How to choose windows for your buildings

Nothing can beat the flexibility of a sliding door. There are a number of combinations and possibilities you should consider when looking for the perfect sliding door solution for your own unique home. Things to consider include the dimensions, design and colour, but you should also assess conditions such as energy efficiency, maintenance requirements and protection against burglary. The important thing is that you end up with a solution that meets your requirements.

7 TIPS WHILE CHOOSING A SLIDING DOOR

1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT MATERIAL

The material you choose for your sliding doors will determine the appearance, living quality and maintenance requirements of your home. Aluminium is a sustainable material that can cope with almost anything. A sliding door in aluminium can be exposed, without deterioration from wind, rain or dampness or UV rays. 

If you choose a sliding door in aluminium, it will be completely maintenance-free, besides a quick clean with soap and water. In other words, you will avoid scraping, painting and staining, which wood frames require at regular intervals.   

In addition, a sliding door in aluminium will last almost twice as long as the alternative in wood. While sliding doors in wood have an estimated life of about 25 years, sliding doors in aluminium can last for almost 40 years. 

2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT LEVEL OF INSULATION 

Make sure the sliding door you choose has the right thermal insulation properties. Your thermal insulation requirements will depend on where you position the sliding door. In a conservatory, simple construction with double glazing can be enough. The level of insulation should be higher if the sliding door will function as a terrace door or where the difference in temperature between indoors & outdoors is considerable. Triple glazing provides better thermal insulation properties combined with superior insulation of thermally brocken aluminium frames. Sliding doors with triple glazing and a low U-value, thermally broken aluminium will fulfil both the energy saving requirements and maintain indoor quality living in your home. Install the sliding door in a warm zone in order to take full advantage of the thermal insulation properties. 

3. OPTIMIZE THE VIEW AND LIGHT 

To maintain the outlook and natural light, you need a sliding door with the largest possible glass surface. For example, you can exploit the height of the room by choosing sliding doors that reach from the floor to the ceiling. If you choose solutions with integrated profiles, you will maximize the glass surface, because you avoid door frames that block the light and view. Sliding doors are possible to get in very large dimensions that give your home the best possible view and natural light. They can be integrated into the floor, walls and ceiling. This means that the profiles are not visible, and the glass comes right out against the wall. The handle is integrated in the profiles. You can get hold of a grip that stretches along the entire height of the doors. Despite the heavy door leaves, the sliding door’s wheel system makes it easy to slide. Motorized solutions that can be operated via an app or remote control are also possible. 

4. DIFFERENT OPENINGS 

Think about how much of the wall you wish to open before you choose your sliding doors. Many people would like the possibility of blurring the boundary between the indoor and outdoor areas. A standard 2 track sliding door solution gives 50% opening. This will be two-door leaves, each on separate tracks, where one leaf is fixed and the other can slide. If you choose a solution with three doors and three tracks, you can open two-thirds of the wall. 

There is also a sliding door solution that allows you to create “floating corners”, in other words, you can open two doors in one corner without the frame remaining. In this way, you can create maximum proximity to the outdoor space and blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors. Whether you bring nature indoors or take your living room outdoors, it’s two sides of the same coin. 

5. SUITABLE FOR VENTILATION 

Good ventilation and fresh air are important for a good indoor environment. If you want to ventilate without letting in people, insects or animals, a tilt and slide or a pull & slide door can be the solution for you. This is a compact and practical solution that is especially suitable for ventilation.

In addition to functioning as a sliding door, these types of doors also offer the option of allowing air to flow inside and can be tilted out like a window in the tilt position, and roll like a sliding door in the slide position. When the door is closed, it is sealed like a window.

6. THE COLOUR OF YOUR DREAMS 

A sliding door in aluminium is not just a the practical device, it is a part of the design and interior of your home. Choose your colours carefully to make your sliding door an eye-catching feature. Slim frames or profiles in aluminium can be surface treated in a variety of different colours and can be powder coated or anodized. Whilst anodizing offers less colour options and if you want to achieve the perfect shade, you can choose from the whole range of colours from the  RAL scale for powder coating, or wood finish or various textured finishes  

A thermally broken sliding door can also be offered in bicolour i.e separate colours for inside and outside frames giving you more options to match the interior and exterior themes of the house. The sliding door can therefore complement your home’s overall impression in a tasteful manner. 

7. FLEXIBLE GLASS SOLUTIONS

The glass in your sliding doors should have properties that fulfil all your requirements. This means, for example, that you can have glass with good thermal insulation and sun-shading properties at the same time. With triple glazing, you can install energy saving glass and glass with solar protection in the same door frame. In this way you can keep in the heat during winter while avoiding annoying sunlight. It is also possible to install anti-intrusion glass. Anti-intrusion glass has been tested with regard to how resistant it is against intrusion.

A common European standard, NS EN 1627, defines the safety classes (“resistance class”) from RC1 to RC4