One objection some designers (and end users) have had about older-generation sliders relates to their speed of travel. Many older manual models, especially when not properly maintained, required a stiff tug to get them moving, which swiftly became an annoyance whenever they were used. At the other end of the track, they might be sliding too fast and end up hitting the stop with a sharp noise and too much vibration. Unregulated doors like this can easily be damaged in use, and the chances are greater that users might be hurt, if only in small ways, while operating them.
Engineers addressed this issue with designs incorporating special mechanisms. To help a user get the door moving, a better door of this kind will include specialized roller technologies. As such, it will need a force equivalent to just four per cent of the door mass to overcome initial friction—a light push, easily managed by practically any user. (This has special significance when doors are used by children, the elderly, or those with disabilities.) Built into the same door will be a dampening mechanism that prevents slams, whether intentional or not, on the opened and closed end of door travel. Precision-engineered track stops gently decelerate the doors; these mechanisms also can hold the door in the open or closed position. These soft-opening and soft-closing features make sliding doors less prone to abuse and damage, especially panels made of glass.
For designers to make the most of sliders in specific installations, it was important to improve tracks and hardware for the widest possible range of mounting styles. Over the course of many years, this has been accomplished. Today, reliable, smooth-functioning, easily installed hardware variations that enable several different configurations are available—options allow mounting from the top, ceiling, and wall, for instance. This enables flexibility in choice of door material and construction without re-engineering the system’s tracks and hardware.
Another style benefitting from better hardware was the recessed or pocket door, enabling users to slip the door completely out of sight inside a wall. Better designs make it easier to install and repair such doors, which formerly could be a problem because of their hidden workings and oversized components. Sleeker rollers and carriers in light-but-strong extruded aluminum tracks provide significant advantages with premium systems.
A new esthetic
Broadly stated, the sliding door concept has adapted well to contemporary design values. In tandem, advances in hardware design, production, and installation have delivered design options that similarly fit contemporary tastes.
For example, the systems controlling and supporting certain glass automatic sliding doors are now specifically engineered to employ something close to an absolute minimum in hardware. The materials attach directly to the glass. Designers hewing to a minimalist esthetic employ this version of the sliding door to complement their work.
In the pocket applications mentioned, these new hardware designs practically eliminate protrusions that can catch as a door slips into the wall. In any type of door project, such hardware takes up little space and generally calls attention to itself as no more than an accent.
Of course, if a specific design demands higher-profile, more eye-catching hardware, many options are available—including wide variations in styles and materials. In any event, modern sliding doors, making the most of a steady accumulation of technological and design improvements, are finding a place in more contemporary buildings.
Jim Beaulieu is operations manager for Dorma Canada, having been with the company for 20 years. He is an active member of the Door and Hardware Institute (DHI), holding positions on the Ontario chapter board, including Education Chair. Beaulieu can be contacted via e-mail at jbeaulieu@dormacanada.com.
