Beginners Guide to selecting a Sliding Door System
Sliding door gear is available in a wide range of shapes and sizes, with various systems on the market to suit different needs. The variety can be overwhelming if you're unsure of what to look for, but understanding your options can make the process much easier.
Once you have made the decision to incorporate a sliding door into your project, the first step is to decide whether you would require a Straight sliding door system or a Pocket door system – please see the definitions below:
Straight Sliding Sytem
For residential and commercial applications, sliding doors are a great way to save space, open rooms, increase natural light and provide easy access.
Or
Pocket Door System
Slides into a hidden compartment or recess within the adjacent wall.
Straight sliding door systems also come in many different styles to match the aesthetic of the room it will be installed in.
As this is only a beginner’s guide, we are going to focus
Saving Space with Sliding Doors: The Modern Solution for Compact Living
When it comes to interior design and architecture, optimizing space is often a top priority, particularly in smaller spaces or areas with unconventional layouts. One of the most effective ways to save space without sacrificing functionality or style is by installing sliding doors instead of traditional hinged doors. While a standard 900mm hinged door requires approximately 1270mm of clearance to open fully, a sliding door system eliminates this need, providing flexibility for furniture placement and allowing for a more open feel. Beyond their practicality, sliding doors also bring a sleek, modern look that enhances contemporary interiors.
Where to Use Sliding Doors
Sliding doors are incredibly versatile and can be adapted to various areas in both residential and commercial spaces. Here’s a look at some of the top sliding door applications:
1. Pocket Sliding Doors
Pocket doors are among the most popular sliding door
Why Buster + Punch is a Showroom Standout at SDS London
When I first started working at the SDS London showroom, Buster & Punch immediately captured my attention and quickly became one of my favorite brands. Their products have a distinctive knurled texture—a tactile, on-trend pattern that adds both a bold visual appeal and a sense of comfort to any interior. This unique pattern not only adds grip but also injects personality into even the smallest details. It’s easy to see why Buster & Punch has become synonymous with sophisticated, edgy home design.
From Custom Motorbikes to Luxury Home Details
The story of Buster & Punch is as captivating as their designs. Founded in an East London garage, the brand originally focused on custom motorbikes before transitioning to home fittings. The team’s passion for rare, solid metals drove them to transform everyday functional items into exceptional home details that exude sophistication and durability. Their
Door Stops: Wall-Mounted vs. Floor-Mounted – Small Details, Big Impact
While door stops might seem like minor accessories, they’re actually essential in protecting your walls and doors from potential damage. Despite their compact size, door stops play a big role in maintaining the longevity of your interiors—and they look stylish while doing it! Available in both floor-mounted and wall-mounted options, door stops come in a variety of finishes, sizes, shapes, and designs to suit any room or style.
Here’s a closer look at the key differences between wall-mounted and floor-mounted door stops and how to choose the right type for each space in your home or building.
Floor-Mounted Hooded Door Stops: Function Meets Subtlety
Floor-mounted door stops are perfect for areas where you’d like to avoid drilling into walls, particularly in tiled or waterproofed rooms. These stops are commonly used in bathrooms, where walls might be delicate or protected by a tiled finish. By mounting the door stop to
Celebrating a Year at Our New Wimbledon Showroom: A Milestone in SDS London’s Journey
SDS London Ltd, a leader in architectural ironmongery and hardware solutions, is thrilled to mark one year since moving into our spacious Wimbledon Showroom—a significant milestone in our company’s storied history.
For over 40 years, our Northcote Road Showroom was more than just a store; it was a central pillar of the SDS London identity. It’s where our customers found inspiration, high-quality architectural hardware, and expert guidance. As we celebrate this new chapter, we reflect on the invaluable legacy of Northcote Road and look forward to what lies ahead at Wimbledon.
Our decision to consolidate operations at Wimbledon stems from a commitment to continuous improvement. Now housing our showroom, warehouse, and offices under one roof, this move empowers us to serve our customers even better, offering greater efficiency, an expanded range of products, and a more seamless experience. The Wimbledon
Unlocking the World: Exploring the Power of Multiple Locks
Locks have been an essential part of human civilization for centuries, providing security and peace of mind. While locks are typically associated with a single key opening a single lock, there is a solution where multiple locks can be passed together, allowing multiple locks to work on the same key.
At SDS London, we take pride in our ability to provide this unique service in-house, also allowing us to cut additional keys as requested.
In this blog, we will delve into the concept of passing locks and explore the benefits and possibilities it brings. We will also discuss master keying systems.
Understanding the Concept of Passing Locks
The concept of passing locks, also known as keyed alike, is based on the idea that multiple locks can be opened by the same key. This allows for more convenient access control, as one key can potentially unlock various doors or compartments.
By aligning the internal workings of different locks,
When it comes to mail delivery, we often use the terms "letter plate" and "letterbox" interchangeably, assuming they refer to the same thing. However, these two terms actually describe distinct components of the mail delivery system. In this blog post, we will delve into the key differences between a letter plate and a letterbox, shedding light on their unique functions and characteristics.
Letter plates
Letter plates are the plate that sit on the external part of the door to cover an aperture. They are available in polished brass, stainless brass, polished chrome, satin chrome and many other finishes. Letter plates work in conjunction with Inner tidies/flaps.
What are Letter Plates?
Letter plates are an essential piece of door furniture as they allow mail and letters to be safely posted through your front door. They are an item that no front door should be without! The letter plate or letterbox should match the style of the other pieces of front door furniture on display.
Groël Handle Design - this is the name of a company that has been producing high-quality door handles since 1998. From its beginning, Groël has followed strict guidelines for the production of its handles, ensuring excellence in materials and productive processes. This commitment to quality, combined with innovative design, has made Groël one of the most respected names in handle design in the world.
At Groël, their team is passionate about using creative handcrafted resources and investing in technology that optimizes the product's quality while protecting the environment. Through their daily work and commitment to excellence, they have achieved impeccable results, resulting in the design of handles that defy time. The handle is not just a banal object but an essential part of our everyday life that connects the hand to the home. It is a small detail that can make a big difference in making us feel comfortable in our own spaces.
I started working for SDS in 1995 and found myself thrown into the world of architectural ironmongery.
During this period the industry wasn’t as professional and involved when it came to finishes as it is now, it was perfectly acceptable for ironmongery to be supplied to a project that was close in finish but not necessarily the same, for instance satin stainless steel, satin chrome, aluminium and bright zinc were all different finishes customers would happily install in one premises, that is not what is aimed for now. Now the industry is incredibly accurate when it comes to finishes being used near each other or within the same building, these days customers have the opportunity to match electrical, window and door ironmongery and mechanism faceplates, all in the same version of finish.
When I started, I had polished brass, polished chrome, and satin chrome, satin nickel hadn’t even become popular yet, now some 29 years later there are many variations for
Maintaining different types of ironmongery finishes can be overwhelming, hopefully, this will assist with any queries that you may have. If you purchase a lacquered brass item, it is best to only use a damp cloth using plain water with no cleaning chemicals to clean the surface and a dry cloth to buff and remove water lines. This will preserve the lacquered surface for the period of time the ironmongery is fitted before the lacquer breaks down to the point where the item needs to be re-lacquered or re-finished.
Lacquer on ironmongery will only last and preserve the item for a period of time but the length of this period can be completely different depending on location, volume of use, how exposed to the elements the items are. Applied finishes such as polished chrome, satin chrome, satin and polished nickel, and bronze finishes normally last longer outside as a plated surface is far more durable than a lacquered item.
The definition of a standard is ‘a required or agreed level of quality or attainment’. Buyers need to know that what they are purchasing is ‘up to standard’. No surprise, you need to know that the ironmongery products you are fitting to your door are up to the relevant standard and suitable for the application – especially if the product is to go on a fire door.
Standards list out tests and classifications which a product must achieve to indicate performance, such as the product’s Durability (digit 2). For example, the maximum number of test cycles a hinge can be tested to is 200,00 under BS EN 1935. This would give the hinge Grade 7 performance for durability. This hinge would be suitable for medium, heavy and severe duty doors. Grade 3 hinges are tested to 10,00 test cycles, and Grade 4 hinges are tested to 25,000 test cycles, making them suitable for light duty windows, and light duty windows and doors respectively.
As you read this blog almost certainly you have a small toothed and grooved slab of metal on your person, and you use it every day when entering and leaving your house, lets see how these have changed and developed over the years.
Did you know one of the oldest locks on record was created in Egypt? “The ancient Assyrian lock” like our modern method of lock and key which consists of a large wooden pronged key which moved a series of tumblers the design spread globally influenced the future of locks.
The years that followed didn’t see many changes to the operational mechanism of locks however many decorative changes to keys which would have been seen across medieval Europe if your lucky enough you still see keys like this used today.
Jumping forward a few years Robert Barron brought us the lever tumbler lock which offered limited security but a much smoother operation this design was later revised increasing the security.
