Lift and slide doors..

mloc123

We are looking to get out standard patio door widened to 2.8m and install a lift and slide door. Have got prices from builders for the job etc..

I wanted to check on the doors themselves, is there anything to look out for? Do they age well etc.. I have read previously that bi-fold rollers tend to fail.

Currently I have priced doors with a large firm based in the southern province and also the same supplier that we previously got aluclad windows from.

Gumbo

2.8m will Allow a slide of 1.4m at best.
Is it worth the hassle for such a small opening? Can you go bigger to maximise the opening section?

mickdw

do you mean a bi fold job to open up the whole 2.8m?

mloc123

kceire wrote: »

2.8m will Allow a slide of 1.4m at best.
Is it worth the hassle for such a small opening? Can you go bigger to maximise the opening section?

That is about as wide as the opening can go, maybe 3m at a push. The opening width is okay, it will fine for what we want (the main advantage being the additional light over opening).

The width requires lift and slide as standard sliding doors seem to be limited to around 2-2.5m wide. I am wondering about longer term life expectancy of a lift and slide door, are they maintenance free etc..?

Gumbo

mickdw wrote: »

do you mean a bi fold job to open up the whole 2.8m?

No, I don't like BiFold personally.
Lift and slide to me means half the door will open onto the other fixed side?

Maybe the OP can confirm.

GreeBo

kceire wrote: »

No, I don't like BiFold personally.
Lift and slide to me means half the door will open onto the other fixed side?

Maybe the OP can confirm.

Lift & slide are basically like old style patio doors, the lift part is how they unlock.
They still slide alongside the fixed panel.


I'd go bifold for such an opening of that size as I think it will give a cleaner look.
1.4M isn't a small opening, but I still think go bifold if budget allows.

Gumbo

GreeBo wrote: »

Lift & slide are basically like old style patio doors, the lift part is how they unlock.
They still slide alongside the fixed panel.


I'd go bifold for such an opening of that size as I think it will give a cleaner look.
1.4M isn't a small opening, but I still think go bifold if budget allows.

Yeah I put a lift and slide in my mams extension about 4 years ago but the door is 5m wide. I done similar then on my own but just used a center double sliding door as that low was only 4.3m.

I’ve seen them in some of my jobs at 3m wide and I just wasn’t impressed with the opening size afterwards.

ht9zni1gs28crp

On a size like 2.8m with an opening of 1.4m approx Lift and Slide doors will give you more light/visibility when closed compared to the Bi-Fold and their maze of muillions. Like mentioned above the downsize at that point is when opened 1.4m doesnt sound as affective as the full 2.8m when opened.

Not a fan of Bi-folds, but if its not energy rating your chasing and more concerned about fully open dims then these may suit better.

Weigh up the pros and cons of how many days the doors will actually be fully opened for! For sure its all based on living with our without 1400mm.

JoeA3

I've been looking at these doors recently myself for my upcoming new build and I was pretty impressed with the aluminium / alu-clad versions that were demo'd to me. Seriously weighty sturdy looking doors with loads of glass area, but the slider mechanism is super smooth and light. You could open them with your baby finger. You can lock the door in place in any position along the slider too which I thought was handy from a safety/security pov.

The bi-folds look very fussy to me and a potential recipe for ongoing maintenance issues.

mloc123

I guess my main question is .. how well does the sliding mechanism age? With traditional sliding doors these tend to wear out over time. Has anyone got a lift and slide installed a number of years and what is your experience with daily use.

As a previous poster mentioned, glass area and less frame is a bigger selling point over opening size. Bi-folds feel quite clunky to open (from the show rooms I visited).

Gumbo

mloc123 wrote: »

I guess my main question is .. how well does the sliding mechanism age? With traditional sliding doors these tend to wear out over time. Has anyone got a lift and slide installed a number of years and what is your experience with daily use.

As a previous poster mentioned, glass area and less frame is a bigger selling point over opening size. Bi-folds feel quite clunky to open (from the show rooms I visited).

Have one about 4-5 years in my mams house. 5m wide.
No problems so far.

mloc123

kceire wrote: »

Have one about 4-5 years in my mams house. 5m wide.
No problems so far.

Perfect, thanks... any chance you could PM me the name of the supplier... or give me a hint here

Heiser

Price wise how do lift and slide compare to bifold?