While picking fenestration products for your home, homeowners should consider quite a few aspects. Right from the aesthetic value to the ability to functionalities, several things should be a part of the consideration for doors and windows. The design aspect of selecting windows and doors is a factor that is challenging to overlook.
You may want to assess the windows’ functionalities as per the area, bespoke requirements, ease of access, views, etc. For instance, two of the most prominent window types are sliding and folding glass doors in India. Users often find it daunting to choose between the two.
Before venturing into highlighting the comparison points between the two-door types, let’s first understand how these doors operate. Sliding doors have a straightforward mechanism composed of two or more panels, where users can slide the pane to open and close the door. In contrast, folding glass doors emulate a concertina design.
View
One of the major concerns of homeowners while picking doors is how will it impact their view of the outside. Luckily, with the right type of doors, you can be sure of getting completely uninterrupted views. However, sliding glass doors will offer panoramic views even when closed, but folding glass doors will only offer a proper view when opened. This is because folding glass doors usually have an additional frame area to support the folding mechanism.
However, the view primarily depends on the material selected for the doors. For instance, aluminium doors have a sleek frame and expansive glass area, providing an isometric view that does not contain any obstructions, such as door handles, chunky frames, etc. However, people purchasing aluminium doors and windows get access to an increased inflow of natural light.
Style
Minimal and sleek frames with wide glass panels and contemporary designs are the few things that make glass sliding and folding glass doors are prominent. As mentioned above, these aesthetic qualities are only possible to replicate by selecting aluminium doors. Let’s see how:
Colour and Lustre:
Typically, doors and windows lose their overall aesthetic qualities over time. In contrast, aluminium doors undergo an anodization process, but even anodization is not effective. As a result, TOSTEM INDIA counters this by supplementing this coating with their patented TEXGUARD coating, which ensures that the doors and windows do not lose their colour and lustre for 40 years. It also minimizes dust accumulation on the surface, making maintenance a breeze. If you are planning on purchasing a door, you will get these benefits for both door types.
Locking Mechanism:
Standard glass doors contain generic locks, including the handles. For instance, the handles obstruct the view. To counter this, TOSTEM INDIA provides L-shaped handles that do not obstruct the view. TOSTEM INDIA also provides a crescent locking mechanism, which is much more potent than a typical push lock.
Functional Benefits:
While looks are quite important when it comes to choosing a door for your home, it is equally important to consider the functionalities. If you partner with reputed aluminium doors and windows manufacturers, it is highly likely that these functionalities will expand to all door types, irrespective of the design.
- Air and Water Tightness: TOSTEM INDIA’s doors are tested and designed according to Japanese Industrial Standards and ASTM to ensure optimum air and water tightness. The company utilizes rubber gaskets in place of generic wool piles on the doors, and nano gaskets in corner joints, with 5mm silicon on all four corners. As a result, air and water tightness is unrivalled thanks to such features and quality assurance tests. The rubber gaskets are also important for preventing finger pinching.
- Sound Insulation: EPDM gaskets, which are often used in automobiles, are installed in TOSTEM INDIA’s aluminium doors. This feature reduces noise levels by up to 25 decibels, which is hard to achieve by partnering with generic providers. Irrespective of the design, sound insulation benefits are unrivalled.
- Energy Efficiency: Since doors and windows receive natural light, the chances of destabilizing the temperate indoors are quite high. Since these doors undergo TEXGUARD coating, the doors do not necessarily absorb and destabilize the temperature indoors.
Ease of Access
Sliding and folding glass doors are easy to access and seamlessly cater to your egress requirements. But if we talk about which one is better, sliding doors would have the upper hand owing to the effortless lift and slide mechanism along with the rollers that glide across the frame flawlessly.
Moreover, sliding doors do not require any additional space when opened, which makes them an excellent pick for smaller and more compact spaces. On the other hand, folding doors provide can be stacked on one side, making expansive openings. Also, folding doors need additional space to perform the folding operation with ease.
Cost
When it comes to the cost of fenestration products, there are quite a few factors that need to be considered. The overall price of the product is significantly influenced by its size, configuration, material, and type of coating. You may get cheaper products from uPVC, but these do not last long, especially when it comes to intricate designs like sliding and folding doors.
It is advisable to consider these essentials for the pricing of the doors you want to select. You may contact window consultants to clarify these pointers and get access to doors that complement your unique requirements.
Conclusion
There are different benefits offered by both bi-fold and sliding windows that make them close competitors and even great alternatives for one another. Apart from operational and aesthetic qualities, there is not much difference in the functional benefits that one may achieve. Partner with reputed doors manufacturers like TOSTEM INDIA to install the right door for your home.
