With so many decisions to make when planning your building project, it can feel rather overwhelming. Brick or timber? Cladding or render? Open plan or broken plan layout? The options can seem endless.
When it comes to selecting sliding doors for your new home, we know there are many options to choose from. So we thought it might be helpful to break it down and consider the materials your doors might be made from. The raw ingredients, if you like.
In this blog post, we outline the main benefits of aluminium over other materials when it comes to choosing panoramic sliding doors for your home…
The number one reason to choose aluminium for your panoramic sliding doors is its strength. Aluminium provides similar levels of robustness to steel, but is much less expensive. It is also very lightweight, which means that it can support very large panes of glass.
In the case of Minima’s award-winning product, our expertly-engineered doors slide effortlessly even though they can accommodate pane sizes of up to 4.2 metres wide. The more glass you have, the more light will flood into your home, something which is hugely beneficial in terms of both wellbeing and aesthetics.
Read more here about the benefits of maximising natural light in your home.
Talking of good looks, it’s this combination of strength and lightness that allows aluminium to be moulded into an ultra slimline frame for sliding doors. These narrow, almost invisible, frames are increasingly associated with high end, contemporary architecture. Minima’s Ultraline sliding doors have a narrow profile with a frame size of just 20mm all the way around with no visible handles. This is one of the reasons why architects and developers often specify Ultraline Sliding Doors for their projects.
For some projects, particularly those involving a listed building or heritage materials, wooden doors are the way to go. There’s no denying the natural beauty of wood, but the downside of timber is that it can warp and change shape when exposed to the weather. There’s also a maintenance issue with wood because it needs to be repainted or treated regularly to protect it from the elements. However, if thermal ratings are the most important factor in your decision making, it’s fair to say that timber-framed glazing may well be your best option.
Another choice for glazed doors is uPVC, but because this material doesn’t have the same strength or durability as aluminium, it can’t be used to create very narrow frames. So a uPVC door will always, by definition, have a chunkier frame and give a less aesthetically pleasing result.
Aluminium, on the other hand, is a very stable material which can withstand significant changes in temperature and moisture. At Ultraline, our doors have the added protection of a highly durable, marine-grade powder coating. In fact, we’re so confident about the durability of our product, we offer a 10-year warranty with every set of sliding doors. In reality, we find that our doors look exactly the same 15 years on from when they were first installed.
Minima’s Ultraline aluminium sliding doors also have the benefit of being maintenance-free. We recommend that you give your windows and frames a quick wash with soapy water at least twice a year, and clear out any debris that may have fallen into the tracks. But that’s it. The rest of the year you can sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy the view from your stylish, panoramic sliding doors!
Yes, they are. Ultraline sliding doors are thermally efficient thanks to a ‘thermal break’ incorporated into the frame. This layer of insulating material helps to prevent the transference of cold or heat. Our argon-filled double glazed units also add to the excellent insulating properties of our product, which is why our doors achieve a market-leading U-value of 1.2. This rating is aligned with current Building Regulation requirements.
The energy efficient properties of aluminium sliding doors help to lower your carbon footprint as well as reducing your energy bills. On top of this, aluminium is a recyclable and reusable material, making it an excellent choice in terms of sustainability.
Would you like to find out more about our aluminium panoramic sliding doors? Call us to talk through your requirements.