Lift and Slide Doors for Canadian Homes
A lift & slide door lets a sash of up to 400 kg glide aside with one hand, then seals and locks tight when it closes. InterHaus supplies the Internorm KS 430 in uPVC and uPVC/aluminum, the HS 330 in timber/aluminum, and all-aluminum systems from Reynaers and Schüco, with installation across Canada.
How lift & slide hardware works
A conventional patio slider sits on its rollers all the time. Its seals are brushes or light wipers, because they have to let the panel move. A lift & slide door works in two stages instead. Turning the handle lifts the sash off its seals and onto concealed barrel wheels, and from there even a very large panel glides along its track with a gentle push. Once it is moving, a single finger keeps it going.
Turn the handle back and the sash lowers onto the frame. Its weight presses the gaskets closed and the concealed locking engages, so sealing and locking happen in one movement. While the door is closed the sash rests on its seals rather than its rollers, so there is no pressure on the rollers when the door is stationary, which helps the hardware stay smooth for decades.
The same principle lets you stop the sash anywhere along its run. Lower it a hand-width open and it locks in position, which gives you gentle ventilation on a mild evening without leaving a door that anyone outside can slide open.
- Lift: turn the handle and the sash rises onto its barrel wheels.
- Slide: the panel glides on its track, by hand or with Comfort Drive electric operation.
- Lower: turn back and the sash settles onto triple seals and locks, fully closed or part-open.
Four things that decide a lift & slide door in Canada
The glass gets the attention, but in a cold climate the decisions that matter most are made at the floor, the frame and the wall.
Threshold
Internorm’s standard threshold can be installed level with your finished floor. On the KS 430 it is glass fibre, chosen for optimum thermal insulation, so the bottom of the opening is not a cold line across the room.
Size and weight
The KS 430 reaches 6500 × 2800 mm with sashes of up to 400 kg; the HS 330 is made up to 580 × 280 cm as standard, and larger after technical clarification. The header and floor have to suit the door too.
Airtightness
Lift & slide hardware compresses the seals every time the sash lowers, and the KS 430 uses triple seals in a reinforced, multi-chamber frame. The joint between frame and wall matters just as much.
Winter comfort
Triple glazing of 48 or 54 mm and Uw values as low as 0.64 W/m²K (KS 430) and 0.73 W/m²K (HS 330) keep the inside pane warm enough to sit beside on a January night, and make condensation along the bottom edge less likely.
Comparing the three Internorm lift & slide doors
All three use the same lift & slide principle. They differ in what you see and touch inside, what faces the weather outside, and how the frame is built.
| KS 430 uPVC | KS 430 uPVC/Aluminum | HS 330 Timber/Aluminum | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interior surface | uPVC: white, Anthracite Grey or I-tec Decor print | uPVC: white, Anthracite Grey or I-tec Decor print | Spruce, Larch, Oak or Walnut; Spruce can be painted in RAL |
| Exterior surface | uPVC in classic white | Aluminum cladding in your RAL colour | Powder-coated aluminum in your RAL colour |
| Thermal insulation | Uw as low as 0.64 W/m²K | Uw as low as 0.64 W/m²K | Uw as low as 0.73 W/m²K |
| Sound reduction | 33–43 dB | 33–43 dB | 32–40 dB |
| Security | Concealed multi-point locking, up to RC 2 | Concealed multi-point locking, up to RC 2 | Concealed multi-point locking, RC 2 upgrade |
| Construction depth | 200 mm | 203 mm | 209 mm |
| Maximum size | 6500 × 2800 mm | 6500 × 2800 mm | 580 × 280 cm standard; larger on clarification |
| Sash weight | up to 400 kg | up to 400 kg | up to 400 kg |
| Glazing | Triple, 48 or 54 mm | Triple, 48 or 54 mm | Triple, 48 to 54 mm |
| Typical fit | White interiors, humid rooms, sensible budgets | Coloured or dark exteriors, exposed sites | Timber interiors, tall glass, HF window projects |
Figures from Internorm’s 2026/27 catalogue and InterHaus product data. The KS 430’s 0.64 W/m²K is its optimum value; with the standard coating the catalogue lists 0.68. We confirm values for your exact door.
Planning a level threshold for snow, rain and freeze-thaw
A level threshold is the reason many people choose a lift & slide door. The kitchen floor runs straight out to the deck, with nothing to trip over and nothing to step up onto with a tray in your hands. In a Canadian winter that same level line is where snow drifts, meltwater collects and ice forms, so it has to be drawn properly before the floor is poured.
Good practice is to keep the exterior surface falling away from the door, give water a place to drain, and shelter the opening with an overhang or covered terrace where the architecture allows. On the KS 430, Internorm’s glass-fibre threshold adds stability and airtightness as the frame goes through freeze-thaw cycles, and keeps the sill from becoming a cold bridge into the room.
We work through these details with your architect or builder at drawing stage, because the threshold height, the slab or subfloor build-up and the exterior finish all have to agree. The photo shows a lift-slide door at InterHaus’s Alcove PH Cottage project in Québec.
Sizing the opening and choosing a configuration
Internorm lift & slide doors come in two-, three- and four-section layouts on dual tracks, so sliding sashes and fixed panels can be arranged to suit the room. A two-section door, with one sliding sash beside one fixed panel, is the simplest layout and, at the same overall size, costs less than three or four sections.
Wider walls of glass usually combine sliding sashes with fixed elements. Fixed panels can be built in so that plaster or render covers their frames, leaving almost frameless glass next to the moving sash, and frames can be overlapped by the wall finish inside and outside for a slimmer look. Where you want more fixed glass elsewhere in the room, HX 300 frameless glazing is Internorm’s large-format option.
A 400 kg sash also needs a header designed for it, a floor that stays flat under the track and a lifting plan for installation day. We raise those questions early.
Internorm lift & slide doors
Start with the material, then open the model page for full technical data and colour charts.
uPVC lift & slide doors
KS 430 in uPVC inside and out: white, easy to clean and the most direct route to a triple-glazed lift & slide door.
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uPVC/Aluminum lift & slide doors
The same KS 430 with an aluminum weather shell in any RAL colour, for exposed sites and modern facades.
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Timber/Aluminum lift & slide doors
HS 330 with natural timber inside, an LVL core and aluminum outside, for warm interiors and tall glass.
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KS 430 uPVC
Uw as low as 0.64 W/m²K, 33–43 dB, 200 mm construction depth.
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KS 430 uPVC/Aluminum
Uw as low as 0.64 W/m²K, 33–43 dB, 203 mm construction depth.
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HS 330 Timber/Aluminum
Uw as low as 0.73 W/m²K, 32–40 dB, 209 mm construction depth.
ExploreWhen an all-aluminum lift & slide door makes more sense
Internorm’s lift & slide doors are composite: an insulating uPVC or timber frame with, on most versions, aluminum facing the weather. That build gives the lowest Uw values among the lift & slide doors we supply. All-aluminum systems take a different route, using insulated aluminum profiles throughout, which allows very slim frames and a consistent metal finish inside and out.
For projects that want that look, or that need a folding door that opens the whole wall, InterHaus supplies Reynaers from Belgium and Schüco from Germany. The Reynaers MasterPatio lift-slide door reaches Uw values as low as 0.8 W/m²K with up to 43 dB sound reduction, and the Schüco ASE 80.HI lift-and-slide system reaches 0.9 W/m²K with up to 43 dB. We are happy to compare a composite and an all-aluminum option for the same opening so you can see the trade-off in numbers.
All-aluminum lift & slide and folding doors
Reynaers aluminum doors
Belgian lift-slide and folding systems, including MasterPatio and Concept Folding 77, with slim profiles and large glass.
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Schüco aluminum doors
German lift-and-slide and folding systems, including ASE 80.HI and AS FD 90.HI, with concealed locking.
ExploreHow a lift & slide project runs with InterHaus
- 01
Review the opening
Send drawings, or photos and rough dimensions. Our product specialists, who come from an architectural background, check structure, threshold and exposure before suggesting a system.
- 02
Specify and quote
We confirm size, layout, glazing, colours, hardware and screens, then quote. For Passive House projects we aim to quote within 72 hours.
- 03
Made to measure in Austria
Internorm builds every door to your dimensions in Austria. Your order then moves through InterHaus’s Ontario warehouse, and we coordinate delivery to site.
- 04
Install or supervise
Choose Supply Only, Supply & Install with our own fitters, or Supply & Supervision, where our team spends time on site with your installer to check handling, fitting and finishing.
- 05
Handover and after-sale
We run the door with you, set the hardware and explain care of the seals and track. Our after-sale team is a call away for later adjustments.
“My preferred window supplier for any of our projects with ambitious sustainability or indoor comfort goals. They have been easy to work with, and responsive when I need a problem solved. Internorm products have served me well, and these are the best, most reliable suppliers I have found in eastern Canada.”
Lift & slide door questions
A regular slider rolls on its wheels all the time and seals with brushes so it can move. A lift & slide sash is lifted onto its wheels only while you open it; when it closes, it lowers onto compression seals and locks. The result is a far tighter seal, very large sashes that still move easily, and rollers that carry no load while the door is shut.
Yes, when they are specified and installed correctly. The KS 430 reaches Uw values as low as 0.64 W/m²K, which sits within the Passive House range, and the HS 330 is suitable for Passive House and Net Zero homes. Airtightness also depends on the connection between frame and wall, so we plan that detail with your team. See our Passive House page for how we support certified projects.
Comfort Drive electric operation opens and closes the door at the push of a button. An ekey fingerprint scanner can also be mounted on the frame of the lift & slide door for keyless entry from outside.
Yes. Choose a standard sliding screen that runs on top and bottom rails, or a pleated Harmony screen that folds to the side when not in use. Screen frames match the exterior colour of the door.
Plan your lift & slide door
Send us your drawings or the size of your opening. We will suggest the right system and layout, flag anything to resolve at the threshold or header, and prepare a detailed quote. You can also see lift & slide doors in person at our Oakville showroom.