Are you a homeowner choosing between bifold vs sliding doors, a builder or trade professional, looking to advise your clients better on the right patio door? Deciding whether a sliding or a folding door is best is certainly an important buying decision. Sliding doors do have their advantages, but as we explain here, there are more benefits to having a bifold door.

Bifold vs sliding doors – why does it matter?

Whether you’re a homeowner building a new extension or refurbishing your property, your new glazing is a significant investment and one you’re unlikely to be changing anytime soon. Therefore it’s about choosing the right product that will give you the look with the functionality you want.

You’ll be living with your doors for a long time to come and the choice of bifold vs sliding doors also depends on what type of house you have and how many patio doors or ground floor doors lead out to your garden.

So here are the reasons why, when it comes to choosing between a folding door or a sliding patio door, a bifold like the Cortizo system is better.

Bifolding doors give you the entire available opening

The best way to understand how these two patio doors work is to see them and try them out. What you’ll notice is that sliding doors always need somewhere to park. As a result, they take up some of your available door opening, existing or new.

A two panel door takes up around half your available opening, and a three panel sliding door about one-third. Therefore, if you want the maximum available opening to enjoy in the spring and summer and make your room feel better with the doors open, bifolds are the way to go.

Bifold vs sliding doors and why bifolds are more convenient

Sliding doors usually come as bigger panels and are therefore always heavier to move. When all you want to do is get quick garden or patio access, or open the doors for ventilation, you’re always dealing with a bigger door.

Bifolding doors are possible with the ultra-convenient access leaf meaning you can open just one panel. Taking out the washing, letting out a pet, and getting fresh air into your room is quicker and easier.

Why your property matters when choosing folding or sliding doors

When deciding between bifold or sliding doors, it’s also worth considering the type of property. Many terraced houses only have one door leading out to the garden. A bifold door is particularly suited to smaller houses as the main garden door.

The panels fully fold back, unlike a sliding door that takes up some of the opening. Therefore smaller houses look larger and the rooms feel better connected to the patio and garden.

More opening and configuration options

Sliding doors only come in two, three, four or six panels. Bifolding doors start at two panels going up to ten or more. Bifolding doors come with far more ways to open the doors. You can also choose which panels fold to the right or the left, or have them all moving in one direction.

Matching single and double doors

Unlike sliding doors, choosing a bifold lets you also have the same aluminium profiles for single or double doors around the home. The benefit is matching doors, handles, colours and styling.

The advantages of sliding doors

To help you choose between bifold vs sliding doors, it’s also worth explaining the advantages sliding doors have. In some houses they might work better, depending on the needs of the project or requirements of the client.

Larger glass panels

Bifolding doors can only go up to about 1.2m wide. Sliding doors, depending on the brand, can go up to 3m wide. When you want the biggest possible panes of glass, sliding doors deliver.

Less visible aluminium

The nature of sliding doors is such that you get fewer mullions than a bifold. This is because the panels go larger as mentioned above, meaning sliding doors are better for project designs wanting more glass, less vertical aluminium profiles and for some, better views looking out through the doors.

This is great when the doors are closed, but not as good when you want the doors open as only bifolds give you more of the available existing or new opening. It could be a factor in choosing bifold vs sliding doors.

Sliding doors take up less space

Because sliding doors move along a track, they don’t hinge in or out like a bifold. So if space is really at a premium, like on a balcony, a sliding door is arguably more space-saving.

The best bifold doors for builders and homeowners direct

We hope this article gives you some useful information when thinking about bifold vs sliding doors. Our folding sliding doors are superbly well-made, ultra-slim and above all, affordable from AL BIfolds. 

Every one of our doors comes fully fabricated depending on the size, ready for fast and easy installation. Durable colours, quality glass and reliable door hardware all come as standard. Perfect for builders and end-users wanting to replace dated doors or as part of a new extension. 

Contact us today for competitive prices and let AL BIfolds transform a home with slim, secure and weather-resistant doors, also having a desirable flush or low threshold.