Door hinges - choice, design, installation

Entrance and interior doors perform protective and decorative functions. Their design is selected taking into account the interior of the dwelling, the elements that are part of the structures must comply with the artistic style of all the rooms.

Door hinges and other fittings are of great importance, otherwise, if the selection of elements is unsuccessful, the appearance of the doorway may deteriorate, there will be a misalignment or sagging of the canvas, which will cause inconvenience when closing the doors in the box or creaking in the hinges.

Signs of classification loops

Sheds for doors can be classified according to a number of defining features:

• Installation location.
• The way the connector mechanism.
• Type of attachment to the box.
• Material manufacturing.
• Type of construction.

It should be borne in mind that the hinges are selected independently only for doors that are made of MDF or wood (see How to make wooden doors with your own hands - the best solution for any possibilities). Plastic, steel and aluminum products are supplied fully equipped with fittings and canopies.

The installation location of the hinges determines their type. They can be:

• For entrance doors. Have the big durability and overall dimensions. In addition, such products must provide protection against the removal of the valves, which will be an additional obstacle to unauthorized breaking of the door.
• For interior openings. These are simple designs that are lighter and more elegant.

Types of door hinges

There is a wide variety of canopies. The main ones are combined in the table:

Benefits	disadvantages
Easy installation, you need to carefully mark the location of the canopy and secure it with screws. Versatility. There is no division into left and right models. Aesthetic appearance. For the manufacture of high quality materials are used, they are almost not abraded Low price and wide application. Reliable and long-term operation.	The canvas can not be removed from the hinge. If it is necessary to dismantle, the hinges are completely unscrewed, which leads to the removal of the doors. Over time, there are possible distortions that impede the movement of the door. Used only for lightweight construction. For installation required perfectly smooth surface of the doors and boxes.
Security. The inability of attackers to crack the structure. Reliability. The product serves a long time. Beauty. Hidden hinges are not visible from the outside of the door. Hinges are integral with the wall, expanding the visual space, and the wall giving a more attractive look. Power. Maintain a great weight, up to 50 kilograms, without sagging the door.	Limiting the angle of plowing to 90 °, which makes it difficult to move large items. When you try to open the doors wider, deformation of the door frames and the door frame may occur. When mounting hinges in a metal door frame, the grooves are milled, which reduces the strength of the entire door. Difficulties in repair, requires the dismantling of loops. Susceptibility to shock loads. Distortions and seizure of doors may occur.
Do not spoil the door leaf. They do not crash, but are mounted on the canvas in its invisible part: below and above the butt. You can easily change the direction of opening - like a refrigerator. This is an alternative to hidden mortise hinges, but they are cheaper and easier to assemble. Often used for glass doors.	It is not recommended to heavily load the door.
Small cost. Relatively easy installation. Versatility. There is no need to choose the left and right loop.	For their production using conventional steel, followed by the application of chromium or nickel.
Easy to install door leaf on such hinges. Hinges allow the position of the door to change in two planes. There are models that are adjustable in height, which ensures a snug fit of the door leaf to the frame of the opening. Versatile design.	Restriction in use: only fit the door with a quarter. They can not be mounted on a standard door purchased in the store. Tip: Do not install such loops on fragile and low-quality canvases made of soft wood, cheap plastic. This can lead to a violation of the internal structure of the canvas, the appearance of cracks, distortions and chipping.
These are the card canopies having the form of a corner. They have the same advantages. In addition - the installation of a hinge on the door with a porch.	The device can not be hidden, which spoils the appearance of the door.
The ability to plow the canvas in two directions. This is very convenient for offices and catering, where there is a large crowd of people. Otherwise, products are called door hinge bar.	Cannot be heavily loaded. Great value. Susceptibility to shock loads. Distortions and seizure of doors may occur.
The easy course of a cloth of a door even with its big weight. High security. Fittings can not be cut with a grinder or similar tools. Simple repair at which replacement of the failed bearing is carried out, new. Evenly distributed load from the door leaf.	With poor quality bearings, the separators can crumble, and the balls will scatter.
Simplicity of a product that provides the minimum quantity of details. Easy installation, does not require the use of special tools and equipment. Operation and maintenance of accessories does not cause problems. Budget cost. Increased stiffness of the whole structure. More often such products are used for doors on cabinets and other pieces of furniture.	Such models are morally obsolete, they were actively supplanted by other types of loops.

Overview of door hinges of different companies

How to make door hinges? These companies can answer this question.

The most popular of them are:

• The Palladium company which is letting out high-precision accessories providing high-quality closing and opening of doors. Usually palladium door hinges are made of brass, and when using steel, a reliable two-layer varnish coating of different colors is made.

• Door hinges apex installed in interior doors. In the kit there are two hinges and for mounting screws. When purchasing sets, door hinges retail will cost more than the wholesale price.

Designs are universal, easy to install. They are made of steel with a high-quality protective coating.

• Door euro hinges.

Feature of designs - door hinges are made of stainless steel, which significantly increases their service life

• Door hinges Dr. Khan.

Produced by Dr. Hahn white door hinges, one of the samples of which is shown in the photo, have the following features:

1. attractive appearance;
2. adjustment in six directions without loosening the fixing screws;
3. smooth adjustment in the vertical and horizontal directions with the door closed;
4. door hinges 150 mm long can withstand a load of up to 140 kilograms;
5. no maintenance required;
6. universal hinges can be used for fireproof doors with an O sign;
7. extruded aluminum hinge with screw fastening withstands heavy loads of compression and tension;
8. in case of need, stainless steel door hinges are supplied;
9. models are supplied with plastic sleeves that improves sliding;
10. lining with clamping function allows quick installation.

• Door hinges combined.

The design feature is high quality of the material and the manufacturing process.

Choice of door hinges

Tip: When purchasing one-way door hinges or other design, you should consider the type of doors for their fastening.

When choosing door hinges, there are other criteria.

These include:

• Material for production:

1. brass, such products are the most popular.

It is plastic, durable, withstanding very heavy canvas door material. Products are often chrome plated;

1. steel.

These are the most durable, reliable and durable hinges, but also the most expensive. They are not deformed, they serve for a long time. It is more expedient to use them for installation on heavy input models;

1. zinc, aluminum or steel alloys.

To sell door hinges more expensive and give them a more attractive look they are covered with brass on top.

Products do not give in to corrosion and have good sliding. To create a design effect, parts are often covered with various lacquers, paints, perfectly imitating gold, silver, chrome, copper and other natural materials;

1. the material from which the most expensive door hinges are made is stainless steel. Such products are superior to all others in their strength, hardness and elegance.

Tip: For attaching lighter door panels, purchase a more economical version of brass or brass hinge materials.

• Device type. For example:

1. cannot be used for screw-in hinge entry doors. Most often they are used for interior models; one-piece hinges - absolutely universal, suitable for all types of doors;
2. detachable hinges - the best option for doors that periodically need to be removed.

• The side to which the door will open. Left or right loops are selected.
• Features of installation. There should be a gap of at least 1.5 millimeters between the door leaf, from the hinge installation side, and the box. This will allow when changing the dimensions of the canvas, due to humidity in the room or too dry air, do not jam the design.
• Number of door hinges. For a door up to two meters, it is enough to install two strong hinges. For massive entrance door up to 2.5 meters high, you will need three hinges. Massive, heavy models of natural wood, require the installation of more than three door hinges.

Simplicity, convenience and service life of entrance doors depend on the right choice of products. All of these recommendations indicate a certificate of conformity for door hinges, which manufacturers follow in the manufacture of models.

Setting loops

Before you install the structures, it is worth watching the video in this article.

To install the loop with your own hands you must purchase:

• Door hinges.
• Chisel and hammer.
• Screws or screws.
• Pencil.
• Wooden wedges.
• Building level.

General instructions for performing work:

• Marking the door leaf.
• The hinges are located approximately 25 centimeters from the top and bottom of the door.

• Loops are applied and a pencil is drawn around the door.
• A chisel is applied to the markup and gently knocks with a hammer along the entire contour of the marking, for cutting out the contours of the hinges.
• Several cuts are made along the length and are fitted with a chisel in order to obtain a recess for the hinges in their thickness.
• Details fasten with screws.

Marking on the box:

• The door is installed in the box and fixed with wedges in the intended place of its closure. Significantly facilitate the work of the previously inserted lock, which can be closed and properly adjust the door.
• Wedges are inserted under the bottom, and the level displays the verticality and horizontal position of the door leaf.
• Pencil outlines the places where the hinges are in contact with the box.
• Cut out the grooves under the hinges, as well as on the doors.
• Wedges are inserted under the bottom, the door is brought to the box and secured with screws in place.

What are door hinges, installation, door hinges from different materials - with all these questions you need to get acquainted before they are purchased. The right choice of models is a guarantee of reliable protection of entrance doors and their long-term operation.