The frameless slide and fold doors you see on our website are developed by us to create a slide and fold door for your home like no other. As you do your research around bifolding or even sliding doors, you may come across some technical expressions. So to help you, we have created a glossary of terms for slide and fold doors.
Glossary of Terms for slide and fold doors.
Some of the terms and definitions used are relevant to all types of folding doors; others are exclusive to our unique frameless doors.
Bifolding door system.
When people talk about a bifolding door system, they are referring to the company that is behind the design of a particular “system”. The frameless slide and fold doors from FGC are our own bespoke purpose-designed system you will not find on sale anywhere else.
We make our advanced frameless bifolding doors that are fitted by us and guaranteed by us.
Frameless doors.
A frameless door, whether hinged or bifolding is a door with little or virtually no visible framing. Study carefully other versions of slide and fold door marketed as ‘frameless’, and you will see plastic or aluminium extrusions covering the glass edges of the doors.
Only our doors give you a true frameless appearance. The correct definition of a frameless slide and fold door is the one with no visible mullions. Our doors have no visible mullions yet remain secure and highly weather resistant.
Traffic Door.
A traffic door on a bifolding door is an independent hinged leaf that works like a regular door. Traffic doors are very beneficial in enabling you to use the doors all year round without having to slide or fold any of the remaining door panels.
If your new door is the only door out to your garden or you wish to benefit from easy access in and out all year round, we recommend a traffic door.
Low threshold.
Bifolding doors are broadly speaking available with a standard rebated or a low threshold. It is the low threshold that enables you to have the level floors either side of your new doors.
Many bifolding door systems with a low threshold option will advise that there is no weathering or that low threshold doors are only available for internal applications.
The threshold on a frameless slide and fold door is as low as 5mm and still has a weather rating.
Energy efficient glass.
A quality folding door has double glazing or triple glazed units. These glass units are made with warm edge spacer bars, argon gas fill and low-emissivity coatings. These and other materials create energy efficient glass.
Energy efficient glass, when used in conjunction with the thermally broken framing create doors that help reduce your heating bills.
The energy efficient glass used in our frameless slide and fold doors is patented and unique to our doors. On our sealed units, you will find a beautiful transparent spacer bar made of toughened glass, not plastic or metal. We use toughened 20 mm glass spacer at the edges, sandwiched between 4 mm – 6 mm Low Iron (light reflective) or Pilkington Planitherm 4s energy efficient glass with argon gas filling.
Thermally broken aluminium.
Aluminium profiles in their raw form are inefficient conductors of heat. For current slide and fold doors, the aluminium profiles are modified with a thermal break. This is an insulating material that forms a bridge between the inside and outside faces of the aluminium.
Thermally broken aluminium is warmer, better insulated and with the glass, contributes to creating an energy efficient door with low U-Values.
U-Values.
A U-Value is a measure of the thermal performance of a slide and fold door. The lower the U-Value, the better the performance. The glass used in our frameless bifolidng doors has a U-Value of 1.0Wm2K
Bifolding door configuration
The bifolding door configuration refers to how the door is designed for your home. Configuration relates to the number of panels, the sliding direction, whether the doors open in or out and if there is a traffic door.
Colour, handle options and other access also come under configuration.
PAS24.2012
A quality door is subjected to independent testing for its security. One of the most highly regarded security tests is PAS24.2012. PAS24.2012 specifies test methods and other criteria to test the enhanced security performance of doors and windows. These test methods are designed to resist the methods of attack from the opportunistic burglar.
Our frameless glass slide and fold doors are independently tested to PAS24.2012.
Bifolding door stack.
The bifolding door stack refers to the fully open doors where all panels are folded open to one or both sides. When configuring a bifolding door consider how much space the doors will take when in the open position. The more door leaves, the bigger the stack and space taken.
With profile sizes of 45mm, our frameless slide and fold doors take up just 180mm on a four panel set. Conventional aluminium bifolding doors are more than double this dimension.
Bifolding door Mullion/Sight Line
The bifolding door mullion relates to the visible size of any bifolding door when in the closed position. Each door panel meets the next creating a sight line.
The major aluminium systems in bifolding doors have sight lines on average of 120-154mm. Frameless bifolding doors give you only a minimal gasket line as they have no visible mullions or door hinges at this mullion/sight line junction. There is no slimmer slide and fold door on the market.
If you would like further information on our range of frameless slide and fold doors, internal doors or frameless room dividers, contact us today.
