Sliding Door Hardware
Open wide: sliding door systems provide abundant access to the outdoorsStephani L. Miller
Integrating indoor and outdoor spaces has never been more popular--or easier. Lift-slide and slide-fold door systems in huge, multiple-panel configurations allow entire walls of glass to be opened, creating the ability to erase the boundary between interior and exterior living areas.
"I use them a lot between living spaces and screened porches to open the space, to create one large space in the summer," says architect David Durrant of Durrant Design in Harvard, Mass. "So often windows and doors are barriers to views, especially when they're divided up by Colonial muntins."
Several window and door manufacturers--such as Weiland Sliding Doors, Duratherm Windows, Nana Wall Systems, Zeluck, Weather Shield, and Quantum Windows & Doors--can build lift-slide and slide-fold doors that can span openings up to 40 feet wide or more.
"We actually did a home in North Dakota that opened up around 90 feet;' says Nana Wall president Ebrahim Nana, maker of the Nana Wall. "Architects keep pushing us to build bigger and more exotic openings," adds Bob Hutchings, sales manager for Weiland, maker of Liftslide and Bifold doors.
Lift-slide doors resemble standard sliding patio doors, while slide-fold doors are hinged and look like French doors. Each has a distinct appearance when closed and open, and each maneuvers differently, but both use European-designed hardware systems that allow them to operate easily in large, multi-panel configurations.
"The design of the hardware to make that huge door feel like a standard sliding door is critical," says architect Daniel Martinez of Laguna Beach, Calif.
HOW THEY WORK
Lift-slide hardware separates the door's sliding and sealing/locking actions and allows even the largest sizes to operate smoothly. When the door is fully closed and locked, the weather stripping is compressed and engaged. Turning the handle on the main door panel both unlocks the door and lifts it off the weather stripping and onto a roller system, where it glides easily. The weight of the door is supported by the top track, eliminating friction against the weather stripping.
Slide-fold doors can be configured to run on tracks installed at either the head or sill, depending on design preferences. Multiple door panels are joined with hinges and operate on sliding and folding hardware that swing the main panels inward or outward as a pair of French doors would. They then fold back onto the adjoining panels, which slide and fold back onto their adjoining panels in an accordion action.
Structural support is critical to long-term operation of these gigantic units. In the design phase of both the doors and the home, the structure around the opening must be properly engineered to support itself, says Jeff Williams, communications manager for Weather Shield, which makes the Weather Shield Telescoping Patio Door.
For instance, a header that sags over time will begin to restrict operation of the doors. The biggest challenge architects and builders have is making sure they've properly secured and engineered the spans to hold up over time, says Keith Birden, rice president of Duratherm Window, maker of Sliding/ Stacking and Lift/Roll doors. BP
Weiland Sliding Doors. These Liftslide door systems can be configured to fill nearly any size opening in nearly any configuration. The doors can slide onto end panels or be concealed in wall pockets. A flush track system is available that extends only 3/16 inch above finished floors. A wide array of wood species is available, and exteriors can be dad with Kynar-coated aluminum. Curved applications can be accommodated. 760-722-8828. www. weilandslidingdoors.com. Circle 320.
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Quantum Windows & Doors. This company's Slide/Fold doors feature multiple hinged-together door panels set on a sliding and folding mechanism that runs on either the sill of head of the system. Each panel can move independently of the others, and multiple door panels can be configured in various combinations. Openings up to 42 feet wide are possible, and one end panel can be operated for daily use. Multipoint locking hardware secures the doors. Quantum also offers Lift/Slide doors. 800-287-6650. www.quantumwindows.com Circle 321.
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Weather Shield. Sliding on a three-channel sill, the multi-panel Telescoping patio door offers a 19-foot-wide, 8-foot-1-inch tall view. Stainless steel ball-bearing rollers on the top and bottom door rails allow easy operation. Three-point-contact weather stripping provides a tight seal. The door features all-wood interiors and exterior aluminum cladding in 48 colors, An all-wood exterior frame and a variety of grille op[ions are available. 800-477-6808. www.weathershield.com. Circle 323.
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Duratherm Window. The firm's Lift/Roll doors can be configured with multiple panels to provide opening walls of windows. The units feature double EPDM rubber gaskets for a tight weather seal. Interiors and exteriors can be speced in a variety of wood species, including teak, mahogany, Douglas fir, Spanish cedar, cypress, and redwood. Glazings up to 500 pounds are available in several options. 800-996-5558. www.duratherm window.com. Circle 322.
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Nana Wall Systems. The aluminum-clad wood NanaWall folding door system provides a glass wall that when closed resembles a row of floor-to-ceiling windows. Wood interiors are available in pine, hemlock, oak, and a variety of tropical hardwoods. Exterior aluminum cladding can be finished in more than 200 powder-coated and anodized colors. The doors can be configured to swing inward of outward, and French door configurations are also available. 888-411-6262. www.nanawall.com. Circle 324.
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This story first appeared in CUSTOM HOME magazine.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Hanley-Wood, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group