All about door hinges

A loop – a device with which the door leaf is attached to the frame. Hinges are screw-in and hinged, detachable and one-piece, left and right.

Detachable loop – you can remove the door from it without unscrewing the hinges.

One-piece (universal) hinge – the one that will have to be unscrewed before removing the door.

Wings – small plates with holes on the sides of the hinge, with which it is attached to the door.

Door leaf – this is how sellers call the door itself.

Door frame – door frame.

Europit – protrusions on the ends of the door.

Remember how Mitrofanushka from Fonvizin’s play “The Minor” answered the teacher’s question: “Is a door a noun or an adjective?” This negligent disciple said that, they say, the door, standing for the sixth week at the closet and not yet hung, is “a noun.” And a door attached to its place is an adjective. From the point of view of science, this is, of course, complete nonsense. But in a sense, there is good grain here. In fact, without hinges, the door is really only a semi-finished product. It is with the help of the hinges that the door leaf is attached to the frame and starts to work: open and close.

The variety of models and “styles” of loops that exist today causes a slight shock: “Why so much? It would seem that whichever you choose, any will do. ” In fact, before you buy hinges, you need to understand which door you need them for. Otherwise you just can’t hang the door.

What the hinges are made of?

First, there are brass hinges. The metal (usually various zinc or steel alloys) is brass-plated on top so that the hinge does not rust and its parts slide better. Often the hinges are covered with enamel of different colors or other compounds that imitate bronze, gold, chrome.

Secondly, there are all brass hinges.. They are much more common: this material is plastic, easily processed. They can also be polished or chrome plated.

And the third, the most expensive and high quality ones, are steel. The fact is that brass is softer than steel, and over time it begins to wear off slightly and grind slightly. Steel loops are almost eternal.

According to the method of fastening, the hinges can be divided into two large groups: screw-in and hinged.

The screw hinge is attached with threaded pins. It looks like two small cylinders with screws on the sides. First, one of these cylinders is screwed into the door, the other into the door frame, then the cylinders are pushed one on top of the other.

This design is mainly used for light interior doors (20-50 kg).

Universal hinge

Hinged hinges are fastened with small plates with holes on the sides – wings: one wing is screwed to the canvas, the other to the box. Hinged hinges are divided into universal and non-universal, and the latter are also left and right. Which one to choose?

Let me explain: a universal hinge fits almost any door, no matter which way it opens – outward or inward. But these hinges are not detachable. For example, if you need to bring a bulky thing into the room – a wardrobe or a sofa, then you can remove the door only by unscrewing all the hinges from it.

Therefore, for lovers of rearrangements in the apartment, I would advise you to opt for left or right hinges. They, unlike universal ones, are detachable. If necessary, the door is lifted and removed from the hinges. In this they are similar to screw-in ones. The only catch is that before buying, you should decide in which direction the door will open. How to do it? Stand in front of the proposed door so that it opens “for you.” If you want the loops to be located on the right hand, you need the right loops, if on the left – the left ones. Here’s a good example: look at the diagram of the Swedish company ASSA. All clear? Although … wait to draw conclusions.

A diagram to help you determine which hinges you need – left or right.

It turns out that such a classification of loops into left and right is accepted only in some countries, for example, in Russia and Sweden. And, for example, in Spain, Italy, Israel – everything is exactly the opposite. Where we have the left loop, they have the right one. Therefore, in order not to rack your brains, draw a plan of the apartment with open doors. Based on this diagram, sales assistants will select the right hinges (or doors with hinges) from those that they have..

Non-universal loop diagram, which opens the door only in a certain direction (left or right, inward or outward)

And further: the part of the hinge, fixed on the canvas and having a pin, is called “boy” (“dad”), and the other, which is screwed to the door and sits on the first, is called “girl” (“mom”). Moreover, no one gets confused in this terminology, all countries and manufacturers have adopted just such definitions.

Another important detail: to improve sound and heat insulation, you can buy doors with a euro-louver, or “quarter”. That is, the end of the door is not flat, but with a ledge. On the door frame for this ledge, in turn, a recess is made. Therefore, when the door is closed, there is no gap between it and the box, and therefore there are no drafts..

But, as a rule, it is impossible to put an ordinary hinge on such a door: the porch will interfere. For this, either screw-in or special hinges for doors with a “quarter” are used, the wing of which is curved under these projections. There are also such loops, as a rule, left and right.

While shopping, I saw an unusual round loop. As the experts explained to me, this is a patented innovation of the Italian company Barausse. The fact is that in this case the hinge is not attached to the side end of the door, but from above. Such a hinge can be easily outweighed, and you can easily change the side of the door, like a refrigerator. This, you see, is very convenient: it is problematic to rearrange an ordinary hinge screwed to the door to another place – there will be traces of screws. However, there is one “but” here: such hinges are not sold separately, but are supplied only complete with the doors of the Baraus factory..

Those who have ever bought new doors probably know: a lot of doors are now sold already complete with hinges, locks and handles. On the one hand, this is good. No need to worry that some would-be craftsman will screw the hinges in the wrong, wrong way or scratch the door leaf.

On the other hand, this still limits the freedom of choice and makes buying loops more serious. But if you already have a door and you just want to change the fittings, there is nowhere to go: you will have to go in search of shops.

Of course, you can put the new door on the old hinges, but if you have enough money for the door, do not be greedy, the price of the hinge is incomparably less than the price of the door.

1. A door with a Euro-lock (or “quarter”) is secured with screw hinges. As the name suggests, these hinges are screwed into the jamb and door leaf..
2. Special curved hinge – another option for quarter doors.
3. Hinge of the Italian company Barausse, with which you can change the side of the door.
4. This is what a Barausse hinge looks like on the door..

It is extremely difficult to ruin a hinge unless it is a cheap homemade iron hinge. However, if your child is happy to use the door instead of the swing, then the inner hinge pin may bend. And there is still some danger in the screw-in hinges: when screwed into a rather thin door leaf with a Euro-lock, they can split it.

Many of us know that some hinges start to squeak disgustingly over time. What to do? If the hinge squeaks, it can be oiled. However, this procedure will not fix the problem permanently. Usually squeaking is caused by friction of the hinge parts, which means that the hinge collapses and sooner or later it will have to be changed..

Having tackled the hinges closely, I naturally began to pay attention to them. Wherever I have been, wherever I have come, I immediately begin to examine the door. So, once I noticed that the hinges, on the wing of which, for example, have four holes, are screwed in only with two screws. “How is it,” I thought, “in theory, if the manufacturer has made four holes, then four screws must enter them. And in general, does it matter how many screws the hinges should be screwed on? ”

I asked this seemingly “minor” question to many door installers. Their answer was unambiguous and unanimous: so that the hinge does not warp and the door does not come loose, the number of screws must strictly correspond to the number of wing holes.

Output. Long and reliable operation of the hinge largely depends on how correctly it was chosen and placed on the door. This can (and should) be helped by qualified salespeople. Therefore, the best thing is, before you go to the store, draw a floor plan of the apartment with the doors open – and the seller will help you choose the hinges you want (or doors with hinges).

What should be the hinges for entrance doors?

So that the front door cannot be removed, invented hinges with anti-lifting mechanism

Hinges for entrance doors differ from interior ones in large sizes. Entrance doors are usually heavier (80 – 150 kg) and stronger.

In addition, manufacturers of accessories for entrance doors have figured out how to protect an apartment from uninvited guests: so that the entrance door cannot be removed from its hinges, firms produce hinges with an anti-removal mechanism. A depression is made on one wing, a ledge on the other. When the door is closed, the wings are aligned, the protrusion enters the depression and does not allow the door to be lifted.

How to choose the right fittings?

Tips from АSSА

First of all, you need to know the weight of the door leaf. And when buying loops, be sure to consult how many pieces you need to buy. All manufacturers have graphs of the dependence of the quantity, material and type of hinge on the weight of the door.

Also, decide which hinges you need: right, left or universal..

How to determine the price? The price range for hinges is quite large. It depends on the size of the loop, the material from which it is made, from the place where you buy, and ranges from $ 0.28 to $ 70.

By the way, according to many experts, it is better to buy a door fully equipped with fittings, so as not to suffer, determining what hinge is needed, how much the door weighs, and even how many hinges and what size they are needed.

Expert opinion of the Swedish company ASSA

ASSA has been manufacturing hinges for over 100 years. During this time, a huge experience has been accumulated in the installation of hinges. How are they different from all others? Firstly, the hinges of this company are made of steel. Advice from the company: steel hinges should be installed on office doors, since such doors are often opened and closed, which means that the hinges wear out much faster.

The location of the hinge is also important: the heavier the door, the more carefully it must be fixed. Therefore, the following types of hinge settings are offered.

1. For a standard door: three loops (two at the top, one at the bottom).
2. For light doors: three loops equidistant from each other.
3. For heavy doors: two loops at the bottom and at the top.
4. For high doors over 2100 mm: four loops.
5. Commonly accepted hinge arrangement. The graph shows the weight and width of the doors that can be hung on two hinges..

Olga Ovchinnikova