Patio Doors

Chosen well, the addition of modern patio doors, also known as sliding doors, as part of a new extension or property renovation let large amounts of daylight flood into your home thanks to their thin frames and large glass panels. They are stylish, secure, and energy-efficient and add the WOW factor to any property!

What is a patio door?

A well-designed, attractive door set improves a living space by providing more natural light and adding a focal feature. It also enhances the property’s aesthetics viewed from the garden. You’ll find aluminium doors widely used in high-end architectural glazing for some of the best house designs that feature expansive floor-to-ceiling glass.

While the doors themselves are important, how they integrate with windows, screens and other products is also important. For example, if you’re having bifolding doors and French doors, there’s no reason why you can’t match the frames and profiles between products. Origin is one of many bifolding door providers that create French Door designs using either their standard or slimline folding door profiles.

Understanding the options available can help you choose the right patio doors in the most suitable material.

What is the best material for patio doors?

When looking to replace or install new patio doors in your home, there is an excellent choice of materials, and there is no absolute best material for patio doors.  Factors to consider are budget, house style, door function, personal taste and longevity.

While ATS is an aluminium-focused website, we do not say aluminium will be the best patio door material choice for your project. There are also many good reasons to consider the other materials.

Our at-a-glance comparison table provides an overview of the different types of patio doors available with their frame material options.

	Aluminium	PVCu	Steel	Timber	Hybrid	Frameless
Single door	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
French door	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Bifolding door	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Sliding door	✓	✓		✓	✓
Slide & turn door	✓	✓		✓		✓
Steel-look door	✓		✓
Doors with windows/screens	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Ultra-slim sliding door	✓					✓
Pivot door	✓		✓
Automatic door	✓
Doors with open/moveable corner	✓		✓	✓	✓	✓
Flush/timber-look doors		✓
Special shapes	✓		✓	✓	✓
Oversize patio doors	✓		✓			✓

If a combination you would like for your project is missing, you can, you can contact us for advice.

When buying new patio doors, the current materials used in manufacturing all offer the following benefits:

• Excellent door energy ratings and U-Values thanks to insulated profiles and glass
• Choice of double or triple glazing for most products
• Latest security and weather protection due to their design and high-quality hardware
• Extensive choice of colours and colour-matching service
• Solutions for lower thresholds, improved access or meeting specific requirements

6 ways patio door materials differ

• Price
• Design, such as contemporary or traditional
• Specifications
• Quality of the components, including screws, joins and tracks.
• The capability of the product, such as sizes, strength and integration with other products
• Security, weather and other accreditations

How your patio door integrates with your design and structural requirements will also determine the choice of material and brand. For example, you need to consider cladding, gutters, fascias, corner posts and steelwork, aluminium panels and even integral blinds.  

In aluminium especially there is a big choice when it comes to finding who makes the best bifolding doors. For sliding patio doors, there are over fifty aluminium sliding doors to choose from, so invariably it is worth seeking advice on some of the best patio sliding doors on the market today. 

Summary of patio door options

Patio doors threshold options

A door threshold is located at the bottom of the doorway and covers the gap between the door frame and the floor. It is usually made from a strip of wood or metal and acts as a seal to stop rain and draughts.

With larger door sets a low level, easy access and even flush threshold, such as those found on bifolding doors, is also available on sliding doors, pocket doors and open corner designs. French doors, by nature, don’t have a flush threshold, but most door brands offer a low threshold option similar to those used on front doors.

Getting a low threshold is easier when designing doors as part of a new extension rather than when replacing dated doors. However, a good installer has the skills to modify an existing opening, allowing the doors to sit lower.

Contact us if you would like some advice about your particular project.