Understanding bi-fold door specifications and options

When offering bi-fold doors to your customers, it’s important to know the technical specification and what options are available with each system, so that you can provide the best advice and installation service.

Knowing more about the drainage, thresholds, colours, materials, security and sizes available from the manufacturer you choose to partner with helps improve customer satisfaction. You can then make the judgement to ensure that the doors are fit for purpose and will suit the homeowner’s needs.

In this guide:

• Choosing the right threshold options for bi-fold doors

Learn more about the threshold options available for bi-fold doors and how to specify the right one.

• Bi-fold door drainage: why is it important?

Find out more about what bi-fold door drainage is and why it’s important.

• Why supply aluminium bi-fold doors?

Read this section for more information on the benefits of aluminium bi-fold doors.

• Bi-fold door colour options

Learn more about the colour options available when specifying bi-fold doors.

• Understanding bi-fold door security

Find out more about the security of Origin Bi-fold Doors and why it’s important.

• What to consider when choosing bi-fold door sizes

Learn more about the key factors surrounding sizes when measuring and installing bi-fold doors for your customers.

• Bi-fold door panel options and configurations

Read this section for more information on the options and configurations you should consider when specifying and installing bi-fold doors.

Choosing the right threshold options for bi-fold doors

The threshold is an important part of a bi-fold door, but many homeowners are now looking for low, flush thresholds as they allow them to connect the inside and outside of their homes seamlessly. Homeowners want to move away from larger, more obstructive thresholds, such that those require a big step to transition through their space.

When you become an Origin Trade Partner, you will be able to offer a number of threshold options, so you will need to understand about thresholds before being able to specify for individual projects, as each homeowner’s requirements will be different.

The threshold is the bi-fold door’s bottom track in which the doors sit. This sits on the bottom frame which is installed at the bottom of the aperture. As well as facilitating operation as the doors move within this bottom track, the threshold is also partly responsible for protecting the property from the outside elements that could penetrate through the doors and leak in.

Threshold options for Origin Bi-fold Doors include:

• Weathered threshold – includes an upstand so that when the doors are closed, the door seals tightly against it. These thresholds are effective at keeping the weather out. The height of this is 68mm, but can be recessed into the floor, leaving just a 14mm upstand and an 8mm lip internally.
• Non-weathered threshold – this option provides the most seamless transition between the inside and outside of a property. They do not include a rebate in the same way as a weathered threshold so they don’t have the same weather rating or draught proofing. Flush thresholds are only 50mm in height. It’s important to make customers aware of the pros and cons of both choices.

To learn more about bi-fold door thresholds, read our guide.

Bi-fold door drainage: why is it important?

While the style and functionality of bi-fold doors is important, drainage is also a key factor to protect properties from the outside weather and preventing leaks from coming in.

Why is bi-fold door drainage important?

Bi-fold door drainage prevents any water from gathering in the track or getting into the threshold. The drainage channels the water way from the property and prevents water accumulation and subsequent damage.

Without proper drainage, water can seep into the property and cause damage to the door and internal flooring. Both of which are not good for your customers satisfaction. Additionally, it is a legal requirement to ensure that rainwater and surface water drain away from a property effectively.

Types of drainage

There are different types of drainage for bi-fold doors, including:

• Concealed drainage – this is when the bi-fold door is built slightly higher than the patio or outside flooring so that water can leave the bottom track through a break in the polyamide barrier.
• Face drainage – this is when the door is flush with the flooring outside and the water enters a lower chamber of the track and leaves through a capped hole on the outside. An Aco drain is typically used to guide the water directly into a drain, but this is not something Origin provides, so this will need to be sourced separately.

In both instances, a cill can be used to guide water away from the doors and property.

Read our guide to learn more about installing the correct drainage for bi-fold doors.

Why supply aluminium bi-fold doors?

Bi-fold doors are available in a range of different materials such as uPVC, wood and aluminium. Aluminium bi-fold doors offer a wide range of benefits, as well as being a high-quality and durable solution for homeowners.

The benefits of aluminium bi-fold doors include:

• Thermal efficiency – aluminium bi-folding doors can offer excellent thermal efficiency due to a thermal break which ensures that the inner and outer aluminium frames are separated, which prevents heat transfer between the inside and outside.
• Healthy product margins – as a supplier, aluminium bi-fold doors offer great product margins as customers are willing to pay a premium for such high-quality doors. Aluminium is the fastest growing material for fenestration products.
• Versatile option – due to their strength, aluminium bi-fold doors can support complex and large door layouts, making them a versatile option that can be installed across a range of projects.

Once you have chosen the material for the doors you want to supply, it’s also important to consider the benefits of partnering with your chosen supplier/ manufacturer. They can teach you about the support they can offer you to make sure your customers receive the best product for their needs.

Why should you supply Origin Aluminium Bi-fold Doors?

• Sales and marketing support
• Consistent quality
• Technical support and aftercare
• Training courses in installation
• Sales training and training on how to generate sales
• Online quoting and ordering system that allows you to get quotes in minutes

Read our guide to find out more about supplying aluminium bi-fold doors.

Bi-fold door colour options

If you become an Origin Trade Partner, you will be able to provide your customers with a choice of over 150 colours from the RAL colour chart, as well as dual colour options and on certain products, woodgrain options.

Knowing which options are available will help you meet the needs of your customers as you’ll be able to provide them with clear information on the options they can choose.

Popular colours for Origin Bi-fold Doors include:

• Anthracite Grey (7016M)
• Black Grey (7021M)
• Slate Grey (7015M)
• Hipca White (9910G)
• Jet Black (9005M)
• Dual colour of 9910G in and 7016M out

In our OB-49 range, the above colours are available on a ‘Your Lead Time, Not Ours’ lead time which means they can be manufactured and delivered to suit your project deadlines, even if it’s for the next day.

In addition, our popular colours in the OB-72 range are also available on short lead times:

• Dark Silver Metallic (9007M)
• Light Silver Metallic (9006M)

You can also provide your customers with a dual colour option which means the colour on the outside can match their property style, as well as their other doors and windows, while the interior frame can be used to match the décor style of the room inside.

On the OB-72, there are also 2 woodgrain options available.

To learn more about the colours available for bi-fold doors, please read our guide.

Understanding bi-fold door security

Doors and windows are usually seen as a weak point in a property in terms of security, so choosing the highest quality bi-fold doors and being able to identify the best security features will help you to give your customers peace of mind.

A number of factors can have an impact on the security of bi-fold doors, including;

• Locks
• Hinges
• Handles
• Frame
• Glass

Origin Bi-fold Doors can be specified to be Secured By Design which was established as an initiative to ‘design out crime’ through physical security. This includes locking mechanisms, so always check that the doors you provide meet these standards. PAS 24:2016 is the minimum legal requirement, whilst Secured by Design is an additional security accreditation certain manufacturers – such as Origin – have undertaken.

We continuously research and develop our range to ensure that Origin Bi-fold Doors are as secure as possible, providing peace of mind for your customers. We will also provide you with all of the relevant training and support you need to relay important information to customers when specifying our doors.

To find out more about the security of Origin Bi-fold Doors, please read our guide.

What to consider when choosing bi-fold door sizes

Bi-fold doors are available in a range of sizes, and most manufacturers will offer bespoke sizes. Advising your customers on the sizes available and what they can expect when the installation is finished will help to keep customers satisfied and ensure that the doors are the right fit for their home and needs.

There are a number of factors to consider when sizing a bi-fold door, including:

• The size of the opening available
• Whether a traffic or lead door needs to be fitted
• The number of panels requested by the customer
• The size of the door panels
• The material of the doors

At Origin, our Bi-fold door ranges are available in bespoke sizes and you specify the configuration. This will allow you to ensure that the doors you specify are right for each project, catering to your client’s spatial and stylistic needs.

Generally, the minimum width of individual bi-fold doors is 400mm per door, and its maximum width is 1200mm. This may vary according to the configuration chosen. Corner bi-fold doors can also be specified for more unusual spaces.

Please read our guide to find out more about bi-fold door sizes.

Bi-fold door panel options and configurations

When it comes to specifying bi-fold doors, there are a huge number of configurations to consider. The way the doors can be configured varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so having all of the information you need about the bi-fold doors you’re specifying will help you to allow customers to make an informed decision.

Here are some of the factors you should consider when specifying bi-fold doors and to find the correct configuration:

• Number of door panels
• The direction in which the doors open
• A traffic door option
• Whether the doors open in or out

All of these factors will help you specify the right doors for every customer.

At Origin, we have two types of bi-fold door to choose from:

• OB-49
• OB-72

Both systems have a number of configuration options to choose from. When ordering on OSS, once you input the overall size, our system will tell you what configurations are available and you can choose the best option from there.

To learn more about bi-fold door panel options and configurations, please read our guide.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming an Origin Trade Partner, please contact our team or, you can read our guide to learn more about the benefits of partnering with us.