Having a balcony adjoining your bedroom or living space is a great way to make your room feel larger. In recent years, smaller Juliet balconies have become increasingly popular as a way to improve upon apartments that do not have as much space, connecting the inside world with the outside world.
The doors you choose for your balcony will have an impact on the natural light in your home and the access you have to your balcony. When it comes to choosing the right doors for your balcony, you will find that sliding doors are a great solution.
In this guide:
Find out more about why sliding door systems are a great option for your balcony.
Learn more about the benefits of having sliding doors installed on your balcony.
Discover the pros and cons of sliding vs bifold patio doors for balconies and upper storeys.
Find out more about the important factors to consider when choosing sliding doors for your balcony.
Learn more about Origin’s range of Sliding Doors.
Why use sliding doors for your balcony?
While there are other varieties of doors that can be used for a balcony, sliding doors are a popular addition because they can allow easy access and additional light into the home.
Sliding doors are the ideal solution for maximising natural light, which is vital all year round and helps to create an amazing, almost uninterrupted view of the outside world. Whatever room your balcony is connected to - bedroom, sitting room or office - sliding doors are becoming an increasingly popular choice. A sliding patio door allows easy access between the inside and outside of your home without taking up any additional room. It’s a great option for making a space feel larger.
Juliet balconies, in particular, can benefit from a sliding door because they don’t take up additional space to open inwards or outwards like external French Doors. Also, due to the slim sightlines, aluminium sliding doors can enhance views of your surroundings. In addition, the door can be opened slightly to provide ventilation or open fully to enjoy the warmer months. A sliding door on an upper level can also contribute to a striking and modern look from the outside.
The Benefits of Sliding Balcony Doors
Find your local installer today to bring your vision to life
Introducing a sliding balcony door to your home can have many wonderful benefits for the look, feel and convenience of your space.
Enjoy more natural light
Sliding balcony doors can introduce more natural light into the room connected to the balcony while making it effortless to access your outdoor space and benefit from fresh air. Better functionality and access to your balcony can encourage you to enjoy it year-round.
Save space
An easy-to-open sliding door can improve the aesthetics and functionality of your home, not just in the patio or kitchen. Sliding doors facilitate expansive openings without taking up additional space on your home. If, for example, you have a Juliet balcony, you may not have the room for a door that opens inwards or outwards. Regardless of your balcony’s size, space-saving is usually preferable. Other doors, such as bi-fold doors and French doors require more space to open, so are not always suitable for smaller spaces.
Allow better air circulation
Sliding doors can be opened as much or as little as necessary to allow fresh air in without hinging outwards or inwards like a casement window or French door.
Slim sightlines
Aluminium sliding doors can offer some of the slimmest sightlines on the market, allowing you to fully enjoy the additional natural light and expansive views on offer with your new balcony door.
At Origin, our OS29+ Sliding Door system offers sightlines of just 29mm and our OS44 and OS77 is available with sightlines of 44mm and 77mm. This allows us to maximise on the natural light allowed into your home without compromising on the quality or strength of the doors.
Sliding vs Bifold Doors for a balcony?
Sliding doors are a clear choice for your balcony for their space-saving advantages and visual impact. However, Bifold doors are another popular choice for enhancing the functionality of your space.
Bifold doors concertina open along a track and neatly stack away. They can open fully and fold away, which creates a seamless transition between your indoor and outdoor space.
| Sliding Doors Bi-fold Doors | Bifold Doors Sliding Doors | |
|---|---|---|
Space-Saving | Ideal: requires very little space | Good: but requires some space to stack away |
View | Best when closed | Best when open |
Access to the outdoors | Very good | Excellent: creates the widest opening |
Read a detailed comparison between bifold and sliding doors
Factors to consider when choosing sliding balcony doors
Once you have decided to have sliding doors installed for your balcony, you still need to consider other factors that will contribute to them looking and functioning in the best way.
Size and configuration
One of the main considerations should be the size of the doors. When fitting doors to an existing balcony, the doors will have to be measured to fit into the existing opening. Your configuration will also affect how your door will function in your space.
At Origin, our Origin OS29+ Slider has an aluminium frame that can accommodate a maximum individual panel size of up to 2.2m wide and 2.6m tall. The OS44 and 77 can accommodate a maximum individual panel size of 2m wide by 2,520mm high, which will provide you with a panoramic view of the landscape from your balcony.
When you choose an Origin Sliding Door, you can work with your local installer to make sure your new door is fully tailored and bespoke to your requirements.
Glazing
You should also consider the type of glass panel you want in your sliding doors, depending on the level of insulation you need. This will impact the overall cost, as triple glazing can carry much higher costs than double glazing. However, triple glazing offers a range of benefits, such as improved thermal efficiency, security and improved acoustics.
Read about whether to get double or triple glazing for sliding doors
Colour
Another consideration is the colour you’d like your sliding balcony doors to be. You can choose to match the colour of your sliding door to your current aesthetic, or you can contrast them. Black sliding doors are popular for creating an eye-catching statement in your home.
All Origin Sliders are available in over 150 RAL colours to help you find the perfect colour to suit your home. Our most popular colours include:
- Jet Black (9005M)
- Hipca White (9910G/M)
- Anthracite Grey (7016M)
- Slate Grey (7015M)
- Dark Silver Metallic (9007M)
- Black Grey (7021M)
Material
The material you choose for your sliding doors is another important factor to consider. Materials such as uPVC doors and timber are available for sliding doors, but due to the nature of the materials, they are often unable to offer the slimmest sightlines or large glass areas and longevity.
On the other hand, durable aluminium doors facilitate exceptionally slim sightlines without compromising on overall performance and ease of operation. Origin Doors also feature innovative thermal breaks, which help them achieve the best thermal performance in the UK for sliding glass doors.
All Origin Sliding Doors are manufactured with the highest-grade aluminium and to the highest quality standards. As a result, the doors come with industry-leading guarantees of up to 20-years and optimal home security.
Style
There are several other ways to customise your sliding doors to your unique style. One option is to add glazing bars to replicate the striking geometry of industrial-style Soho windows. Explore our style inspiration or case studies.
Why choose Origin Sliding Doors?
Origin has a wide selection of Sliding Doors. Our high-quality Aluminium Sliding Doors come with a guarantee of up to 20-years. They are also incredibly strong, lightweight and weatherproof.
There are three sightline options for the Sliding Door: 29mm, 44mm and 77mm, so you can achieve a wall-of-glass effect on your balcony, or you can emphasise the aluminium frames. Explore some of the features of Origin Sliding Doors below:
- Market-leading thermal efficiency
- Robust security
- Up to 20-year guarantee
- Bespoke and customisable
- Premium-quality aluminium
- Low maintenance and weatherproof
Explore the benefits of Origin today
To find out more about Origin Sliding Doors for your balcony, please contact your local installer today.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is it hard to install a sliding glass door?
It generally isn’t recommended to install your sliding doors without specialist training, especially for upper-storey installations. Proper installation is essential for leveraging all the benefits of Origin Doors, such as security, energy efficiency and ease of use. Speak to a Origin partner today.
Are balcony sliding doors energy efficient and do they provide good insulation?
Yes, Origin Sliding Doors are very effective at reducing heat transfer. They feature innovative thermal breaks, weathertight seals, gaskets and locks. The OS29+ can accommodate triple glazing and achieves U-Values as low as 0.78W/m2K, making it the most thermally efficient aluminium sliding door available on the market.
Are there security concerns with balcony sliding doors and how can I make them safer?
Patio doors with large expanses of glass can make you feel more exposed. However, Origin Sliding Doors have a minimum of six points of locking, which make them ultra-secure. The modern design and strong aluminium frames also contribute to their safety. Finally, the OS77 and OS29+ Sliders are PAS 24 accredited for additional peace of mind. Moreover, your installer can discuss the available options for safety glass when you start a project.
How do you maintain balcony sliding doors?
The main things to keep on top of are lubricating any moving parts (trolley, rollers and bearings) with a silicone-based lubricant and keeping the track clean and free of debris. You can clean the aluminium patio doors with a non-abrasive cloth and gentle cleaning products. For more information, read our guide on maintaining aluminium sliding patio doors.
