Frameless doors and windows are products that are designed to provide the maximum amount of visible glass and the least amount of frame, usually aluminium.
Frameless products are available as bifolding doors, sliding doors, hinged doors, windows and fixed screens. Also available are frameless glass structures such as winter gardens or glazed extensions.
You will also find frameless balcony enclosures, balustrades and a broader range of glass products for internal or external use.
Other pages In this section
- Frameless glass sliding doors
- Frameless bifold doors information and uses
- Frameless Commercial Glazing
- Frameless Windows – Understanding the Options
- Frameless Glazing Frequently Asked Questions
What you should know about frameless doors and windows.
Searches online around ‘frameless’ products can often be misleading. There is a wide variety of products on the market and what constitutes a truly frameless product can be confusing. It is worth bearing in mind some key areas where a product is marketed as frameless but may not be.
- Full aluminium windows and doors, with the aluminium frames recessed into the building structure to create a frameless appearance.
- Doors and windows that are called ‘frameless’ yet have a very thin full aluminium frame.
- Frameless doors and windows that have no visible frame on the outside only but fully framed inside.
- Beware of frameless doors and windows designed for internal use or only available with single glass.
Every door and window needs a perimeter frame of some description therefore very few products on the market are completely made of glass. Most residential frameless windows and doors will rely on an aluminium or another type of frame to provide strength, integrity and reliability, especially where opening doors or windows are needed.
Performance and specifications of frameless doors and windows.
A well-designed frameless door and window will give the expected weather resistance, security and reliability associated with their fully framed counterparts. It is very important that you check the performance of frameless glass systems. Ask to see performance testing documentation, details of the guarantee available and exactly what is covered under the guarantee.
The glass and other components found in a frameless window or door come from several external suppliers. It is not unusual, for example, for a glass manufacturer providing the double glazed units to only provide a 5-year guarantee which your installer will pass on. Therefore, some frameless products may only come with a short guarantee period. Some frameless products will come with the well-known and expected 10-year guarantee, others may only come with five or less.
The aluminium materials found on frameless doors and windows should conform to industry standards for quality and type of aluminium. Powder-coated colours and finishes should come with the correct industry British or European Standard or be painted by a Qualicoat or other approved applicator.
With the minimal amount of aluminium, found in a frameless window or door you may find a more basic locking system than the typical multi-point lock on a full aluminium frame. Check what security accreditations or certification comes with the product.
Who are the main providers of frameless doors and windows?
The list below illustrates some of the best-known companies in the field of frameless doors and windows. It is worth bearing in mind that not all of these is a Systems Company but provides products based on either their own or existing systems.
Cantifix
Cantifix provides a big range of frameless and framed windows, doors and structures. The Cantifix range includes Sky-Frame sliding glass doors. Frameless glass floors, glass extensions and glazed links.
Finline Doors
Finline doors say they are the first UK company to provide frameless retractable glass doors. Finline provides sliding doors, room dividers, office screens and patio doors as well as balcony doors and swimming pool enclosures.
Frameless Glass Curtains Ltd
Frameless Glass Curtains Limited has designed a unique and patented frameless slide and fold door, being virtually frameless thanks to no visible aluminium at the door mullion junctions. The frameless bifolding door from FGC features a slimline aluminium frame, aluminium on the door rails only and provides some of the best views possible through a set of folding doors.
Also available are frameless hinged doors, windows, balustrades and enclosures. One of the best features of the FGC door is its security, weather performance, quality and very low weather resistant threshold. It remains one of the best systems you can buy for an external frameless slide and fold door.
ID Systems Ltd
The extensive range available from ID Systems offers internal and external use slimline and frameless products such as the Vistaline External slide & turn door and the Sunflex non-thermal system. ID Systems also provides the Sunflex SF20 frameless glass sliding door system, well-known as an internal frameless room divider, a balcony and patio enclosure or a winter garden construction.
IQ Glass Ltd
IQ Glass has an excellent reputation in the field of architectural glazing. structural glass and technically advanced glazed structures. The IQ Glass frameless range is very large comprising frameless windows and doors, minimal balcony systems, slim frame near frameless windows, frameless clerestory glazing and the Minimal Range of windows and doors.
Lumi Seamless Glazing from Apeer.
The Lumi seamless glazing range brings the minimal wall-to-wall glass in a contemporary range of windows and doors. The Lumi range is glass fibre reinforced profiles with structurally bonded triple glazing. Lumi products are frameless outside and framed inside.
Maxlight Ltd
London-based Maxlight Ltd is well known for its exceptional sliding doors. They also provide frameless glazing solutions, box windows, pivot glass doors, roof glazing and other modern products. The company carries out some excellent projects using its advanced aluminium systems and offers an excellent service to homeowners, architects and designers. You will also frequently see Maxlight at well-known exhibitions such as Grand Designs and Homebuilding and Renovation.
Sunflex UK Ltd.
Sunflex is one of the premier door systems in the UK, providing sliding or slide and turn systems, folding doors, sliding walls and a broad range of frameless or minimal frame products. The SF20, SF30 and SF35 suite offers frameless sliding doors. SF45, SF55 and SF75 ranges offer bifolding doors.
Sunparadise Systems
The Full Glazed System, Sunparadise Cubo and Summer Gardens are just some of the frameless products available from Sunparadise.
Available as single glazed, double glazed and including sliding doors turning corners, hiding from sight and extensive design options, these are some of the most advanced products on the market for internal, external and stand-alone garden rooms and structures.
Sunseeker Doors
Sunseeker Doors provide double and single glazed frameless slide and turn doors as well as sliding glass walls and minimal framed products. Sunseeker also offers internal frameless room dividers, balcony and patio enclosures and winter garden buildings.
The Folding Sliding Door Company
Trading in the USA, the UK and across Europe, The Folding Sliding Door Company provides flush glazed frameless glass bifolding doors. The FD75 is a flush glazed frameless folding door with aluminium that creates a ‘glass wall’ appearance inside and out.
Vision Glass Doors
Frameless Glass Doors from Vision are suitable for internal or external use with a folding sliding mechanism and individual moving panels. Doors are retractable and frameless with single or double glazing.
You’ll find many specialist suppliers of frameless or bespoke glass doors exhibiting at trade shows all over the UK.
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