FAQs

There are a number of important factors to consider when specifying a sliding and folding door system, including:

• Is the system for internal or external use?
• Is the system sliding or folding?
• Is there enough overhead structural support to carry the weight of the door (top hung) or does the weight need to be taken by the floor (bottom rolling)?
• Is the track going to be face fixed or soffit fixed?
• What is the weight of the door/s?
• What material is the door?
• How many doors will be included?
• What is the height, width and thickness of the door/s?
• What is the width of the opening?
• Do you require any additional extras such as handles, locks, soft close, self-close?

Other things to consider are whether the door is to be automated or fire rated and will it be exposed to extreme weather or corrosive elements? Our specification tool – Expert – offers a step by step guide through the specification process which covers everything that is necessary for a detailed specification.

Yes, we have installation videos to assist with your project and our customer and technical support teams are always on hand to help. Please contact them via phone or email: Tel: 0191 377 7345 Email: sales@pchenderson.com.

No, P C Henderson does not supply the actual doors themselves. We can sometimes make suggestions regarding local suppliers but as a general rule we do not supply the doors.

Some of our residential and light commercial systems are available in a handy kit pack format which includes all of the components needed for a successful installation without having to specify individual parts.

The standard number of hangers to be used on one straight sliding door is two – adding additional hangers will not increase the door weight capacity.

The number of hangers required for a folding system is determined by the number of doors used – our Expert Specification Tool system or a member of our customer service team can help with this.

We have a number of bottom rolling systems, catering for doors between 23kg and 8000kg which can be used where there isn’t sufficient overhead support to carry the weight of the door. Bottom rolling systems consist of two rollers located at the bottom of the door – allowing the weight of the door to be carried on the track below.

A centre folding system is designed so that the door hardware is fitted to the centre of the door. When open, the doors rest equally in the middle of the track.

An end folding system is designed so the door hardware is fitted to the end/corners of the doors. When open, the doors rest on one side of the track.

A face fixed track is installed to the front face of the opening, allowing the doors to slide in front of the opening.

A soffit fixed track is installed to the underside of an opening, allowing the doors to slide within the opening.

A pocket door system is an interior sliding door system whereby the door slides along the track and disappears into a cavity wall. Pocket doors are ideal for areas where floor space is limited such as en-suites, bathrooms, storage areas, walk in wardrobes utility rooms and pantries.

Our Pocket Door and Pocket Door Pro systems have been designed in a way that allows the door and hardware to be easily removed should the need arise.

Most of our sliding systems are now available with an optional soft stop.  A soft stop system helps prevent slamming and improve the overall longevity of a product. Soft Stop systems work by catching the door in its final moments of travel and gently decelerates it into its final open or closed position.

Our Husky and Soltaire Low Headroom systems help reduce the clearance between the bottom of the track and the top of the door to 2mm – making the hardware barely visible.

When specifying a sliding fire door system, you must consider:

• Do you require a FD30 (30 minute) or FD60 (60 minute) fire door system?
• Is the hardware certified to BS476: Part 22: 1987? (Our Marathon Fire Rated and Pocket Door Pro Fire Rated are both certified to this standard)
• Do you require a self-closer? If you are unsure, please contact your building inspector.

For help with your specification, please contact our Customer Care Team.  

All of our sliding and folding systems have been tested and certified to a maximum weight capacity. Exceeding this weight may cause the system to fail and the product would not be covered by our 10 year warranty. 

Yes we do offer a service whereby a selection of our straight sliding systems can be curved to a requested radius. This is a bespoke service – please get in touch with a member of our technical support team for details.

With the exception of a few products, most of our straight sliding systems do not have a maximum door height – the most important constraint is the maximum weight capacity.

Our Pocket Door systems allow for a maximum door height of 2315mm and our Marathon Fire Rated hardware caters for a maximum door height of 3000mm.

All of our products are rigorously tested before launching to the market. For each product, a prototype is built for a physical test and is tested in excess of 100,000 cycles to ensure they are capable of withstanding the test of time. This is the equivalent of opening and closing a door 5 times every day over the course of 55 years!

Our Soltaire, Securefold and Stainless Steel track and hanger components are all made from 316 Marine Grade Stainless Steel and have been graded against BS EN 1670 for corrosion resistance. The fixing plates, bolts and nuts in our Stainless Steel system are Grade 304.

These systems are ideal for coastal properties and other applications where the hardware will be exposed to high levels of corrosion.

As a guide, we advise that the doors be at least 40mm wider than the opening width and 20mm higher than the opening height. However, this may vary due to the installation and is down to individual preference.

Yes we are always happy to receive requests for bespoke projects – our technical support team will then sit down and work through the feasibility of the project. 

Wherever you are in the world, you can apply to become a distributor for P C Henderson by filling out the online application form here. A member of our team will then review your application and get in touch.

A system which is specified correctly will not require a great deal of maintenance. Most industrial systems will require the track and hangers to be greased every six months. Commercial systems require no greasing but require checking of the track and any guide channel in order to clear any obstruction and dirt build up. All systems should have their fixings checked for tightness every six months. For specific information on a particular system, consult the maintenance section of this website.

Unfortunately we do not offer an installation service however we do provide fitting instructions and installation videos for most of our systems. If you need additional support, our Technical Support Team are more than happy to help guide you through your installation.

Our kit packs are designed to allow for a quick and easy installation with minimal experience needed. We have also developed accompanying fitting instructions and installation videos to help make installation as easy as possible.

For more complex systems, we would advise using a timber joiner or professional installer.

For information on your local stockists of P C Henderson sliding and folding door hardware please go to the ‘Find a Distributor’ section of our website.

In the unlikely event that your product incurs a manufacturing defect or material flaw, it is covered by a 10 year warranty and, if P C Henderson is at fault, will be refunded or replaced free of charge. For more information please see our warranty page.