Door Hinges - A Simple Guide to Choosing the Perfect Fit

Whether you're embarking on a door installation or replacing an existing one, the question of "What hinges should I use?" often arises. Welcome to the intriguing yet occasionally perplexing world of hinges. Gone are the days when hinges were concealed beneath layers of paint. Nowadays, they are proudly displayed as a distinctive design element. That's precisely why selecting the right hinge type is crucial. To simplify matters, we have created this super-easy guide to help you choose the ideal hinges for your internal doors.

A Key Consideration: Door Type

The most critical factor in determining the type of hinge to use is the weight it will bear. Doors can generally be categorized into three types:

1. Hollow Doors (Lightweight): In this case, we recommend opting for a lighter-duty Hirline Hinge. These hinges are not only cost-effective but also quicker to install. Our T30 (stainless steel) or T60 (coloured finish) products are highly recommended. For further information, refer to our comprehensive guide on Hirline Hinges.

2. Solid Doors (Heavier): If you have solid doors weighing over 40kg, a heavier-duty hirline hinge with ball bearings is necessary. For such doors, we suggest considering our T21 or T22 hinges.

3. Extra Heavy Doors: When dealing with exceptionally heavy doors, we recommend using butt hinges. Our T22 Extra Heavy Duty Butt Hinges are particularly suitable for this purpose. In fact, some builders, handymen, joiners, and quality door manufacturers prefer these hinges due to their exceptional strength and the timber shoulder they create when chiselled into the door.

Understanding Hollow Doors

Hollow Doors may appear solid on the outside, but they are actually hollow on the inside, often containing construction paper or cellular cardboard in a honeycomb pattern. These doors offer a lightweight and cost-effective alternative to solid core doors. You can easily identify a hollow door as it can be lifted effortlessly by a single person.

Replacing Hinges

When replacing hinges, we generally recommend sticking to a like-for-like replacement. However, if your old hinges were made from a lower grade of metal, our replacement hinges offer significant advantages, as all our hinges are crafted from genuine stainless steel. We selected this material for its superior properties, including strength, longevity, and aesthetic appeal. When replacing butt hinges, it is crucial to ensure that the replacement hinges are the same size. If this is not feasible, opting for a smaller size is an alternative. The sizing is particularly important for butt hinges, as larger hinges would require additional effort in chiselling out a rebate to ensure a proper fit. This task typically requires skilled labour.

Using Heavy-Duty Hinges on Light Doors

The T22 hinge is sometimes employed as an architectural feature due to its striking appearance. Of course, all our heavier-duty hinges can be used on lighter doors as well, serving as a design enhancement.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us. Our team members are ready to assist you in determining the ideal hinges for your project.