Given that Bifolding doors are popular with homeowners because of the views afforded by bigger glass panels, it does beg the question why a homeowner would ask for bifolding doors with Georgian Bars. After all, even in the closed position, bifold doors still give great views of the outside space.
Bifolding doors with Georgian bars
Some properties lend themselves very well to windows and doors with Georgian effect inserts or Astragal bars applied to the glass directly, inside and out. Bifolding doors to match the style of old Crittall™ windows are also very much in demand today. We think the most appealing multi-panel bifold remains the Crittall™ product in steel. But what if you want aluminium?
Traditional properties frequently feature windows, French doors and even bifolding doors with decorative bars, leaded glass or feature glazing. There is no reason why Georgian bars (those plastic bars between the panes of glass) can’t be applied to any product, however, with Astragal bars, (applied directly to the glass), an aluminium bifolding door can make things a little more complicated.
If you are being asked for an aluminium bifolding door with any applied glazing bar and finding it hard to source there are some reasons why.
In aluminium, bifold doors with glazing bars are hard to source.
One of the issues with bifolding doors is finding compatible decorative glazing bars from the range of after-market products available. These profiles are designed for windows and doors but often difficult to source for bifolding doors.
In aluminium, glazing bars have to be notched or machined where horizontal bars meet vertical. The bigger problem is at the edge of the doors where the bar meets the profile on one side and the glazing bead on the other. Not all generic glazing bars work with all bifolding door systems. One solution is for the bifolding door company to extrude its own glazing bar. However, given the relatively small demand for aluminium bifold doors with glazing bars, this is quite a large investment to make in extrusion dies and tooling.
One solution for aluminium glazing bars in bifolding doors is a flat aluminium trim applied to the inside and outside. Companies specialising in stock extrusions sell a variety of flat bar pieces. These can be powder coated and applied to the glass with suitable glazing tape or another method if desired.
Senior Architectural Systems Ali FOLD and PURe Fold bifolding doors are available with a glazing bar.
One of the newest bifolding doors to hit the market recently is the excellent Ali FOLD and PURe FOLD bifolding doors from Senior Architectural Systems.
We like the Senior bifolding door. Senior aluminium doors (and their windows) are well thought out, well designed and easy to make. Senior bifolding doors also offer fabricators and installers a big choice of sections, making their doors very adaptable as well. One of these sections is the SAE25X4 Georgian Bar. It remains a flat bar rather than a profiled section and works very well as a square glazing bar on both the inside and outside of the bifold. The Senior Glazing bar is 25mm wide and 4mm thick. With Senior there is also a door rail option with section SPW058059.
So if you are looking for an aluminium bifold with a glazing bar as part of the system itself, the Senior Aluminium Ali FOLD or PURe Fold may be a great option. If you are wondering what the difference between Ali FOLD and PURe FOLD is, they are essentially the same bifold. The PURe FOLD version features a very sophisticated thermal break which gives excellent U-Values and thermal performance.
Contact us and we can help you source a Senior Bifolding Door.
For bifolding doors with glazing bars, there are solutions.
For bifolding doors requiring astragal bars, timber doors may be the better solution. The way timber doors are made makes glazing bars easier as well. In aluminium, Senior Ali FOLD Doors are another good option for a bifolding door with a glazing bar. The other advantage is that Senior Ali FOLD doors come with the bar as part of a system, rather than having to outsource it.
What about steel-look aluminium bifolding doors?
Another company that has successfully created a steel look bifolding door, as well as one with glazing bars, is Aspire Bifolds of Surrey. Aspire as taken the latest Smart Systems Visofold 6000 bifolding door, applied special aluminium glazing bars and created a very impressive bifolding doo with a more traditional appearance. The Smarts Visofold 6000 is presently one of the thinnest bifolding doors on the market and these very slim door profiles help give the door with the applied bars a more steel-like appearance.
With timber, you can take a large piece of wood and machine it to achieve the glazing bar required. Aluminium profiles need dies to be made and the extrusion presses to create the profile. Once extruded it cannot be altered.
Another option is to use the Georgian bars inside the double glazed unit, but this may not be to everyone’s taste in a door.
Main image shows the Smarts Alitherm Heritage Doors manufactured by Everglade Windows of Middlesex.
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