Sliding patio doors in aluminium

The latest generation of aluminium sliding patio doors offers sophistication and technical excellence that is justifiably gaining renewed awareness among homeowners. Better designed than ever with more robust, slimmer frames and functionality, sliding patio doors are best for creating a glass wall that provides uninterrupted views, more light and a real connection with the outside, giving a feeling of well-being.

Advantages of sliding patio doors in aluminium

Similar to the bifolding door, the sliding patio door is a wall of glass and allows you to open up the entire space, letting the light flood in. You get a view of the garden or a spectacular vista, such as a high-rise, mountain or coastal, all year round, in all seasons, making you feel closer to nature.

The bonus with sliding patio doors is the glass panels can be significantly larger; you have less vertical frame to interrupt the view. For example, the average bifold door panel is 1.2 m, and a sliding door panel can be up to 4 m wide! The only downside is that unless you have space in your wall for a pocket, one door will always be closed.

With sliding patio doors, you can create flush floor levels and provide a seamless transition from inside to out, perfect for children and accessibility issues. For new builds or extensions, you can incorporate designs such as open corners and pocket walls where the doors can be parked whilst open.

For architectural glazing designs, you can incorporate almost frameless, minimal slim doors, fixed glass or open-corner designs.

At the premium end of the market, sliding patio doors are designed with the lightest and smoothest slide action. For the ambitious, grand sliding doors at extreme sizes create dramatic glass sliding walls. Motorisation and automatic open/close sensors can be included for extremely large doors or accessibility solutions.

Types of aluminium sliding patio doors

Many of the leading aluminium systems companies in the UK now offer a sophisticated range of sliding patio doors with a broad spectrum of designs, aesthetics, performance and functions. You can even design a modern sliding door to disappear into a wall pocket as well as having a full open corner design, motorisation and automatic open/close sensors.

Sliding doors will usually feature flat profiles giving a clean appearance on the horizontal and vertical profiles. Ultra high-end sliding patio doors can accommodate glass panels of up to 15 square metres.

Standard sliding doors are available from two to six panels. They can be fitted stand-alone or as part of a screen spanning one or more floors. Many specialist door providers offer aluminium sliding doors with virtually no limitations on the number of sliding panels available. However, when choosing new sliding patio doors, it’s important to understand sliding door sizes, and the role these play in the design of a new extension especially.

In considering a sliding door for the home, there are four types to choose from:

Tilt and slide aluminium doors

Similar to lift-and-slide doors, the tilt-and-slide arrangement offers a tilt facility when the doors are closed for convenient ventilation.

Take a look at our article for further information on the different types of sliding patio doors.

PVCu sliding patio doors versus aluminium sliding patio doors

Buying aluminium for large patio doors remains the most popular material because no other material goes further in terms of sizes, styling options, or capability, and aluminium has numerous benefits over PVCu, for example:

Why choose sliding patio doors in aluminium

Above all, when the largest glass sizes, the more complex design configurations, the best views, the maximum light transmission and a minimal slim frame are required, only aluminium sliding doors meet these requirements.

Sightlines are now one of the most significant considerations when buying sliding patio doors, and nothing is as thin or near-frameless as a slider. Check out who makes the slimmest sliding doors. 

The technical excellence, security, energy efficiency, smooth operation , and multi-function of sliding doors make them perfect patio doors. They also have the advantage of powder-coated aluminium, with hundreds of colours to choose from and even the option of added protection for those in coastal environments.

Many brands offer aluminium sliding patio doors. Our article outlines some of the best aluminium sliding doors to help you navigate all the possibilities.

Contact us if you want personal advice about your particular sliding door installation; we will be happy to help.