Aluminium bifold doors
Doors that fold away to one side and open the whole back of the house to the garden.
What are bifold doors?
Bifold doors are a set of glazed panels hinged together that fold back on themselves, like a concertina, and stack neatly at one or both sides of the opening. Fully open, they clear almost the entire width of the opening, which is what makes them so popular for kitchen and living extensions. Most sets include a traffic door, a single panel that opens on its own like a normal door, for everyday use.
Aluminium bifold doors at a glance
- Panels: Typically two to seven, with a traffic door for daily use
- Opening: Folding outwards or inwards, stacking left, right or split
- Frame: Thermally broken aluminium
- Glazing: Toughened safety glass, double or triple glazed
- Threshold: Standard, low or rebated, with drainage designed in
- Security: Multi-point locking, concealed hinges and anti-lift protection
Why bifolds?
The whole wall opens. No other door does it as well. On a fine day the kitchen, the patio and the garden become one space.
Everyday convenience. With a traffic door you don’t have to fold the whole set to nip out with the bins.
Flexible layouts. The panels can stack to one side, split to both sides, or turn a corner on a corner opening.
The honest drawbacks: when closed, you see more frame than with sliding doors, because there’s a frame every 900 mm or so. And the stacked panels need somewhere to go. If the view matters more than the full opening, look at patio sliding doors too.
How we survey, supply and fit bifold doors
- Survey. We measure the opening, check the floor and head are level, and agree the threshold and drainage detail with you or your builder.
- Layout. We decide the number of panels, which way they fold, where they stack and where the traffic door goes.
- Made to measure. The doors are made to your opening and glazed with toughened safety glass.
- Fitting. Bifolds are only as good as their installation. We fix the frame dead square and level, set up the running gear, and adjust every panel so it folds smoothly and seals evenly.
- Handover. We show you the folding sequence, the locks, and how to keep the track clean.
Choosing bifold doors
Number of panels. As a rough guide, panels are 700–1,000 mm wide. An odd number of panels (three or five) lets you have a traffic door with the rest folding away together.
Folding outwards or inwards? Outward folding is the usual choice in Ireland. The stacked panels sit outside, out of the room, and the seals work with the weather. Inward folding suits balconies and tight patios.
Threshold. Low thresholds look great but need proper drainage outside. On exposed sites a slightly raised threshold, or a canopy above, is the safer choice.
Blinds. Bifolds move, so blinds need to move with them. Blinds can be fitted to each panel or built into the glass unit.
Glass. Toughened safety glass is standard. Add solar control glass on south-facing extensions to stop the room overheating.
Bifold door ideas
These are illustrations of design ideas, not photos of specific Brega Glazing jobs. See more in our ideas gallery.
Typical uses for bifold doors
- Rear kitchen and living extensions opening onto a patio
- Garden rooms and summer houses
- Opening a room onto a veranda or louvred pergola
- Corner openings where two walls of glass fold away
Bifold door FAQs
Do bifold doors leak?
Not when they’re properly specified and installed. Leaks are almost always down to the threshold detail: no drainage outside, a patio that falls towards the house, or a flush threshold on a very exposed wall. We look at all of this at survey.
How many panels should my bifold doors have?
It depends on the width of the opening. Panels are usually 700–1,000 mm wide, so a 3 metre opening typically takes three or four panels. An odd number makes it easy to include a traffic door.
Should bifold doors open inwards or outwards?
Most people in Ireland choose outward folding, so the folded panels sit outside the room and don’t take up floor space. Inward folding can suit balconies or small patios where there’s no room outside.
Are bifold doors secure?
Quality aluminium bifolds have multi-point locks, concealed hinges and anti-lift features, so panels can’t be lifted out of the track. Add laminated glass for extra security on the ground floor.
Bifold or sliding doors: which should I choose?
Bifolds open almost the full width. Sliding doors give bigger panes and less frame when closed. If you’ll mostly use the doors closed, as many people in Ireland do, sliding doors often give the better view.