Planning
Yes. You can follow the installation instructions if you are familiar with building things and you have some basic tools at hand (screwdriver, measurement tape, level/laser, drill, hammer, etc.).
However, if you are unsure about your skills or you are installing a special door, we recommend contacting a professional or us for our recommended partners who install sliding and folding doors.
In addition to the actual door, sliding doors need a sliding track system that includes the sliding track, track brackets, hangers, fixing plates, track stops and the bottom guide as well as the
bottom guide track, if necessary. Of course, this largely depends on what type of sliding door you are installing and in what location. Fixing plates, cover plates and soft close mechanisms affect the appearance and functionality of interior sliding doors. See the Solutions page for pre-made packages and what parts they contain.
Interior sliding doors
It is important that the wall or ceiling has a support structure line into which the sliding track or brackets can be firmly fixed and that can support the weight of the sliding door. Nearly all of our series support
changing the locations of the sliding track’s brackets, but the maximum distance between the brackets is always 500 mm. In some cases, the track can be fixed into plasterboard, for example, but, in this case, you need to use appropriate wall plugs that can support the weight of the sliding door. Tracks can also be installed directly into the ceiling without brackets. In
this case as well, the track should be installed into the support structures of the ceiling, where possible, and to use plugs in locations that lack support structures.
Storage and industrial sliding doors
It is important that the wall or ceiling has a support structure line or beam into which the brackets of the sliding track can be firmly fixed and that can support the weight of the sliding door. All of our series support changing the locations of the sliding track’s brackets, but the maximum distance between the brackets is always 1,000 mm.
This depends on what type of sliding door you are looking for and the type of support structures on the wall or ceiling. If you want to install a traditional wall-sliding door, the sliding track can be installed on the wall on top of the doorway or the underside of the ceiling or embedded into the ceiling. Sliding pocket doors are typically installed by fixing them to the support structure inside the wall above the doorway. The sliding tracks of multiple sliding doors for storage rooms and industrial facilities are typically installed on the ceiling or, with regard to industrial buildings, for instance, the support beams. However, the most important thing is that the sliding track can be fixed to some type of support structure in multiple locations.
Helaform manufactures and sells only sliding track systems, we do not offer the actual doors. Most hardware stores sell standard interior sliding doors. If you need exterior doors or
doors with custom measurements/materials, Helaform can recommend its partners.
This depends on the type of sliding door, what features you need, whether it is installed by you or a professional as well as where you buy it from.
Here are some examples of the price of a single wall-sliding interior sliding door:
Products bought from a hardware store and installed by you:
Cover plate series 75 Flow (including the cover plate and soft close mechanism): EUR 150–200
Lightweight white 9×21 flush-panel sliding door: EUR 100–160
Installation: EUR 0
Total EUR 250–360
Whole package ordered from a manufacturer/carpenter including installation:
SAGA track system with the soft close mechanism: EUR 250–400
Pine veneer 9×21 solid wood door: EUR 300–700
Installation: EUR 400–600
Total EUR 950–1,700
Interior sliding doors
The maximum weight of a door installed on Helaform’s sliding track systems designed for interior sliding doors is 300 kg. However, this depends on what series of track systems is used.
The most common standard flush-panel doors weigh 20–50 kg. Solid wood doors can weigh 40–150 kg, depending on the size of the door.
Here are the maximum weight capacities for different series (per door):
• 75 series (Junior, Flow, steel): 50–100 kg.
• SKANDI: 120 kg
• RETRÖ: 150 kg
• SAGA: 150 kg/300 kg
The maximum weight capacity also depends on whether Soft Close mechanisms are used.
Storage and industrial sliding doors
It depends on what series you are using. As the weight of the sliding door increases, the series also changes. The sliding doors of our heaviest series, such as the 500 and 2000 series, can weigh 500–2,000 kg.
There needs to be space available next to the doorway equal to the width of the doorway for a single basic sliding door to slide into when opening the door. Bypassing sliding doors on multiple sliding tracks can be installed within the doorway, in which case they do not need additional space next to the doorway. This makes it possible to open the doorway enough by sliding the sliding doors next to each other on one side of the doorway. As a rule of thumb, the depth of a sliding door is the depth of the track system but, with regard to ceiling fixing, for instance, the door can be thicker than the depth of the track system, in which case the thickness of the door determines the required depth.
This depends on what series you are using and whether multiple parallel tracks are used, for instance. As a rule of thumb regarding width is that the sliding track should be two times the width of the door.
With regard to depth, the track system of a sliding door typically takes this much space:
Interior sliding doors: approx. 40–80 mm.
Storage and industrial sliding doors: approx. 50–115 mm.
If you are thinking about getting a sliding door, you should consider the environment, space, intended use and appearance of the door as well as what features and technical specifications you require from it.
Here are some things that need to be considered:
• Ensure that the sliding door can slide inside or on the wall next to the doorway without obstructions.
• If the sliding door(s) are moved within the doorway, check the width of the required opening and how many sliding doors are required for this.
• Try to ensure that the wall/ceiling has sturdy support structures that the track can be installed on.
• Ensure that the walls, ceiling/top structure and floor around the sliding door are straight.
• Measure the thickness of the door so that the doors can slide next/on top of each other when installing multiple sliding doors.
• Ensure that the bottom guide can be installed on the floor or wall and check how to install the guide when installing multiple sliding doors.
• Do you want to include soft closes or other features for the sliding door?
• What do you want the sliding door to look like when completed? Door material, track visible or concealed, etc.
• If the sliding door(s) are installed outdoors, the wind load they are exposed to must be taken into account. Read more about wind load.
If you have any questions when you are planning your sliding door, contact our sales team.
Yes, both are available. Helaform offers sliding track systems with the AISI 304 and AISI 316L standards for heavier series up from the 100 series.
The most important thing about doors regarding sliding track systems is that the door must have durable support structures, at least on its edges, (for example, support boards in interior doors and metal frame in exterior doors) to ensure that the fixing plates can be firmly fixed to the door. If necessary, a bottom guide track can be machined/fixed to the bottom of the door.
Top-hung sliding door systems must always be equipped with a bottom guide. The purpose of a bottom guide is to guide the sliding door along the track and to improve the usability and safety of the door. It also prevents the door from twisting when used: without a bottom guide, the hangers of the sliding door may be exposed to excessive lateral stress that can damage the sliding track system. This may affect the movement of the sliding door and reduce its service life significantly. In general, one bottom guide per sliding door is enough, but, in some cases, two bottom guides are fixed to the floor and the door slides between them.
Note! The purpose of a bottom guide is only to direct the movement of the door, not to support the door or prevent heavy lateral load such as collisions/impacts or wind load.
Yes. The bottom guide screws for most series are only fixed to the surface material of the floor (parquet/laminate, etc.) while the underfloor heating pipes are deeper in the floor. However, you should always ensure that the pipes are not in the way of the screws. For example, electric underfloor heating membranes may be located directly underneath the surface material.
Bottom guide tracks can also be embedded directly to the floor. In this case, the bottom guide is installed at the bottom of the sliding door and the length of the bottom guide track is equal to the whole sliding distance in order to ensure that the bottom guide can be installed even in demanding environments. However, it is good to remember that the bottom guide track will remain in the floor, make the floor’s appearance less uniform and possibly accumulate dirt.
Bottom guide tracks can be fixed either to the bottom of the door or onto the floor. If the track is fixed to the bottom of the door, the bottom guide is fixed to the floor or the side of the doorway to make the floor obstacle-free. If the track is fixed to the floor, the bottom guide roller is fixed to the door but, in this case, we recommend making a groove into the floor for embedding the bottom guide track. This allows for stepping on to the track freely, but it is good to remember that bottom guide tracks embedded into the floor can accumulate dirt and need cleaning.
Helaform’s range includes hangers that have special bearing grease on the wheels to ensure that they can withstand temperatures up to 300 °C.
Yes. The lock can be installed on the sliding door if the door moves within the doorframe by installing the counter plate on the end wall/structure, but wall-sliding doors need a frame attached to the wall for the purpose of installing the counter plate. Helaform does not sell locks, so please contact the door manufacturer for more information about different types of locks.
Sliding doors are perfectly safe for small children. The soft close mechanism is particularly safe as it slows down and stops the movement of the door when it is closed, preventing finger injuries. Children can use sliding doors, but if your child is small, you should note that the soft close mechanism needs more effort to get the door moving in order to wind up the soft close spring.
Yes. You can find the PDF files and CAD drawings of our most common sliding door packages on our website. In addition, all product components have a scale image and CAD drawing available on their respective product page. If you require CAD drawings for a more demanding environment, contact our sales team for more help.
Helaform has an extensive network of retailers in Finland. However, not all of our products are available from each retailer’s website or product range. This typically means that the products are supplied upon order, so check the product (and product code) on the Helaform website and ask your retailer to order it from us.
In general, the delivery time for our products is 3–5 business days. Helaform reserves the right to change the delivery times for reasons not attributable to us. The delivery times of foreign retailers should be checked with the retailer.
Please refer to our warranty terms and conditions.
Unfortunately, Helaform does not offer an installation service, but you can contact our sales team for more information about door manufacturers and installers.
All Helaform sliding track systems are top-hung, which means that we do not manufacture bottom-hung systems where the weight of the door is borne by hangers at the bottom.
Yes. When you order a track, you can select to shorten the track as a service provided by Helaform. Customers can also shorten tracks with appropriate tools, but you need to remember to clear the metal dust generated by sawing the track carefully before installing in order to prevent the dust from entering the hangers.
Although the capacity of sliding track systems to withstand wind (or other lateral forces) is not generally tested, it does not mean that they do not withstand heavy forces. However, wind or lateral force load requirements should always be considered and discussed with a structural engineer.
You can download component-specific 3D models from our product pages.
Steel tracks are primarily used outdoors and with heavier sliding doors that are equipped with steel hangers whereas aluminium tracks are more common in interior sliding doors equipped with nylon hangers due to their light weight, appearance and more silent noise.
Helaform provides standard-sized sliding tracks for the most common door widths. Standard-sized sliding tracks are available with a length of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 m. We also provide a paid project-specific sawing service if you need custom-length sliding tracks. Complete fitting sets are available in standard sizes from retailers.
Interior sliding doors
Wall fixations always require brackets to be installed into the wall. Sliding tracks can also be installed directly into the ceiling without brackets. The tracks included in our complete fitting sets have ready-made holes for the purpose of fixing them into the ceiling. Suitable screws must be used when fixing tracks to the ceiling to ensure the weight capacity of the track.
Storage and industrial sliding doors
Brackets are recommended when fixing heavy series (150–2000) to the wall or ceiling. This ensures that the sliding track is fixed firmly to the support structure.
Yes, a stopper of some sort is always needed. The most important role of the track stop is to prevent the hangers (and the door) from sliding off the track. It also limits the movement of the sliding door to ensure that the door stops within the doorway at the desired locations. If soft close mechanisms are used with interior sliding doors, track stops are not necessary as the mechanism will stop the movement of the sliding door.
Yes. The maximum weight capacity of a door refers to the maximum load on a pair of hangers, but the sliding track can bear much more weight. For example, bi-parting sliding doors
have two doors sliding in opposite directions on the same track.
We strongly recommend avoiding this. Two hangers are always supplied per sliding door as the weight of the door is evenly distributed on two hangers. Three or even more hangers can cause friction inside the track and obstruct sliding or make one or more hangers elevated so that the sliding door does not run evenly on the track.
When using a thinner door than recommended, take the measurements of the fixing plates into account. If the door is thinner than the depth of the plate, the screw holes of the plate might not be suitable for fixing the plate into the door firmly. The plates will also remain visible by protruding over the thin door. If you want to install a thicker door, ensure that the sliding door(s) can move without contact with the wall or another door (double tracks).
Yes. Helaform offers a Syncro mechanism for the 75 and SAGA series that opens and closes both door plates of a bi-parting sliding door simultaneously when moving just one of the doors.
The Syncro mechanism is also available with the soft close feature.
Yes. The sound insulating power of a sliding door is primarily determined by the structure of the door and the wall and the technical features of the doorframe.
Yes. This is fully possible with regard to Helaform’s track systems, but check the moisture resistance of the door with the manufacturer. Helaform also offers track systems with the AISI 316L standard
for the most challenging conditions.
The soft close mechanism for 75 Flow series is suitable for sliding doors with a maximum weight of 100 kg and the mechanism for SAGA series is suitable for doors weighing up to 130 kg. If the door is very lightweight, remember that you need a little more effort to get the door rolling and wind up the built-in spring of the soft close mechanism. Door handles also play a part as shallow embedded handles do not provide as tight grip as handles installed on the surface of the door, for instance.
Soft close mechanisms start slowing down the sliding door about 10 cm before the stopping position.