Patio Doors: Sliding, Bi-Folding or French

Choose sliding doors if you want the most glass and the slimmest frames with nothing swinging into the room or garden. Choose bi-folding doors if you want to open almost the whole wall on warm days. Choose French doors if the opening is narrower and you want a classic pair of doors that open fully. We supply sliding and bi-folding doors in aluminium, and French doors in uPVC, all made to measure and fitted by FENSA and CERTASS registered installers.

A sliding door has large glass panels that glide past each other on a track. Because the panels stay in the frame, nothing takes up floor space when the door is open, which suits kitchens and living rooms with furniture near the glass. The frames are slim and the glass is large, so the view stays uninterrupted even when the door is closed, which in a British climate is most of the year.

The trade-off is that one panel always stays in place, so a two-panel door opens about half the width. Larger openings can use three or four panels. Our sliding doors page covers configurations and the difference between inline and lift and slide systems.

Bi-folding doors are hinged panels that fold and stack to one or both sides, opening nearly the full width. They are the choice for a room that spills out onto a patio in summer. Folded back, the panels stack together, so you need space for the stack inside or outside. With more frames than a sliding door, sightlines are busier when closed. A traffic door lets you use one panel as an everyday door without folding the whole set.

French doors are a pair of doors that open outwards or inwards from the centre. With no fixed panel, both leaves open fully, so a relatively narrow opening gives a generous way through. Our French doors are uPVC on a 70mm multi-chamber profile, and they suit smaller openings, bedrooms onto balconies, and period homes where a sliding or folding door would look out of place.

Threshold: a low threshold makes the step to the garden easier; we look at levels at survey. Glass: patio doors are large areas of glass, so low-e glass and warm-edge spacers help the room stay warm. Security: multi-point locking and tested hardware matter on a door facing a private garden. Opening size: the structural opening may limit the options, especially for wide bi-folding doors where a new lintel may be needed.

We survey the opening, draw options, and quote. Finance is available through our FCA-authorised arrangement (FCA 1055332), and we cover all of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Before settling on a patio door, think about how the room will be used. Where will the table sit? Which way will people walk to the garden? Is there a radiator or kitchen unit near the opening? A sliding door keeps floor space clear, bi-folding doors need room for the stacked panels, and French doors need space to swing. Consider blinds too: some choices are easier to dress than others. We look at the room, not just the opening, during the survey so the door works with the way you live.