How to Choose Aluminium Bifold Doors

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Alexandra works in the marketing department, and in 2014, bought her first house, which turned out to be somewhat of a ‘project’.
Since then, the whole house has needed renovating, which has helped her gain a knowledge of basic DIY, decorating and making the best of a small space.

By Alexandra Giles

While bifold doors are generally available in aluminium, uPVC and timber - there are a number of reasons why many homeowners choose doors in aluminium. Whether you prioritise strength, security, aesthetic style, or lack of maintenance – aluminium is a sensible choice for any type of property.

Here, we take you through what factors to consider when choosing a new aluminium external bifold door, including sizes, colours, security, and more.

In this guide:

Sizes

Find out what sizes are typically available when choosing aluminium bifold doors.

Colours and finishes

Read our guide to the different aluminium folding door system colours and finishes.

Maintenance

Find out how to maintain aluminium bifold doors.

Security and safety

Read how to choose a secure and safe aluminium folding door.

General design and key selling points of aluminium bifolds

Find out more about the design features of aluminium bifolds and the options available.

What typical sizes can you choose from when buying an aluminium bifold door?

All aluminium bifold doors are made to measure. This means they are manufactured to your exact specifications, purposely to fit a particular size of opening. The configuration of the door also has an influence on the size of the door - the more panels there are, the larger the door set.

The benefit of having custom-made bifolding doors is that they can fit any type of aperture, even those that aren’t conventionally shaped. While there are technically some standard minimum and maximum dimensions to bear in mind, manufacturers of aluminium bifold doors tend to be very flexible in the options they can offer.

The main advantage aluminium has over uPVC or timber is its superior strength, and this allows door panels to be manufactured in much larger sizes. Having larger panels means you need fewer of them to fill the opening. Less aluminium and more glass leads to a much wider and better view.

To give you a rough idea of size, a “standard” three-door set of bifolds would be between:

2,000 mm–2,450 mm (2m–2.45m) high
2,500 mm–3,000 mm (2.5m–3m) wide.

The chart below shows the door sizes most commonly sold by Origin:

approximate opening (metres)
	0.6	1.0	1.4	1.8	2.2	2.6	3.0	3.4	3.8	4.2	4.6	5.0	5.4	5.8	6.2	6.6	7.0	7.4	7.8	8.2	8.6	9.0	9.4
1 door
2 door
3 door
4 door
5 door
6 door
7 door
8 door

Key: Light grey shows smaller door panels, blue shows average-sized panels, dark grey shows large panels.

Are you looking for a durable aluminium bifold door? Explore our aluminium bifold door collection!

Origin bifold doors - outside view

Created bespoke to ensure you can make the most of your space, Origin bifold door collection from one to eight door sets and individual doors can be manufactured as narrow as 400mm, as wide as 1.200mm and as tall as 3,000mm. You can choose how they open and close – whether they fold in or out, and how they slide – to meet your exact needs.

Shop our aluminium bifold doors today.

What colours and finishes are available for aluminium bifold doors?

Generally, you’ll have a wide choice of over 150 colours and finishes when buying aluminium bifold doors. Aluminium bifold doors are coloured using a special durable powder coating. Aluminium doors can be painted with a wood-grain effect to give the appearance of wood.

Colour options

Aluminium bifold doors come in a multitude of colours, with black, dark grey and white being particularly popular. Black is a classic, stylish colour that works alongside a wide range of colour schemes, while the neutral white provides lightness and calm where darker colours are unable. Read our guide to choosing a colour for your bifold door here.

Many door manufacturers—Origin included—use the industry-standard RAL colour chart, which is made up of over 150 different shades and tones.

RAL stands for 'Reichs-Ausschuß für Lieferbedingungen und Gütesicherung' and is German for ‘National Commission for Delivery Terms and Quality Assurance’. The first RAL colours charts (RAL Classic) was compiled by the RAL organisation back in 1927 and included 40 colours.

Find out more about our RAL colours here.

Wood-grain finishes

Having doors painted with a wood-grain effect gives you the look of hardwoods such as oak, but with none of the associated problems that come with natural timber, such as its need for maintenance and its tendency to warp and expand in certain weathers.

Read our complete bifold doors colour guide here

Powder coating

Aluminium products are given their colour using powder coating, paint, or an anodised finish. Contrast with uPVC doors, which are generally coated with a much less durable laminate foil, or timber doors, which are usually painted and varnished.

Powder coating is a process that uses powdered paint to apply a coloured finish to an aluminium product. The aluminium is pre-treated then the paint is applied using an electrostatic process. It’s then heated to 200°C. A tough coating forms that’s much more hardwearing and scratch-proof than normal liquid paint and able to leave a completely smooth surface.

Aluminium bifold door maintenance

Aluminium bifold doors require barely any maintenance and need only occasional cleaning. Simply wipe down the frame and glass of each panel with soapy water and a non-abrasive cloth to keep your doors looking as good as new. Learn how to clean bi-fold doors.

It’s also recommended that you brush away loose debris from the tracks, as this can prevent the doors from having a smooth operation.

Finding safe and secure aluminium bifold doors

Aluminium is very robust and able to support larger panes of glass. Aluminium bifolds generally come with a range of safety and security features, such as secure locks, multi-point locking systems and toughened safety glass.

Strength

Aluminium bifolding doors are among the strongest doors on the market. Just the fact that they’re made from metal gives them an advantage over doors in uPVC or timber; however, aluminium is especially strong because of how it’s blended with high-strength alloys during manufacturing.

As the door frames are able to support larger, heavier panes of glass, they can be made slimmer, to provide more expansive views onto gardens, patios or other outdoor spaces. Not only that, but they’re better able to resist the wear and tear of frequent use and withstand inclement weather.

Read more about aluminium quality.

Choosing a secure aluminium bifolding door

The best-quality bifolds are equipped with certain features that make them safe to operate while keeping the home fully secure. These include:

a multi-point locking system
a kitemarked security lock
secure hinges
heavy-duty handles
toughened glass
safety features
safety glass

By law, all bifold doors must have toughened or tempered safety glass as a minimum. These glass options are not only strong but shatter into small fragments (rather than large shards), reducing the risk of injury to people in the home.

If this toughened glass is installed as double or even triple glazing, this makes the panes very difficult to break.

Find out the benefits of choosing double vs triple glazed bifold doors here.

Read our complete guide to choosing a secure aluminium bifold door here.

Child-proof features

Some bifold doors come with “finger safe” gaskets that provide cushioning when a child gets their fingers caught between the door and jamb. Other models might have:

magnetic catches to hold the doors securely in place while open
concealed roller systems designed to stop children trapping their digits in the sliding mechanism.

The design and key selling points of aluminium bifold doors

Aluminium doors have thermal breaks that make them very energy efficient. Thin sightlines are a desirable feature, and aluminium bifold doors tend to have some of the slimmest sightlines on the market.

Energy efficiency

High-quality aluminium bifolds are engineered to be extremely energy efficient (or “thermally efficient”). Most doors have a thermal break—a piece of plastic between the two aluminium sections of frame that works as a barrier, stopping heat flowing through the metal. This provides excellent insulation and helps you lower your energy bills as a result.

Sightlines

A big selling point of bifold doors is the sightlines—in other words, the amount of door frame between each pane of glass. Obviously, the thinner the frame, the better the view, and slimline frames are generally more desirable.

Aluminium bifolds typically have the slimmest sightlines when compared to a patio door made of uPVC and timber, as the superior strength of the metal means the frames can be narrower and still accommodate large and heavy glass panes.

Thresholds

The threshold is the track the doors slide along when you open and close them. Aluminium bifold doors can be fitted with either a weathered or non-weathered threshold.

A weathered threshold has a small lip, to provide protection against rainwater and inclement weather. A non-weathered threshold is level with the floor. This tends to suit homes with young children, people with reduced mobility, or wheelchair users, but does mean there’s less protection against bad weather.

Bifold doors also incorporate drainage systems that channel rainwater away from the threshold.

What are corner bifold doors?

Installing corner bifolds means removing one complete wall or window and an adjacent wall and putting in two door sets at 90º or 135º angles to each other. When folded back, they open up an entire corner of your property. They can be configured with or without a corner post as support.

Frequently asked questions

How do you choose the best handle for a bifold door?

The ideal handle for your door depends on your design and aesthetic preferences, security, and whether you want a design that matches your door. For a seamless look and feel to your bifold doors, we have a range of handle options including:

Colour-matched handles to match or contrast the colour of your bifold doors.
Stainless steel handles for a more industrial feel and to create contrast.

Whichever handle you choose, you can be assured of a contemporary metal door handle which offers the same faultless service as the doors themselves.

Read our guide to bifold door accessories here.

You can browse our range of bifold doors online and, if you need more information about any of our products, then contact your local installer here.

Are aluminium frames environmentally friendly?

Yes, aluminium can be recycled infinitely, making it an environmentally friendly choice for construction products, especially when compared to materials such as uPVC. Given the strength and durability of aluminium, our bifold doors are built for longevity and endurance. They therefore need to be replaced or recycled for many decades to come.

How secure are external aluminium bifold doors?

Aluminium bifold doors are extremely secure and are known for their exceptional strength. Origin Bifold Doors are one of the most secure systems in the market and have passed PAS 24 tests. The unique 8-point locking system offers extra security.

Find out more about the security features of aluminium bifolds here.