Hybrid Bifolding Doors

Hybrid bifolding doors comprise two different materials and just like hybrid windows and other doors, offer an individual appearance, enhanced thermal performance and excellent acoustic properties.  Therefore these combined materials provide the best of both worlds, such as coloured aluminium outside and wood on the inside.

Information about Hybrid Bifolding Doors for the home.

The profiles on hybrid bifolding doors comprise a different material inside and out.  Other names are used for hybrid doors for instance:

• Composite Bifolding Doors
• Timber-Clad or Timber-Clad aluminium.
• Timber-Aluminium Doors
• Aluminium-Timber composite doors

For hybrid bifolding doors the external profile is either aluminium capping clipped onto the main wood profile. Another method with some systems is a separate aluminium extrusion, more substantial than the clip-in capping.

Internally, bifolding doors come in a big range of woods with every supplier offering their own colours, stains and timber types too.  Hardwoods and softwoods such as Spruce, Oak, engineered timber, redwood and meranti are just some of the types of woods available. Therefore, hybrid doors allow an infinite choice of colours outside and wood stains or colours on the outside.

Furthermore, a substantial number of systems are European in origin, from Scandinavian countries and central Europe.  Specifically, the UK market has British systems from Comar Architectural with their Alu-Timber range.  Additionally, Doncaster-based Senior Architectural Systems have their UK-sourced Senior Hybrid range.

With most aluminium, PVCu and timber products, it is common to find a whole variety of windows and doors. Not every hybrid system offers a complete range of products.  For example, they offer sliding doors but no bifolding doors.  As a result, windows and sliding doors come from one supplier, bifolding doors from another.

All quality systems on the market offer engineered timber guaranteed not to twist or warp. Furthermore, a well-designed product has no exposed wood on the frame edges, reducing water ingress as a result.

Finally, these quality-made bifolding doors have excellent components, premium door furniture and look beautiful in the home.

Why buy hybrid bifolding doors?

Just like all hybrid products for the home, the benefits of hybrid bifolding doors and other windows offer several advantages over and above single materials.

• A sustainable product with excellent recyclability, creating homes for the future.
• Hybrid products provide some of the best thermal performance of any window and door.
• Both the external aluminium and internal timber are environmentally friendly with zero landfill waste.
• Hybrid bifolding doors, like windows, offer outstanding acoustics and very low U-Values.

Systems and Brands of Hybrid Bifolding Doors.

There are many different hybrid systems on the market in a variety of materials. However, finding bifolding doors is altogether more challenging. We list some of the best known providers in the UK.  Bifolding doors come either directly from the manufacturer and supplier, or alternatively, through their network of approved dealers.

Centor 100 and 200 Series.

The Centor Integrated range is one of the standout hybrid bifold doors. Specifically, Centor bifolding doors offer integrated and built-in insect screens. Few people mention the insects entering the property in the summer months with the doors open. As a result, Centor doors with insect screens not only keep the bugs out, they also maintain the open aspect and consistent airflow. Another benefit of the screens is blocking out light and creating shade, for instance darkening the room for watching TV or making the room cooler.

The interior woods of the Centor Integrated bifolding door range come either as painted, stained or without any surface treatment. On the outside, you get durable powder coated aluminium.  The craftsmanship of the wood finish, as well as the overall construction of Centor doors, makes them one of the finest hybrid bifolds on the market. The doors come as the 100 Series with a solid oak interior. The 200 series has integrated screens and shades.

SUNFLEX UK.

German-made SUNFLEX bifolding doors come in two versions. The SF55c and the SF75c are two premium bifolding doors, virtually identical to their highly sought-after aluminium SF55 and SF75 bifolding doors. 

With excellent 115mm sightlines, these are not only some of the thinnest bifolding doors on the market generally, but they are also the slimmest hybrid folding doors you can buy too. The SF55 and SF75 by SUNFLEX are also unique in their construction and design.  Where hybrid doors are a timber door with aluminium cladding outside, these are premium aluminium doors with the timber cladding inside.

Nordica.

Nordica bifolding doors offer a big range of woods from Scandinavian slow-grown Redwood. Engineered timber uses several profiles, laminated together for strength and reliability. Nordica offers an aluminium clad model of its timber bifolding door.

Internally, the doors come painted or stained, double or triple glazed and with premium secuirty locks and hardware.

Solarlux.

The Combiline wood-aluminium bifolding doors from Solarlux are ultra-premium bifolding doors with impressive attention to detail. Every Solarlux door has excellent security, thermal performance and technical specifications.  Solarlux doors use FSC and PEFC-certified wood with quality powder coated aluminium on the outside. Internally the wood finishes come with exceptional attention to detail and ‘furniture standards’.

143mm sight lines, alarm sensors in the glass, meticulously engineered hardware and one of the best brands in the world. As a result, Solarlux is the luxury hybrid bifolding door for the home.  The SL67 offers wood sections inside with ventilated aluminium on the outside.  The Solarlux SL97 provides even higher levels of thermal insulation with a core sitting between the outer aluminium and inside wood. Triple glazing is standard.

Warmcore.

Many in the trade consider the Warmcore bifolding door as a hybrid product, due to its substantial PVCu inner core but with aluminium inside and out.  Warmcore comes from Synseal, a very well-known PVCu systems company in the UK.