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Property/DIY

French or folding, hardwood or PVC?

3 replies

herbaceous · 24/10/2012 09:10

Hi there

My big kitchen refurb is about to start ? sooner than I'd expected ? and I haven't made various big decisions. One is, what kind of doors to put in my newly created big opening (about 1700mm).

These new-fangled bi-fold doors seem to be all the rage, but the only real advantage I can see is that you only end up with one lot of 'door' to manage on the outside. But it's a lot of door, and it doesn't seem to fold right back against the wall. French doors, on the other hand, have two doors to contend with but you can generally fold them further back against the outside wall. We have a small garden, so maximising space is important.

Then, what material? I know that uPVC is seen as the devil's work, but it's SO much cheaper than hardwood, and less maintenance than painted softwood. Also, we're going to have wood surfaces in the kitchen, and a wooden table, so it could be a bit 'wood overload' with doors and windows the same.

Or is there an alternative I haven't thought of?

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wendybird77 · 24/10/2012 17:33

As to doors, I think it is down to your personal choice and preference. As to material, I would always choose the material that matches the rest of the house. If you have UPVC windows on the rest of the house, I think having wood just highlights the rest of the UPVC-ness of the windows. If you have wood windows on the rest of the house, UPVC will look out of place IMO.

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FishfingersAreOK · 24/10/2012 17:37

And from what I know UPVC biford doors get a bit of bad press - the plastic does not hold up well to the movement/mechanism. A lot of bi-folds are painted aluminium - way stronger and thinner frames.

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herbaceous · 24/10/2012 17:54

Thank you! Good points... The rest of the house has a mishmash of frames - some sash windows, some casement ? but all white-painted wood. The only window on the same wall as the door would be a white-painted sash, on the first floor.

I'll look at aluminium. I'd imagine it would mean less frame, and more glass, also...

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