Cero Sliding Doors Review

Our Solarlux Cero sliding doors review takes a look at this highly advanced slimline door. Cero capitalises on the current trend for minimalist architectural glazing and slimline aluminium. The Cero door sits amongst an elite set of sliding door products offering genuine architectural glazing. It also offers sizes at or beyond room heights, a virtually frameless look and symmetrical aesthetics throughout.

This article takes an in-depth look at the product. It also explains why you should consider Cero by Solarlux if you’re looking for contemporary sliding doors.

Cero Sliding Doors Review. General product information

Designed for standard or large-scale glazing, Cero sliding doors are only made in Germany by Solarlux. They’re only available through a specialist network of Solarlux installers. There are several well-known brands of slimline sliding doors. Solarlux Cero offers altogether different aesthetics, design and individuality compared to other slimline sliding doors. And with multiple brands using the Cortizo system, Cero provides something genuinely different from the similarity in design of other slim sliding doors.

First of all, is the design of these doors. Most projects don’t need doors weighing one tonne and up to six metres high or 15 sq. metres overall. However, when a door is capable of these extreme sizes it demonstrates a number of features.

One of these is the engineering behind the product. Large heavy doors need smooth sliding, high performance and given their cost, a long service life. Another is the technically advanced design enabling these large sizes and, crucially, with safety. Then it’s time to consider who makes these doors as well as the credibility and manufacturing excellence. Solarlux has all these features with Cero sliding doors and across its entire product range.

One of the best engineered sliding doors on the market

Therefore, Cero sliding doors not only sit in the upper echelon of sliding doors, by design, brand, performance and quality. They also come from one of the best German brands there is. It’s only when you move these doors, you get to understand what’s behind them and why they’re a luxury door.

Of course, anyone presently choosing slimline or high-end sliding doors for their project would invariably go see the product in a real-world environment.

The sliding action with soft opening and closing is exceptional. We’ve spent time with these doors. How patio doors slide and move, especially any large and minimalist design, is one of the best indicators of quality. So while many brands come with great specifications, moving the doors and how they feel genuinely separates quality between brands.

The technology behind Solarlux Cero Sliding Doors

Typical of contemporary sliding patio doors, Solarlux Cero provides high-end glazing, superior functionality and desirable panoramic sliding doors.

Each door panel integrates perfectly with it’s surround frame. These doors are mostly intended for projects needing a flush appearance at the head, sides and door track. You can use Cero as a replacement for existing doors. However, you won’t (without modification of the existing opening) get the flush and symmetrical look these doors are known for.

The system is designed around the inline sliding door design. with each panel sitting on a single, double or triple track.

Self-ventilating structurally bonded doors

Of course, you also get the thermal insulation within the aluminium profiles. What you also get that’s rare amongst structurally bonded doors is ventilated glazing. Other structurally bonded doors such as Cortizo, Infiniglide, Origin and others, fully seal the glass to the aluminium surround. Cero doors come with the glass bonded to the aluminium while also allowing full air circulation around the glass unit. The benefit is temperature regulation around the glass, improved ventilation and drainage.

Minimalist appearance right down to the fixings

Just like the Solarlux bifolding door, Cero comes with engineered cover plates at the head and sides. These not only help create a flush all aluminium look, they also hide the door fixings, often visible with other slimline bonded doors.

The minimal appearance extends to the outside too. These doors you can’t operate or gain entry from the outside unless the doors are motorised. For some, this feature will be necessary. However, bear in mind these doors are designed for homes and new extensions. These projects typically have more than one rear access door at the property.

Consistent and symmetrical sightlines throughout

Integrated and protected door rollers

Contemporary, inline door handle

While you won’t find the four or more locking points of other slimline sliding doors, security is nonetheless excellent. First of all the locking mechanism sits on the inside behind the glass line. Other door locks sit in the middle of the door profile. Another benefit is the option of multiple keeps along the head and track of the door set. As a result, it’s possible to move the door to an open position and secure it. This open-secure feature is generally not available on inline sliding doors.

Other security features with doors include an alarm sensor system on the glass. This optional feature makes the user aware of any door movement or attack on the glass itself. The doors also come with an upgrade to maximum security RC2 or RC3 and Secured by Design.

Cero sliding doors review. Some technical details.

The technical excellence of the Cero sliding door is not just about figures, dimensions and performance. It’s also about some clever design features. That said, sightlines do matter to people buying these doors so we start with these.

The outer frame sightline, assuming this product is face fixed and not hidden into the wall is 75mm. Therefore it’s a good starting point comparing this with something like the Cortizo slider at 44mm. It’s not the slimmest at the surrounding frame, but these doors mostly fit within newly built apertures. Another way of looking at it is in reverse. Fit the frame hidden into the wall and your sightline is effectively 0-75mm!

For the panels and panel joints, the sightline here is 34mm. Again it’s not as slim as a Cortizo system, Origin OS-20 or Infiniglide 3 or 6. Where this door is better than these other brands is you don’t get the very deep mullion of the others. Looked at side on, it’s better.

The frame itself varies in size depending on the number of tracks. A regular two panel door only needs the standard double track frame at 197mm. A triple-track extends out to a hefty 303mm. This is large, but not unusual for multiple panel doors of this type.

Air, wind and thermal transmission depend on the specification of each individual door. Do bear in mind these are not ‘standard’ doors. When buying Cero, considerations include:

• Your building location
• The exposure and position of the doors, for instance, corner location, high level or coastal.
• The overall sizes of the doors are also taken into account.

Sliding Doors tested to extremes

Cero sliding doors also meet the required European standard DIN EN references. These include resistance to wind loads and protection against driving rain. Also included is air permeability and resistance to repeated opening and closing. There are, of course, security standards including RC2, sound insulation and thermal transmission.

What does this mean? By all means dig deeper into the technical specs. Essentially, this door is extensively tested. As just one example, should you go for very tall doors, the mullions have steel or aluminium inserts inside, further adding to the overall strength of the 34mm profile. For extreme sizes they also come at the same 34mm size, but deeper.

Other technical specs or options include:

• Door closing monitoring with connection to a building security system
• Optional insect screens

You’d expect a door like this to be high tech. But it’s also incredibly beautiful to look at.

Design options with Cero Sliding Doors

The sliding and opening configurations with the Solarlux’s Cero product allow multiple configurations using single, double or triple tracks. The choice of a double or triple glazed model also determines the maximum panel sizes. Typically Cero II double glazed comes at panels sizes of 3m x 4m width or height up to 12 m3. Cero III is triple glazed. This model comes at panel sizes up to d 4x6m with or height, up to 15m2.

Two panel designs come with either both panes sliding or one fixed and one sliding panel. Three panel designs offer come with each door on it’s own track stacking together. Of course, when designed to slide into a wall pocket, sliding doors disappear from sight.

Finally, options exist for glass-to-glass corners and also moveable or fixed corner posts.

Cero doors provide the architectural grade glazing, a feeling of space and transparency. Of course, you’ll get the flush floor track and minimal step when designed into a new extension.

These doors also come in all manner of sliding combinations up to five panels all sliding on individual tracks for optimum flexibility.

Cero sliding doors review. What we think

We’ve seen a lot of sliding doors over more than thirty years. Therefore we know there’s no terrible door on the market. Time and again we say even the cheapest doors will be reliable when well made and fitted. But that’s all they do.

Where luxury products differ is in how they look and how they feel. Where highly engineered products differ comes down to the very small, often hidden details. Solarlux we know already to be one of the very best brands you can buy. They have absolutely everything engineered down to a fine art. And, you want any new contemporary door to be pretty. These are gorgeous, as are the Solarlux bifolds.

Of course, looks are subjective. But for anyone in the market for a high-end door, go see this door. This Cero sliding doors review can only tell you so much. You also find out how Cero is made, and what’s involved in the whole process, start to finish. Moreover, moving them you’ll instantly feel the quality. Turn the elegant handle to lock them and you’ll feel it’s smoothness. Slide the doors to fully open and the discreet stops provide reassurance.

Of course they’re not the 20mm sightline doors. Make no mistake the crop of current 20mm sightline sliding doors are great. However, don’t obsess over the middle mullion sightlines. On large sliding doors they do not matter.

Doors with 34mm sightlines like Cero, 35mm of the Visoglide, or any of the multiple products ranked in order of slimness at the mullion, It’s about how the overall door looks not how thin the middle section is. And none we know of offer the consistent line all round like the Cero. So while you may get the 20mm mullion you want, the aluminium elsewhere is thicker.

Minimalist, contemporary sliding doors with the best in German design, technology and manufacturing. These technically excellent sliding doors enhance any new extension. Moreover, they create a statement piece slider, promising reliability, weather performance and ease of use. There are many excellent brands of sliding patio doors. Cero, has the quality, build, fit and finish as well as the brand. They’re one of the best sliding doors available today.

In the same way many other goods we buy are bought for reputation, quality, brand kudos, and even to impress the neighbours. Cero is one of these. Go see these doors.

Cero sliding doors review. More information

The technical nature of these doors means trusting an installation to one of the specially trained Solarlux partners. These expert door companies ensure a precision installation with a quality guarantee.

Typically it is the best home improvement companies that choose to supply cero because it fits in so well with their general range of better doors and windows or it’s their high-end offering. You can get in touch for more information and where to view this outstanding sliding door.