of their strong but lightweight composition and are a great choice for more contemporary-style homes as they can come in a very slim frame. 

Benefits include:

  • Slimmer sightlines
  • Easy to maintain
  • A lifetime-lasting powder-coated finish
  • Can be made wider than timber doors (meaning fewer doors are required within the frame)
  • Finish options for frames include an array of RAL colours

Composite Bifolds

If you really can’t decide between the practically of aluminium and charm of timber bifolds, opt for a composite. It usually consists of an aluminium frame with a timber internal facing, offering the best of both worlds.

How Much do Bifold Doors Cost?

As with all window and door products, this varies hugely on size, material and quality.

Expect to pay around £1,200 per linear metre of overall frame width (for a good-quality system with a good spec of glass and ironmongery).

You will also need to factor in VAT and installation costs to the total price, and possibly delivery.

Some companies will ask for a deposit on ordering, with the full amount payable on installation or delivery.

How Big Should My Bifold Doors Be?

When designing how large you want your bifolds to be, you need to work out the size of the aperture and the tracks. If you’re getting someone to install the doors for you, they might come out and measure but a DIY enthusiast can normally fit them quite easily.

Panel weight is affected by the size and type of glazing used and hardware systems have maximum individual panel weight, width and height restrictions.

  • The minimum size of aluminium panels is advised to be a three panel set with a width of 600mm per panel but typically the panel widths would range from 800mm to 1200mm so 2400mm is a more accurate reflection of the smallest size opening for bifold doors to be installed
  • Standard aluminium panels standard can be double or triple glazed 1,000 x 2,800mm
  • Specialist wooden doors can go up to 4,000 x 1,100mm and hold up to 16 panels in one frame depending on manufacture and tolerance.