Folding doors are one of the few openings in a project where the door leaf, the hardware and the way the leaves stack all have to work together. Classic folding doors add a further layer: panel mouldings, finish and hardware style need to look right when the door is open, closed or somewhere in between. That makes comparing suppliers on price alone an unreliable exercise. The sections below walk through what to compare, item by item, before you place an order.
1. Measure the opening as it actually is, not as it was drawn
Folding doors are built to the opening, and small deviations change the layout. Compare what each supplier needs to work with: clear width and height of the structural opening, the finished floor level, the depth available for the folded stack, and whether the header can carry the track and the weight of the leaves. Panelled classic styles are also sensitive to proportions, because the moulding grid on each leaf reads differently on a narrow opening than on a wide one. A supplier who accepts your drawings but never asks about the site condition is not really quoting the same job as one who does.
2. Settle how the door will be used before choosing the style
A partition that folds open once a month for a larger gathering has different hardware needs from one that is operated daily as a kitchen or utility access point. Decide first which Santerson door family fits the use: Classic Folding Doors suit openings where the paneled look and a made-to-measure layout are the priority; Santerson Glass Folding Doors cover the same folding action where a lighter, glazed appearance is wanted; and Santerson Wooden Sliding Doors remain the simpler option if folding is not actually required. Getting this decision right early avoids paying for folding hardware that the project never needs.
3. Compare the specification details the catalogue will not show you
Product pages list finish and layout options, but they do not tell you how a supplier intends to build the door. Ask each one to state, in writing: the frame and core construction; the finish system and how samples are approved; the hinge and pivot specification; the track material and where the track is fixed; and the number of leaves proposed for your width. For Classic Folding Doors the configuration is made to measure, so the same product name can arrive with very different leaf widths, stacking direction and hardware grade. A useful comparison sheet has one row for each item above, filled in by every supplier.
4. Check how the order is documented and approved
Ask for the manufacturing drawings before production starts, and treat them as the contract document. They should show leaf count, folding direction, the stack position when open, handle and hardware positions, and the finish reference. Then check the supplier's approval sequence: sample or prototype for the finish, drawing sign-off, and a clear record of any site revision made after sign-off. Suppliers working on the project basis described on the turnkey solutions pages will normally run this sequence as part of design and production coordination; suppliers who skip it push the risk of a misread dimension onto the buyer.
5. Look at delivery, packaging and installation as one package
Folding doors arrive as leaves, track and hardware, and the set is only as good as the alignment on site. Compare what is included: whether frames, leaves and ironmongery ship together in one consignment or split across shipments; how leaves are protected for long-haul freight; whether installation is done by the supplier's own team or by your trades; and what happens if a leaf is damaged or one dimension is wrong on arrival. A supplier describing door-to-door delivery and after-sales support on the same scope of works you are buying is easier to hold accountable than one quoting doors, freight and installation separately.
6. Put the prices on the same basis
Compare per opening, not per leaf or per linear metre, and confirm what is inside the number: the complete set of leaves, track, frames, hardware, finish, packaging, freight, spares and installation. A lower headline price that excludes hardware or installation is rarely cheaper once those are added. Equally, ask what a variation after drawing sign-off costs, since a late change to leaf count or stacking direction is the most common source of added cost on folding doors.
A short pre-order checklist
- Verified site dimensions for every opening, with finished floor levels confirmed.
- Folding direction and open-stack position shown on approved drawings.
- Hardware grade and operation duty matched to real use frequency.
- Finish sample approved and referenced on the order.
- One price per opening covering doors, hardware, freight, packaging and installation.
- Written process for site revisions, damaged goods and replacement parts.
If you would like a quotation against your own drawings, the details of the range are in the Windows & Doors catalogue and enquiries can be sent through the contact page.