Sliding Glass Doors vs. Bifold Glass Doors: A Detailed Comparison
Many homeowners want to find ways to integrate the outside into a home’s interior design when renovating or building a new home.
There’s much to say about the peacefulness of bringing the outside in and having grander views. There’s also the more practical aspect of gaining more natural light and better access to outside spaces. All in all, there’s nothing not to like about indoor/outdoor living. No wonder everyone wants it.
What to consider when choosing between and sliding and a folding door.
What to consider when choosing between and sliding and a folding door.
The key question that remains both for architects and home owners is which solution serves their specific project best: sliding or bifold patio door.
As a distributor of both oversized sliding and bifold (or folding) door systems from Europe, we’ve helped many customers to make their choice. Based on our experience and the most common questions we’ve heard asked, we’ve put together this short guide. It details the main differences between sliding vs. bifold glass doors, as well as pros and cons.
If you are interested in integrating this type of exterior door into your next project, read on. We also encourage you to browse our product configuration overview to see some of products we have available.
Difference Between Sliding Doors vs. Bifold Doors
The main difference between bifold and sliding doors is the way they are built.
Sliding patio doors are made up of two or more large panes of glass that slide sideways behind each other. This limits how much of the glass wall you can open up, but also allows you to control the size of the opening more easily.
Sliding doors only partially open up as the panes need to slide behind each other and this means that one pane will stay closed. However, with sliding doors, you can decide how much to open them up depending on your needs. If you just need a little fresh air, you can open them up slightly. If you want to fully enjoy the outdoors, you can open them up all the way.
With sliding doors, you also have the option of tucking them away inside a wall pocket. If you have the required space, pocket doors can be a great solution to create the illusion of an unobstructed opening.
Bifold patio doors are made up of several glass panes that you can fold to one side to fully open up a space. They work like an accordion. Each pane is connected to the other with hinges and they all operate in conjunction.
Bifold doors can open towards the outside or the inside. You can install them either way, depending on your space and requirements. Plus, they can open up more of the wall because they fold to one side and only take up a small space. But when they’re open, they’re open.
Sliding Door vs. Bifold Door View
Sliding doors offer wider views when closed, while bifold doors offer more of a view when open. If you install sliding doors for an entire wall, chances are you will only need two panes. This means fewer frames and unobstructed views.
With bifold doors, you can get uninterrupted views when open. However, they do require more frames. This means that, when closed, the frames will break up some of the outside views.
Sliding Door vs. Bifold Door Ease of Use
Modern mechanism make both sliding and bifold doors easy-to-use. However, the lift and slide mechanisms available in sliding doors give them the upper hand. With the right product, you can move even oversized glass panes at the push of a finger.
When it comes to configuration, sliding doors offer fewer options than bifold doors and cannot be installed in bays or corners. Bifold door configurations are typically more diverse and made up of one to eight doors. More doors can be fitted if required. Additionally, you will be able to choose if you need the doors to open outward or inward.
When you choose bifold doors, you’ll also get one pane that opens just like a regular door. This is very useful when you don’t want to open up the entire wall to access the exterior space.
Sliding Door vs. Bifold Door Cost
There’s no clear price leader when it comes to sliding doors vs. bifold doors. Depending on size, configuration and specific mechanism, either one can be the more cost effective option. Make sure to reviewing pricing based on quotes for your specific opening and make sure to compare apples to apples when it comes to frame materials (aluminum, wood, vinyl, etc.) and glazing choice.
Sliding Door vs. Bifold Door Style
As already outlined above, sliding doors offer a more uninterrupted view when closed as the same opening can be filled with fewer glass panes. Bifold doors score points when opened, as they maximize the access to the outdoors.
Material and surface finish options are largely the same, but sliding doors look more sleek and refined as the sight lines are narrower and there are no hinges.
Sliding Door vs. Bifold Door Thermal Efficiency
When comparing products of the same quality, sliding doors lead in thermal efficiency. That’s because more heat is actually lost through the frame of a door than through the glass, especially if low-e triple glazing is used. Sliding doors can span the same width with fewer panes, leveraging the advantage of modern glazing.
At the same time, more panes mean more seals on a bifold door than a on a sliding door. This reduces its air tightness and, with that, its thermal performance even further. If you’re working on a high performance build, sliding doors are the better option.
Sliding Door vs. Bifold Door Threshold
Both sliding doors and bifold doors require thresholds.
While bifold doors are usually top hung and could technically be manufactured without a threshold, high quality products will still have a threshold. Thresholds allow for a guardrail on the bottom that helps tremendously with operating the individual panes and provide the ability to weather-seal the bottom of the door.
Sliding doors require the threshold by design as the rail in the threshold carries the weight of the sliding elements. If you you’re aiming at a barrier free opening, make sure that the door sits lower than the finished floor and assure that there’s sufficient drainage in front of the threshold to avoid water issues down the road.
Conclusion
Both sliding doors and bifold doors are great options for indoor/outdoor living and each of them has both pros and cons. In the end, the only question to be answered when choosing between sliding vs. bifold glass doors is which option will suit your project best.
If you want to incorporate glass doors into the design of your next project, we would love to help you go over your options and make a choice. We’re confident our range of European building products can match any specifications and create the most suitable solutions.
For more details and custom price quotes, use our online configurator or contact us anytime.
About Bauwerk Building Solutions
Bauwerk is a multinational business that connects US clients to an extensive network of European manufacturers of windows, doors, curtain wall systems, and more. We specialize in innovative and refined building products of the highest quality. Our offices are located in Charlotte, NC and Berlin, Germany.