Aluminum folding doors are commonly seen in modern and contemporary homes. Unlike those average run-of-the-mill sliding glass doors that your parents may have had in their homes, today’s folding door systems allow you to completely open up your living space to the outside environment.

Perhaps you just want to introduce more natural lighting into your house, or maybe you want to be able to open up an entire glass wall and feel more connected to the outdoors. Whatever the reason is, folding doors are an excellent addition to any home. They can also significantly increase the market value of your home!

Generally speaking, doorframes used for porch folding doors are manufactured using aluminum, vinyl/PVC, natural hardwood, or a combination of the above. While some manufacturers only offer their doors in one material, others allow their customers to choose between multiple types of doorframes.

If you’re having trouble deciding what type of doorframe you want for your folding doors, then we highly recommend reading this post. Below, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of aluminum doorframes, so that you can make a more educated decision when it comes time to purchase your folding doors. Let’s take a look!

Aluminum Bi-Fold Doors: Pros And Cons

In days past, aluminum wasn’t used very often due to the fact that it was hard to separate from the ore that it was naturally bound to. Today, however, aluminum refining is fast, easy, and cost-effective thanks to modern mining and refining techniques.

For the most part, using aluminum as a doorframe material has very little (if any) cons to speak of. This is likely the reason why it’s become the most popular material for folding door construction. Aluminum is naturally corrosion-resistant, is both strong and lightweight, and can last a lifetime if it’s taken care of. What’s not to like, right?

That being said, aluminum does have a couple of caveats that are worth noting. Namely, aluminum is easily dented (and hard to un-dent), and there’s the fact that it will have to be re-painted periodically.

Below, we’ll discuss all of these pros and cons in greater detail so you can decide once and for all whether or not an aluminum folding door system is right for you.

Why Aluminum Folding Doors Are Good

Like we said, aluminum is an excellent material for folding doors. So, before mentioning the two negative aspects of the material, let’s talk about why it’s so great.

1) Relatively Low-Cost

Overall, aluminum is a very affordable material. Thanks to modern aluminum refining techniques, producing high-quality aluminum is fast, easy, and cheap. Let’s just say that there’s a reason why they make soda and beer cans out of aluminum!

As we’ve discussed in other blog posts, hardwood is the most expensive material to make doorframes out of due to the fact that it’s hard to source and requires a lot of detailed woodwork. In contrast, aluminum is easy to source and easy to cut using machines, leading to a more affordable doorframe.

2) Low-Maintenance

Another great reason to go with an aluminum porch folding door is that they’re incredibly low-maintenance. Unlike wood doorframes, which need constant attention and cleaning, aluminum doors need very little maintenance once you install them.

The only thing you’ll need to do to keep your aluminum doors looking good is to lightly hit them with a pressure washer a couple of times per year. Sure, you may have to re-paint the doorframe once every 10 years, but that’s how it is with most things in life.

3) Modern Aluminum Is Eco-Friendly

By itself, aluminum is not a great insulator. This means that air from one side can easily penetrate the thin metal and affect the temperature of the air on the other side of the door. However, this problem is easily solved by a process that manufacturers use called “thermal breaking.”

To accomplish this, they line the inside of the aluminum with a thin layer of polymer film which makes modern aluminum doors almost as well-insulated as wood doors.

4) Great Strength-To-Weight Ratio

Overall, aluminum is a very strong building material, especially given how lightweight it is. This means that aluminum folding door systems can be made to be a lot taller and wider than vinyl and PVC doorframes. They’re also a great choice for hurricane-proof folding door systems.

5) Contribute To A Modern, Low-Profile Style

Last but not least, aluminum contributes to a modern aesthetic. Due to its strong and lightweight properties, aluminum doorframes can be engineered with a sleek, low-profile appearance that maximizes glass space and minimizes doorframe space, creating a more seamless connection with the outdoors.

Drawbacks Of Aluminum Folding Doors

We wouldn’t be being fair if we didn’t disclose both sides of aluminum, good and bad. To be honest, though, the “bad” isn’t even that bad. Here’s why.

1) They Will Need To Be Re-Painted

If your aluminum doors came with a factory powder coat, then they’ll likely need to be re-painted once every 7 to 10 years (depending on sun and weather exposure). However, there’s very little surface area, which means that re-painting your doors is usually a fast, easy, and painless process.

If you have anodized aluminum doors, then the factory anodization will likely last a good 12 to 15 years before it starts to fade and you need to re-paint over the fading anodized finish.

2) They Dent Easily

The biggest complaint about aluminum doors is that they dent easily. To be honest, this is the only real “con.” This is mostly due to the fact that aluminum is lightweight and that the doorframes are hollow inside. As long as you’re careful not to slam the doors or bang into them with heavy objects, though, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Final Thoughts

As you can tell, there are some good reasons why aluminum has become the most popular material used for folding door manufacturing. It’s strong, lightweight, sleek, and will never rust or corrode. What more can you ask for in a door?