Clearview National August 2019 - Issue 213 | Page 72

OUTDOORLIVING
A Perfect Match
An innovative installer looking for something
new for a project for his customer.
» » A BRAND NEW ALUMINIUM BI-
fold door created by a trusted systems house,
unveiled for the first time.
When Alumina was launched, it was almost
as if it was meant to be…
Rod Charnick heads up Silika Ltd, an
installation company based in Essex. The
vast majority of his work comes from
recommendations; over the last 18 years he
has built an enviable reputation as a highly
sought-after expert offering the best solutions
to meet his customers’ needs.
Rod began using Liniar products almost from
the start of its launch of the PVCu system, and
soon recognised the high quality of the system.
Silika’s customer Tracey Nightingale had
first been in touch with Rod to replace all of
the windows and doors in the property she
had recently moved into with her husband.
The resulting Irish Oak on white Liniar
casement windows and residential doors,
together with matching fascias, soffits and
garage doors, gave the whole house a facelift
and Tracey was delighted.
The couple had also applied for planning
permission to build an extension at the
72 » AUG 2019 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
rear of the property, and had asked Rod for
ideas about the opening at the back. Tracy
wasn’t keen on the idea of bi-folding doors,
as she wanted more glass and less frame –
asking instead for large French doors with
sidelights.
Rod was convinced bi-folds would offer a
better appearance, but couldn’t find anything
on the market that would match with the Irish
Oak windows. So when he saw the Alumina
bi-fold he was knew it was the perfect product
for the job.
Not only could the panes be manufactured
larger than with a PVCu bi-fold, Alumina
could be foiled – so it would be an identical
colour match to the Nightingales’ new PVCu
windows and doors.
As soon as he showed the Alumina door to
Tracey, she was convinced – so Rod placed an
order for the Nightingales’ bi-fold – a three-
pane with Irish Oak foiled exterior and white
powder coated interior.
Rod takes up the story:
“As with any product I’m installing for the
first time, I was careful to find out if there
were any quirks or things to watch out for
during installation. I watched the Alumina
installation video, which was very helpful.
“I found the Alumina bi-fold very
straightforward to install. It compares very
well with other bi-folds I’ve fitted, and the fact
it comes from a trusted systems house gives
me confidence that it’s been properly tested
and won’t cause me any issues.
“Alumina has obviously been well designed,
with many finishing touches that make it
stand out, such as the innovative folding
keys which greatly reduce the possibility of
damaging the doors if left in situ. And of
course, the fact it’s foiled and sculptured
to match the Liniar window suite gives it a
distinct advantage over other bi-folds.”
The Nightingales are delighted with their
new Alumina bi-folding door.
“When Rod first recommended a bi-fold
door we were sceptical about how it would
look.” says Tracey. “But as he’d made such a
fantastic job of our windows and doors, we
trusted him completely. As soon as he showed
us the Alumina bi-fold, with its low U-value
and the fact we could have it in Irish Oak to
match everything else, we were sold.”