Now that Bi Folding Doors are so popular, there's nothing new to say ... or is there?

republished from www.goarticles.com

It is easy to find information about Bi-Folding doors on the Internet: how they work, who supplies them, which frame type is best, and so on. There is very little information about the Frameless glass door that has recently evolved and poised to become the next hot home improvement 'must have'.

The frameless glass patio doors system is based on the 'glass curtains' (single glazed doors) method of using separate panels that slide and pivot to stack at right-angles to open, then slide back to their original positions, butting tightly together, to close.
When closed, the view through the glass doors is maximised as there are no side frames between the glass. When fully open, the doors are stored to the side of the opening, similar to stacking bifolds, for maximum access ans well as uninterrupted views.
These single glazed frameless doors are the ultimate is room dividers but for patio doors, frameless double-glazed doors are necessary to meet building regulations.
Frameless double-glazed doors do not provide such a purely uninterrupted view as can be achieved with single glazing. This is because the thermally compliant double glazed unit has to be sealed with a gasket that is approximately 20mm wide. Insulated glass or double glazing has insulation and acoustic properties attributable to the a vacuum or special gas in the cavity between the inner and outer glass panels. A gasket needs to be reliably airtight to retain the gas or vacuum and to prevent humidity and condensation.
There is no frame at each side of the frameless glass doors but the gasket is opaque and forms a frame-like interruption to views through a set of double-glazed door panels, though minimal, especially when compared with bifolding doors.
If you long to have a view through a wide expanse of uninterrupted glass doors, there are places where you can install frameless single glazed doors. For example, conservatory doors, balcony enclosures, outbuildings and commercial premises, as well as room partitions.

Commercial premises do not have to comply with the same insulation standards as domestic dwellings therefore the single glazed frameless doors can stretch across the front of house, in place of a plate glass window, for instance. Restaurants and cafés have embraced the frameless glass door system because it enables them to seemlessly extend their services beyond the front door.
Frameless glass doors, like bifolds, can easily provide access in excess of seven metres.
Information regarding single-glazed or double-glazed frameless doors or aluminium-framed bifolding doors can be read on SunSeeker Doors web site. This UK manufacturer will provide a competitive quotation for both bi folding doors and frameless glass doors, including installation and full product and workmanship guarantee.

Bee Primrose has been writing about bi-folding doors since 2007. This and various other topics are covered in http://www.myportfolioltd.blogspot.com