If you’re looking to integrate your indoor and outdoor living spaces, sliding doors could be the ideal addition to your home.
A sliding door system provides a range of practical and stylistic benefits to improve your interior space. With their great energy and thermal efficiency, Origin Sliding Doors are thermally broken which limits the heat transfer between the inside and outside spaces. This keeps you warm during winter and cool during the summer months. With their extra-large glass panes, sliding doors also allow significantly more natural light into your home, meaning you can save money on both heating and electricity from using artificial lights.
There’s no need to worry about safety either, as sliding doors come equipped with high-security locking mechanisms. Both the OS-20 Artisan Slider and OS-44 and OS-77 Patio Sliders have a minimum of six points of locking and offer a host of security and safety features.
Slim sightlines provide a seamless view to the garden and outside space, while the doors themselves free up more space inside the home. As they don’t require a hinge because they open on one track, you don’t need to allow the usual extra room for a folding door. You can customise sliding doors to match your interior in a variety of colours and configurations to create both a unique aesthetic and functional design.
Once you’ve decided you’re ready to commit to the purchase of some sliding doors, you need to decide on the best material for your frame. The remainder of this article focuses specifically on the beneficial features of aluminium sliding doors and comparing these to other materials available. We then elaborate on the advantages of choosing aluminium as the ideal choice for your sliding door requirements and answer some frequently asked questions regarding patio doors.
Click on one of the links below to jump to that section:
- Comparing aluminium to other sliding door materials
- The advantages of aluminium
- Frequently asked questions
Comparing aluminium to other sliding door materials
Pros | Cons | |
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Aluminium |
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Wood |
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uPVC |
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Steel |
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The advantages of aluminium
As seen from the table above, a sliding aluminium patio door has numerous advantages compared to alternative sliding door materials. Aluminium is hard-wearing and longer-lasting due to its strength and durability—on average, a bespoke aluminium sliding patio door can last much longer than an alternative made from a different material. For example, a sliding door from Origin can come with a guarantee of up to 20-years depending on where they are installed, and covers the hardware, seals, running gear and powder coated finish. Aluminium is also resistant to scratches and warping in differing weather conditions, so is extremely low maintenance and doesn’t require the extra costs of regular repairs and time spent on painting.
As a result of the material’s exceptional strength, an aluminium door is able to successfully withstand heavy weights, meaning that large glass panels (as well as both double and triple glazing) are able to be incorporated into the door design.
Aluminium is also less likely to warp or twist compared to other metals, and resists force better than wood or uPVC, keeping your house safe and secure from potential break-ins. Its strength and also durability allows for the sliding doors to be lightweight and slimline, without compromising on the quality of the design. The slimline look also enhances the appearance of the doors with a modern, contemporary aesthetic, complimenting your interior.
Designed to achieve optimal energy and thermal efficiency, large sliding doors made from aluminium effectively reduce heat loss in the home, and ultimately, can save you money on your energy bills. As well as being energy-efficient, aluminium is also a 100% recyclable material.
Sliding doors with an aluminium frame also offer as much strength, reliability and low maintenance as it does stunning aesthetics without compromising on quality and durability.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for when buying a sliding patio door?
There are several things to look out for when buying a sliding patio door. The main priority should be selecting the most effective material that will be the most resistant to wear and last the longest.
The security of your sliding doors is also another vital feature to be aware of. Always check what type of lock the sliding doors are fitted with, to ensure full safety and peace of mind.
You will also want to keep cost in mind, too. The cost of the patio doors will depend on the door type and material you want, glass options, amount of sliding panes, size and colour, so it’s important to weigh up how much you can afford to spend on the style of door you decide is best.
Are sliding doors more secure?
Aluminium is a very strong material, meaning that even with a slim frame, sliding doors and their durability can be trusted to hold the weight of large glass panels. Origin Sliding Doors are incredibly secure with their multi-point locking systems.