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Why slide and turn doors are better

When it comes to choosing the best sorts of new patio doors or even internal partition doors, slide and turn doors give you wide door openings, better functionality, and even improved ventilation. Using our installations of both interior and exterior slide and turn doors, we explain why this door design is better than regular concertina bifolds or sliding patio doors.

white slide and turn door in a large Kent house
In the closed position slide and turn are slimmer than bifolds or sliding doors

How slide and turn doors work

The significant difference with slide and turn designs is the independent panels. However, it’s worth looking at the doors first of all in the closed position. You’ll find our frameless doors having no visible aluminium mullions where sliding doors or bifolding doors have these, even with the slimmest 20mm sliding doors. That said, in the closed position they look neat, equally separated but above all have significantly less visible aluminium, even at the threshold.

Slide and turn doors in the fully open position with garden views
Slide and Turn doors have slimmer profiles than bifolds and therefore stack neater

Then it’s worth considering the opening differences between slide and turn doors and bifolding doors. Regular bifolds have all the panels connected together with door hinges. Operating both door types is easy and familiar to users. However, the more panels you have on a bifolding door set and all folding in one direction, the heavier the door set is to move.

sliding patio doors on a large new patio
Even multi-track sliding doors need somewhere to park

Why all sliding doors take up space when fully open

Compared with sliding doors, these too have independent panels. The difference with sliding doors is these sliding panels need somewhere to rest on the track. Double and triple tracks on sliding doors give you more moving panels, but again all of these need a resting place.

Slide and turn doors move along their track, but turn in or out giving you more of the clear opening than sliding doors.

slide and turn doors in a new kitchen extension
Notice how close the kitchen units are to the doors that also open inwards

How sliding doors give you more space inside and out

The independent sliding panels of slide and turn doors have another significant advantage over regular bifolding doors. Whether a bifold opens in or out, it takes up space with it’s concertina action. As a result, you need to leave a clear space in your room or on your patio to open and close them.

Slide and turn doors let you place furniture or ornaments right up to the door glass. Even better, this furniture stays in place when you want to open the doors. Because each panel slides along the track and turns only at the very end, it means you don’t need the space to move the panels bifolds do. Therefore this better door design is especially useful for smaller rooms or patios where you really want a bifold but worry about the space they take up when they open.

slide and turn doors dividing a dining room and lounge
As room dividers, slide and turn doors give you virtually all glass

Even better room dividers with slide and turn doors

When you want one of the best possible room dividers, our slide and turn doors come with single glass. You don’t need double glazed doors inside the home, (although they’re available if you do).

The advantage of slide and turn doors as room dividers is they only come with frame at the top and bottom. The sides and middle are smooth safety glass with polished edges and the look is amazing. You get the same functionality as an exterior door in a product designed for inside your home.

Even better is the super low threshold giving you a smooth transition between your rooms with a minimal step over or we can set the doors down completely flush.

Bear in mind with internal bifolding or sliding doors, most products on the market are exterior systems. Therefore you get the double glass you don’t need, the insulated frames that aren’t necessary, and all the seals and gaskets exterior doors need to keep out the weather. You’ll also get exterior-grade locks, again something rarely needed inside the home, between your rooms.

Better more functional doors in your home with slide and turn doors by FGC

Both our double-glazed exterior or single-glazed interior doors are designed, made, and fitted by us with the finest materials and a quality guarantee.

Contact us today or visit our new Kent showroom where you can see examples of our outstanding slide and turn doors on display in several configurations including open corner designs.

We also offer a full range of aluminium windows, bifolding and sliding doors,
and front doors as FGC Bespoke Aluminium.

Visit the FGC Showroom

You can now visit our showroom in Strood, Kent.

The full range of Frameless products are on display in wide variety of configurations.

We request you contact us to make an appointment before visiting to avoid overcrowding.

Find out more about the FGC Kent showroom.

Reviews on Facebook and Google

FGCExcellentFGC4.5 Based on 40 reviews fromSee all reviews review us onInci P.Inci P. ★★★★★ Great product with diligent, professional staff from start to finish. Highly recommended.Paul B.Paul B. ★★★★★ Firstly I have to say a huge thank you to Paul the owner of FGC for being willing to take on the job of sorting out the extremely shoddy and poor installation of the Origin doors and windows fitted on my new build home, when it was built. And replacing the damaged gaskets. I had your guys with me for two days this week. What a breath of fresh air comparted to the people of originally installed my doors and windows. Extremely professional and lovely chaps. They worked tirelessly to sort out the many issues we had. Would absolutely recommend 100% THANK YOU !Response from the ownerGood Morning Paul, Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us. We are absolutely delighted to receive it and are pleased we were able to resolve the issues for you. It’s been a pleasure working with you. If you have any further need in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us. Lisa S.Lisa S. ★★★★★ Very helpful and good communication, great product. Thank you.Dave S.Dave S. ★★★★★ Very happy with doors. Look great. The installation was quick and straightforward.Will recommendRH K.RH K. ★★★★★ FGC were brilliant. Great advice on the best windows to get. Extremely good installation. Always ready to solve any installation or manufacturing issues. We are extremely happy with the end result!Joy W.Joy W. ★★★★★ Frameless windows were brilliant, Liam Alfie and James were great, polite, courteous, and left the site clean and tidy. The windows look amazing, Great service from start to finish. Many ThanksRayRay ★★★★★ We love these doors and look forward to having them open a bit more once the patio has ben completed. They really have a "wow" factor and this becomes a double "wow" when people are shown how the corner can be completely opened up. It was about a year from my first enquiry to the doors being installed as there was a considerable amount of building work required to prepare the room. throughout this period I remained in touch with FGC and the service was exceptional. The installation team was on site for a day, starting early and working through to completion before driving back to Kent!! We have been really pleased with the standard of workmanship and even had compliments from other tradesmen working on the room (most of whom had never seen doors like this). These are expensive doors but the price difference from a normal set of bi-folds was well worth it for the uninterrupted view you get. The doors were installed in February but I have held off doing the review until the room was more finished so I could post a more representative picture. Once the patio is done the look will be even better than we originally envisaged. I have attached a few pictures of the room (the white table is only a temporary measure while we wait for the new coffee table).Sharon B.Sharon B. ★★★★★ From first contact to installation, my interactions with FGC have been easy, fast and professional. The end product is superb, we are so happy with our new doors - wish we had done this years ago. Well done FGC!!Jayne N.Jayne N. ★★★★★ This is the second time we have installed FGC and we are very happy with our second installation- very sleek and stylish and all staff very helpful, thanksD JD J ★★★★★ Frameless Glass Curtains have few competitors so they could take a lax approach to their work. However, that is not the case. We have had a porch installed in a space that was not square or aligned. The service from survey to finish has been above standard. Barry’s attention to detail and determination that the work would not be complete until his high standards were met was much appreciated. The communication from the admin side was clear and helpful. So all in all we will be using Frameless Glass again and have no hesitation in recommending them.Brian S.Brian S. ★★★★★ Brilliant product, what a difference, no frames to block our view of the Brecon Beacons. The service has been the best I think I have ever received and the fitting team were faultless - they travelled 5 hours to get to us in Wales, arriving 30 minutes early, working flat out without a break for 9 hours before driving 5 hours back, all without one complaint!!Catherine U.Catherine U. ★★★★★ Ordered Crittal-style French doors in aluminium. The doors look fantastic and are so much better than the ancient sliding doors I had before. The company were very friendly and easy to deal with. They were understanding of my delays due to a flood. The installers were professional and polite and poor things had to work on the hottest day of the year. Would definitely recommend FGC.Laura G.Laura G. ★★★★★ Really great service from this family run company. We love the doors and the install was top notch. Thanks!Info Oad S.Info Oad S. ★★★★★ Great service and amazing finish! Would highly recommend!paul R.paul R. ★★★★★ Highly competent office and site staff, great product and at a fair price. Couldn't be happier with the entire experience and end result.vanessa C.vanessa C. ★★★★★ From the beginning to the end, everyone at FGC have been amazing. I knew straight away that the glazing FGC would provide and install would be spectacular and how right that was! The FGC glazing allows our Edwardian stained glass door to still be a main feature and in fact it shows it off perfectly. We are so happy with the end result and can’t praise FGC highly enough, somehow 5 stars doesn’t seem to be high enough.ZorèZorè ★★★★★ Their windows are second to none. No other company in Germany, UK or anywhere else can produce such a fabulous product.Any issues that has come up, they always come & fix it. The staff are so nice and polite. For a small company they do really a great job over all. The main things are the frameless bifolds that you hardly have any frame in the line of vision and there is a 5 years guarantee. Mr & Mrs JahediFiona G.Fiona G. ★★★★★ Delighted with our new frameless glass doors. Had lots of lovely comments, even all the trades who have been working on our house have said they've not seen anything like them. Great having something a little unusual. The quality of the doors is of a very high standard. The service from FGC has been very good too, from ordering through to installation. All went very smoothly with no problems. Paid a bit more than regular bifolds, but worth every penny. Best decision, no regrets at all.Andrew H.Andrew H. ★★★★★ Great service and very welcoming for my father and I. Adrian in particular was very efficient, gave great pertinent advice and guidance on my future purchase!Des P.Des P. ★★★★★ Excellent in all aspects from initial viewing in showroom to actual installation.TonyTony ★★★★★ Excellent service and product from FGC.I have a glass-box conservatory, built with structural glass about 20 years ago. The 2 sliding doors needed replacing, along with 2 side panels, and I contacted dozens of companies selling conservatory doors and none of them were prepared to install their doors because of the perceived risks of working with structural glass.Then I found FGC who, with no fuss at all, carried out a survey, provided a very reasonable quote for the doors/panels and then installed the doors/panels on the agreed date.Communication with the FGC office was always quick and easy. The surveyor and installation team were efficient and courteous. The product works beautifully.We can now use our conservatory again. Thanks FGC.Arun S.Arun S. ★★★★★ Great company with excellent, friendly and responsive service, the guys were helpful and efficient with the installation and the slide and turn doors are a fantastic product.Matt G.Matt G. ★★★★★ Fantastic service from start to finish, from the surveying, contact with office to the workmen. I have experience through work of a number of companies providing similar products and these guys have been by far the best to deal withDavid W H.David W H. ★★★★★ FGC installed a two-panel frameless glass door at our property yesterday. Wow!! the installation is exactly as discussed, and was carried out by two of FGC's team members who were so professional and courteous. They were excellent, and we have no hesitation in recommending FGC and their team to anyone considering such an installation.We are delighted with the installation, and very pleased we chose FGC.Well done FGC!!Border S.Border S. ★★★★★ The quality of the windows / doors are second to none.The customer service was first class from placing the order to installation we were kept informed at every step.The installation team led by Richard left our house and patio cleaner than when they arrivedI would recommend FGC 100%Tony- BurnleyStephen H.Stephen H. ★★★★★ From start to finish everything was excellent.Fab u lasThank youStephen O.Stephen O. ★★★★★ BRILLIANT SERVICE FROM START TO FINISHHighly recommended.Nathan P.Nathan P. ★★★★★ We purchased a beautiful Origin sliding door and side window from FGC. FGC installed the sliding door and window on time, however the sliding door did not fit correctly. Issues can happen. FGC made the process of re-surveying and re-installation very simple. FGC is a very pleasant and professional company to deal with. We are very happy with their service and would strongly recommend them.Darius C.Darius C. ★★★★★ I love my doors! It’s transformed my place. The people are great, no nonsense, organised and efficient. I’d recommend them to anyoneAdrian W.Adrian W. ★★★★★ Excellent planning and product advice. All the staff were polite courteous and friendly.On the day of the installation, the team arrived bang on time -we live in Wales so a long drive from Kent! They had the job done by lunchtime (fitting a sliding patio door) and I have to say that on first impression of the unit, it looks and feels like solid quality.Ian J.Ian J. ★★★★★ We had a 5m stretch of these wonderful doors installed several years ago and have been very happy with the uninterrupted view of the garden that they allow from the living room. They are admired by every tradesman who sees them. A minor problem we experienced with water ingress last year was promptly and effectively resolved, and the doors were serviced for free at the same time.Response from the ownerHello Ian, thank you very much for leaving us a review and glad you're happy with your doors and our service. Elly BElly B ★★★★★ Great staff and great products! Have visited the showroom to view doors, really loved all of them! Have referred to a friend - Can't recommend enoughAdam F.Adam F. ★★★★★ Really great doors. Really are something different. Expensive, but you really pay for what you get here.js_loader

What our customers say

Regarding your service I would like to make the following comments Web site, initial contact and service My wife saw a product similar to FGC Glass Curtains whilst on holiday. After undertaking a lot of searching on the internet we came across FGC. FGC offered a product we could not find anywhere else, i.e. a true frameless glass product, no side borders, only the top and bottom running rails. The product looked as if you

A heartfelt thank you from us. We knew we wanted something a bit special to set off our extension, which has been absolutely essential in making our new home work for the family. We scoured the internet for something that would allow an uninterupted view of the planned garden but would also allow us to throw back the glass in the summer to bring the garden into the house. As soon as I visited the

We are delighted with the end-resulting porch and it is achieving exactly what we wanted from it. We have also had several very positive comments from visitors, etc – which is very gratifying. We have also been impressed with the attitude and approach of all the company employees we have

Mr & Mrs White
Mr & Mrs White - Staffs
I had been looking for some time to replace my patio doors in our lounge as they had very wide plastic frames and wanted something that wouldn’t restrict the view up the garden I asked to see if it was possible to view some already installed close by. Luckily there was, we went and viewed and was very impressed. I’ve seen lots of companies do bi-fold and there is actually one that is on the

Paula Sanders
Paula

This is a professional operation with excellent after sales care. Very

Richard Martin
Richard
We had our doors fitted in 2015 and have been very pleased with them. As with most things there are times when an adjustment is required to the doors or in our case a door needing to be replaced as it had developed a problem with condensation. The company has been very good at resolving these matters in an efficient and timely manner. We highly recommend the product which has made a big difference to

Sunil Parekh
S Parekh
The installer was excellent. In spite of being let down by another member of the team he got on with with the job in a positive manner. Disruption was kept to a minimum and he cleared and tidied up. He demonstrated how to use the doors, ensured I knew how to operate them and answered any questions before he left. He is a credit to your company. Overall: I am very pleased with my frameless

We have patio doors and a large matching picture window, these are well designed, manufactured and installed and are noticed and acknowledged by all visitors to our house. The customer service is also excellent so highly recommend these products and

Phillip Coutts
Phil

We were only at home for one day following the installation. A courier delivering a parcel admired the porch and asked who built it for us. Success I think.   Mrs J,

Mrs J
Just wanted to say a big thank you for coming up to Manchester from Kent to service our doors. My wife and I appreciated the service and continue to be really pleased with them. Lots of friends comment on how lovely they look and the window cleaner took your card this week, he is thinking of calling you! I would happily recommend you to anyone considering having frameless glass curtains. If there is anyone in

Hi All . Just wanted to say how pleased we are with the glass porch fitted by your company yesterday it looks stunning. compliments as well to your installers who were apart from being very skilled fitters were clean, tidy and courteous and as such a credit to your company. I have had first class service from FGC from the day I first spoke to Adrian about my idea through to installation. I will arrange

Chris
Chris
From the time of our first visit to your premises we felt comfortable with your product. It was a product just as we had hoped and envisaged for our new kitchen extension – double glazed, frameless glass doors to cover a 7.310 meter opening ! Until then we were not sure if it was possible. When the 9 doors were first installed the overall affect was more than we could have hoped for, just exactly

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Published on July 30, 2021

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