Bifold Doors vs Sliding Doors

For many years, sliding doors have offered a wonderful way for homeowners to have an uninterrupted view of their garden. The doors can slide across to open up the living area, allowing the outside fresh air to fill the house. The natural light provided can brighten a room and give the space a feeling of openness. The room appears larger and more welcoming as a result. However, the glass pane door remains in view when open, never truly opening all the way across. In response to this, in recent years, the bifold door has appeared on the market as a suitable alternative to the traditional sliding door. Instead of sliding across, these doors fold into one another as they move along a top and bottom track. This folding process allows for much larger openings than are traditionally provided by the sliding door. Bifolding doors allow homeowners to truly combine their indoor space with the outdoors, effectively opening up an entire side of the room. However, the bifold door lacks the full uninterrupted view of the sliding door due to the aluminium frames that make up each panel. Here at Chigwell Window Centre, we provide sliding and bifold doors, but which one is right for you?

The Case for Bifold Doors

The modern bi-fold door shows how far the home improvement industry has come in terms of innovations. The doors are manufactured by connecting a series of glass panels with hinges. They are then run along a top and bottom track. The homeowner can then fold each panel into the next one in a concertina arrangement. In doing so, when fully opened, the bifold door has the potential to open up an entire side of the room. This effectively stores the wall space to one side. The benefits of such a design have taken the market by storm, and they are not lost on homeowners. The arrangement allows for the outdoor and indoor spaces to become seamlessly connected. This extremely modern look is growing in popularity fast, and it’s easy to see why. With Chigwell’s slim aluminium frames, the doors provide huge natural light to the room even when closed. Particularly true with our ultra-slim Visofold 6000 range. In terms of security, the aluminium bifold door offers exceptional performance. Each panel is locked individually, ensuring that intruders have no easy route through. The reinforced glass inside an aluminium frame is extremely tough to penetrate. Finally, bifold doors are exceptionally easy to use. One door, usually on the end or in the middle, is considered the traffic door. This door opens and closes regularly and individually from the rest of the panels, allowing for quick access in and out without having to unfold the entire arrangement. 

The Case for Sliding Doors

But what if you’re looking for a truly uninterrupted view of your garden? The traditional sliding door is probably what you’re looking for. While the bifold door provides large amounts of natural light for the home, it is best appreciated when fully open. The frames between the panels do interrupt the view, even when they’re exceptionally slim. The sliding door is for the homeowner looking to keep their door closed for most of the year but still wants to view their garden from the inside fully. The large glass panes are uninterrupted by various panels, allowing maximum light levels to enter the home. The traditional sliding door has never gone out of fashion because it remains the best option for natural light whilst closed. When opened, the door can let a huge amount of fresh air in. Sliding doors also offer the most control over how much fresh air is coming in. They can be opened just an inch or all the way and everything in between. For customers looking to prioritise the view from inside the house, the sliding door is the way to go. 

Sliding Doors and Bifold Doors from Chigwell Window Centre

Here at Chigwell Window Centre, we’re proud to offer aluminium sliding and bifold doors. Whatever you’ve decided is best for you, we’re happy to accommodate.

Our aluminium sliding doors are bespoke to your home and come with a range of customisable features. We offer them in a range of RAL colours so you can choose whatever look is going to suit our home. We also offer a range of hardware accessories, with contemporary and conventional options available. Our aluminium sliding doors are designed to perform at the highest levels. We fit all of our aluminium sliding doors with multipoint locking systems, so they work to keep your home secure. The doors are also incredibly thermally efficient, saving money on your energy bills all year round.

On the other hand, our aluminium bifold doors are available in a range of configurations. We allow you to choose to have them open internally or externally and whether they will open from the side or the centre. The possibilities are endless, and we like to assure our customers that they have full control over the finished product. As a modern innovation, the aluminium bifold door from Chigwell Window Centre is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. Whether you go for the competitively priced Ezifold bifold door, the thick-framed and incredibly robust Visofold 1000, or the ultra-slim and ultra-modern Visofold 6000, you’re sure to have an installation to be proud of. Our two state-of-the-art factories can manufacture the doors bespoke to you, allowing you to receive your product quickly and affordably.

There is no one answer for which kind of door is best between sliding and bifold doors. It truly depends on what you’re looking for. Suppose you want to prioritise opening your home to the outside during the warmer months and want to take advantage of modern innovations. In that case, the aluminium bifold door is for you. On the other hand, if you want to prioritise excellent garden views all year round and want the maximum amount of natural light coming into your home, then the traditional sliding door is what you’re after.

Whatever it is you decide on, our team is happy to help. Please feel free to contact us by filling out our online form or calling us on 0203 667 9707. Alternatively, you can grab a quick quote in minutes from our online costing tool! Here at Chigwell Window Centre, we’re happy to help, and we look forward to hearing from you.