There’s no better place to bring the outdoors in, right? Ultra large sliding glass doors as well as multi-fold doors that develop a moving glass wall are attractive choices to open the outdoor patio, developing a seamless circulation from within your house to the yard.

They take full advantage of balmy weather and lovely views, and add a stunning design element to a home.

Let’s talk about which ultra large system Doorwin prefers, and why we feel it’s your best option.

Large Sliding Glass Systems vs Folding Systems

Whether you go with multi-fold patio doors, which fold like an accordion, or the big sliding glass doors called lift & slides, they are built with heavy, oversized panels. They’re typically used for openings larger than what a typical sliding glass door or French doors would manage – filling spaces as large as 16 feet tall and 60 feet wide. They have the potential to open up the entire backside of a house, and are ideal for an opening that’s wider than eight feet across.

They’re a large, integral part of the home’s exterior, significantly impacting architecture, structural integrity and lifestyle. How they are built and installed can make a big difference in the ease of using them, and how long they last.

Folding and sliding doors are built very differently, each requiring their own individual installation method and impacted differently over time by wear and tear, and the environment.

Here’s the biggest difference, and why choosing the right system matters.

Multi-fold Doors

Multi-fold doors are mounted on a track along the ceiling, so the entire weight of the doors hang from that mounting (called a header). Because of this weight pulling down on the ceiling and roof, installation requires a general contractor to fortify strength of the original header, enabling it to support the weight of the new doors. These construction costs can be significant.

Not only are they more expensive, but they can be more problematic, too. Because they hang, normal shifting of a home on its foundation also can cause issues. If a home shifts even slightly on the foundation, as little as an eighth of an inch, it changes the alignment of that header, making opening and closing the massive doors a nightmare.

To operate smoothly, they must remain perfectly hung, with typically less than 1/8” of movement of the mounting hardware from front to back.

The odds of a home never shifting is unlikely, especially in desert sand. However, they are a good choice if a homeowner wants the full expanse of glass to completely open up.

Ultimate Lift & Sliding Doors

In contrast, lift & slide doors are big sliding glass doors, sliding along a track in the flooring. If the home shifts in any direction, you won’t even notice. There’s no difference in the function of the doors under normal settling circumstances. This can make lift & slide doors less prone to issues.

They’re also less expensive than multi-fold doors.

One feature we really like? lift & slide doors have options for more glass surface and less frame to obstruct the view. They can slide one or two directions, stack on top of each other or slide into a pocket in the wall, and even meet in a corner.

As the increasing performance requirement of windows and doors of the modern architecture, normal sliding door cannot satisfy these demand already, So the lift & sliding door arises at the right moment. Its advantages met the requirement of the designers by flexibility, bearing capacity is strong, sealing is good, do not occupy space, open widely, excellent visual enjoyment.

👇Click the pic below to see our Lift & Slide project👇

Lift & Sliding door have not only can bear great, large area . Its many advantages that common sliding door does not have. You might have several questions come up in your mind, why we call it lift slide door? What is the difference between traditional sliding door and lift slide door?

When we turn the handle downwards, the door panel is lifted slightly and can travel across the track smoothly; when we turn the handle upwards, the entire door panel rest on the track and the gasket press down and makes the door is absolutely sealed.

You can lock the door at anywhere you want to provide ventilation, stop children playing with the door and prevent accidental operation. But locking a partially open.The traditional sliding door can not make it happen.

When in locking position, the entire door rests on the track and the gaskets compress, which makes the door is absolutely sealed. The burglar proof interlock between panels offers excellent sealing and effective protection against prying the door open. The multipoint locking system lock the door tightly and securely with high burglar resistance RC 2.

Since the lift and slide doors have optimum sealing, they are one of the most energy saving products. So comparing with the traditional sliding door, the lift sliding door is a lot better on the heat and sound insulation performances, as well as the security.  

If you think of a movable wall system, perhaps one that has four panels that are six feet wide and twelve feet tall, you can imagine the weight as you slide three panels open at once. It’s extremely heavy, so it makes a tremendous difference sliding the weight sideways on larger, stronger rollers.

The hardware system that we use on this door is “Siegenia” and originally made in Germany. It is a famous hardware brand, with over 100 years of experience in the window and door industry.

The whole system consists of lift slide wheels and assembly, gasket, connecting rod, locking bolts and handles.

About the door size, the most common size is 10ft wide x 8ft height, but our door could work with the size over 20ft wide and 10ft height, with a maximum sash weight of up to 400kgs. Despite the size and weight, our door can still be opened with one hand and closed with just the push of a finger.

We want our customers to enjoy their lift & slide doors for decades, and be able to easily glide them opened and closed, not have to fight dragging them open.

For more information on glass moving wall systems, schedule a free home estimate. We’re happy to discuss your options and provide pricing.