Sliding doors or folding doors - here's how to choose best

External sliding door or folding doors: here's how to choose the best

Choosing between a sliding door or a folding door is one of those questions that can arise when designing a home. At first glance, the decision may seem trivial, but if well thought out it can instead give a great advantage. Making the most of spaces, in fact, is essential in order to be able to live in an environment tailored to your needs. So here are some tips that will allow you to take the most appropriate direction.

Sliding doors: types and characteristics

Sliding doors are real space-saving doors. The reason is simple: as they lack the classic mechanism that rotates the sash forward, these fixtures can be installed in any environment. There are different types on the market, designed for specific needs. The most common are:

    Retractable doors
    External wall doors

These categories, in turn, can be declined in different ways according to the various materials used (wood, laminate, etc., etc.).

Basically, retractable sliding doors represent the most used alternative in cases where you want to opt for a sliding frame. In this case, however, it is necessary to intervene with masonry work, because the counterframe must be mounted inside the wall. The door will then slide inside the counterframe, making it possible to delimit the spaces.

Alternatively, it is possible to tack on the external wall fixtures. In this case, the door does not slide inside the counterframe, but acts on a track placed at a higher level than the wall. In this way, the door slides on the wall, managing to limit the spaces in an equally effective way.

And what about stylistic choices? In this case, it is necessary to clearly clarify the type of material to be used. Choosing sliding glass doors, for example, can be a good idea to delimit the shower area in a bathroom. Wooden doors, on the other hand, can look good in a study, while lacquered or laminated alternatives can make a fine show in the main rooms of the house, such as the living room.

When it is convenient to use the sliding glass door

Considering the technical characteristics, it is possible to say that this type of internal doors for the home is the right choice for those who:

    He wants to create open spaces: just slide the door, and two previously separate rooms become uniformly united. Thanks to the leaf that disappears into the counterframe, or that overlaps the wall, the door "disappears", for greater convenience
    It needs functional and modern environments: does your office need separate areas, which become communicating if necessary, perhaps in the case of meetings? With this category of fixtures, it is possible to create perfect spaces for your needs
    Exploiting the space beside the doors: in the case of retractable windows, it is also possible to exploit the lateral spaces of the frame. So you can better organize the entire layout of the room and install more appliances

Folding doors: types and characteristics

This type of fixtures, in fact, manages to combine compactness, simple use and a completely peculiar aesthetic. As in the case of pocket doors or external wall doors, the market offers two main alternatives:

    With symmetrical door
    With asymmetrical door

The windows with symmetrical leaf offer two portions of equal size, which shrink or expand when you want to open or close the door. Similarly, windows with asymmetrical sash often have a 1/3 type configuration. In other words, one part of the door is twice the size of the other.

Unlike retractable window frames, these interior doors for the home take up some volume when open. It is therefore worthwhile to evaluate well the opening verse, as well as the spaces at one's disposal. On the other hand, it is also true that their installation turns out to be very simple, because they do not require in-depth masonry interventions. At the same time, they can also be installed in rooms with raised thresholds, such as bathrooms.

Sliding door price? The prices are also quite low and depend on the type of material used. In some cases, the final cost is even less than 400 euros, as we wrote in this article.

When should you use folding doors?

Choosing folding doors for your home is a good idea if:

    You have no way to insert a counter frame in the wall, or you don't want to intervene in an invasive way on the walls
    You want to delimit specific areas of the house (closets, service bathrooms) even with raised thresholds
    You want to create an effective and pleasant passage between the inside and the outside of the house

Not sure what to buy? Contact Porte Italiane!

Deciding to install sliding doors or folding doors, as seen, is a process that must take various factors into account. Both are space-saving doors, but have well-defined characteristics.

If after reading this article you still have doubts, contact Porte Italiane: we have over 50 years of experience in the sale of fixtures, home automation for hotels and much more.