So, you’re thinking about customizing your porch or office with a beautiful set of custom-made folding doors. If you’ve done a bit of research on them, though, then you may have noticed that some brands have received some poor reviews online due to extra-long shipping times.

The odd thing is that some of the brands that get the worst reviews regarding delivery times happen to be some of the top-rated brands on the market in terms of quality. So, what’s the deal? How long does it really take for folding doors to be delivered after they’re ordered?

Generally speaking, folding doors should be completely manufactured and delivered to your home or office within 30 to 45 days after ordering them. This may seem like a long time for some, but you have to consider that these companies are creating fully customized doors made specifically for your home’s dimensions.

In today’s post, we’re going to briefly go over why custom folding doors may take a bit longer to ship, and explain what (if anything) that you can do to speed up the process.

Why Custom Folding Doors Take Longer To Ship

The first thing that you should understand about folding door systems is that most of the top-rated manufacturers on the market customize each folding door system to order. Sure, you’ll find some cheaper or middle-of-the-road brands that offer prefabricated folding door systems that are ready to install. However, these brands also don’t give you anywhere near as much choice for customization.

In an age where everybody’s used to Amazon’s legendary 2-day shipping, waiting 30 to 45 days for an online order can seem like a lifetime. However, when you consider what you’re getting, and the amount of value that it’s going to add to your home, it starts to make a little bit more sense.

Here are some of the reasons why custom folding doors take longer to ship and be delivered.

1) Custom Glass

Most high-end folding door companies allow their customers to completely customize their glass. You’ll typically be able to choose between:

• Low-emissivity glass (for increased energy efficiency).
• Hurricane-proof and shatter-proof glass (if you live in an area prone to storms).
• Custom tinted or automatic solar tinted glass.
• Custom sandblasted and laser-etched privacy glass.
• Soundproof glass systems.
• …and more!

Many folding door companies allow you to customize your folding door glass with several of these options. This means that your glass window panes are all going to be custom-made for your order. They’re not exactly pulled off a shelf and slapped into a waiting doorframe.

2) Sourcing Lumber and Aluminum

If you ordered a custom hardwood doorframe, then it can take a while for the manufacturer to source the species of wood that you requested. After they source it, they then have to spend time cutting it with precision laser tools, so that it’s the exact size and dimensions requested to fit your doorframe supports.

Aluminum is fairly simple to source, but it will still need to be custom painted or anodized in accordance with your color preferences. All of this takes time, resources, and manpower, which is also why these custom door systems don’t come cheap, either.

3) Distribution Networks

After the first round of COVID-19, a lot of the distribution and shipping networks in the country were impacted. Some warehouses shut down completely or lost drivers due to the virus, while some cities shut down entirely, or required passing truckers to go through long lines to verify that they weren’t carrying the virus across state lines.

While the first wave of COVID is passed, the new Delta variant is beginning to have an effect on our country’s shipping and distribution networks. All of this is just to explain why your door may take slightly longer than expected to ship out.

4) Backlog Of Orders

During the 2020 pandemic, more home renovations were performed than in every previous year. This was due to a number of factors, such as people spending more time at home, free stimulus money from the government, and other tax credits. The result is that some of the country’s top folding door manufacturers are suffering from a backlog of orders, decreasing shipping speeeds.

Are Pre-Fabricated Folding Doors A Better Option?

If speed is a major concern for you, then you may want to shop with a folding door company that offers pre-fabricated folding doors instead of ordering custom folding doors. Generally speaking, pre-fabricated folding doors are a bit more affordable and ship out faster.

Conclusion

Anything that’s made to a high degree of quality is going to take some time. In our opinion, waiting 30 to 45 days for a fully customized set of folding doors isn’t that long. At the end of the day, you’re getting your money’s worth, and you’ll receive a set of doors that will remain a centerpiece of your home for up to a decade or longer.