Solarlux Bifold vs Sliding Doors: Which is Right for Your Home?

Choosing between bifold and sliding doors is a common dilemma for many homeowners. Usually, the decision boils down to three things: how they look, how they work, and how they perform. In this post, we’ll walk through the key differences and similarities between the Solarlux bifold and sliding door ranges to help you decide.

Aesthetics and Sight Lines

Let’s talk about mullions – the vertical frames between the glass panels. Because bifold doors are made up of several folding panels, they naturally have more mullions than a sliding system. These frames are also typically thicker due to the mechanical requirements of the folding action.

In contrast, sliding doors like the Solarlux Cero feature incredibly thin frames. While some argue that sliding doors let in more light because of this, any Solarlux system is engineered to be brilliant at flooding a room with natural light.

Scale and Height

Solarlux can produce impressive bifold systems up to a massive 4.5 metres high. However, if you are looking for something truly spectacular to fill a massive space, the Cero sliding doors can be manufactured up to an enormous 6 metres tall.

They are so large, in fact, that builders can often omit horizontal steel supports. This means your Cero doors can reach all the way to the eaves of the house, creating a stunning wall of glass.

Space and Openings

Bifolds give you a wide, uninterrupted opening, but remember that the folded panels have to "park" somewhere. On larger systems, these stacked leaves can take up a fair bit of space. We can, however, configure them to stack either inside or outside the house, depending on your layout.

Sliding doors, on the other hand, will always have at least one pane remaining in the opening – unless you opt for a "pocket door." This is a clever design where the panes slide away into a hidden recess in the wall, parking them out of sight.

Thresholds and Corners

Both systems allow for "opening corners" – whether they are internal or external. However, the Cero sliding system also offers a unique glass-to-glass corner aesthetic.

If you want a perfectly seamless transition where your internal floor and external patio are at the same level, the sliding door is the winner. It features an almost completely flush threshold. Due to the way they operate, bifold thresholds will always be slightly raised.

Materials and Finishes

The finish options differ between the two. Solarlux bifolds offer a huge range of colours and timber stains for the interior. In contrast, the Cero sliding doors are an all-aluminium system, meaning you’ll generally have the same colour inside and out.

Performance and Airtightness

At okoHaus, everything we install performs at the top of its class for airtightness. Solarlux bi-folds actually achieve a higher air permeability performance than sliding doors. That said, because bifolds have more moving parts and interlocking gaskets, the sliding options achieve higher resistance to wind load, important for elevated, exposed or especially large scenarios.

It’s worth noting, though, that all Solarlux gaskets are far more effective than almost any other manufacturer on the market. They are engineered to keep the British weather exactly where it belongs: outside.

Get in Touch

We hope this has helped clear things up. If you still have questions or want to see the difference between bifolds and sliding doors in person, give us a call on 01473 550514 or get in touch via our contact page.